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HomeResources and SupportA-Z resourcesMindfulness

Mindfulness

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Mindfulness means paying attention to what's happening right now. When you practice mindfulness, you turn your attention to your thoughts, emotions, body sensations and experience in the present moment.

Below you will find a variety of resources to help you better understand mindfulness.

Books

The art of being: 101 ways to practice purpose in your life

Jones, Dennis Merritt. -- New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008.

The Art of Being is a user-friendly manual to help you become acutely aware of how to live more mindfully on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour, moment-by-moment basis and thus create more peace and happiness in your life and in the lives of those around you.

The autism playbook for teens: imagination-based mindfulness activities to calm yourself, build independence, & connect with others

McHenry, Irene; Moog, Carol. -- Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc, 2014.

This book offers a unique, strengths-based approach to help teens with autism spectrum (including Asperger's Syndrome) develop social skills, strengthen communication, and thrive. The activities contained in each chapter are custom-designed to work with the unique perspectives, sensory processing, neurological strengths and challenges that teens with autism bring to their encounters with the social world

The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook: practical DBT exercises for learning mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation & distress tolerance

McKay, Mathew; Wood, Jeffrey C; Brantley, Jeffrey. -- Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2007.

Research shows that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destructively. In order to make use of these techniques, you need to build skills in four key areas-distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Everyday blessings: the inner work of mindful parenting

Kabat-Zinn, Myla; Kabat-Zinn, Jon. -- New York: Hachette Books, 2014.

Suggests how parents can enrich their own and their children's lives through intentional, mindful parenting.

Full catastrophe living: using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness

Kabat-Zinn, Jon. -- New York, NY: Delta, 2013.

Based on Jon Kabat-Zinn's renowned mindfulness-based stress reduction program, this updated book shows you how to use medically proven mind-body approaches derived from meditation and yoga to counteract stress, establish greater balance of body and mind, and stimulate well-being and healing. By engaging in these mindfulness practices and integrating them into your life from moment to moment and from day to day, you can learn to manage chronic pain, promote optimal healing, reduce anxiety and feelings of panic, and improve the overall quality of your life, relationships, and social networks.

Helping your angry teen: how to reduce anger and build connection using mindfulness and positive psychology

Abblett, Mitch R. -- Oakville, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2017.

Written by a psychologist and teen expert, this book offers techniques based in mindfulness, compassion, and positive psychology to help face the challenges that parenting an angry teen presents. Discover the clinical and psychological underlying conditions that can contribute to teen anger, skills for improving communication, and mindfulness tips for staying calm.

The lemonade hurricane: a story of mindfulness and meditation

Morelli, Licia; Morris, Jennifer E. -- Thomaston, MA: Tilbury House Publishers, 2015.

Emma's little brother Henry is a good kid--but when his day has been too busy and too full, Henry can become a hurricane! Emma wishes that she could teach Henry to be still. One day, she shows Henry how meditation can make a big difference in both their lives.

Master of mindfulness: how to be your own superhero in times of stress

Grossman, Laurie. -- Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2016.

With this fun and empowering book, written for kids by kids and featuring cool illustrations and tips, young readers will learn how to use the power of mindfulness to address daily stresses--whether at school, at home, or with friends--so they can be confident, get focused, stay calm, and tap into their own inner strength. Kids can be their own superheroes--no matter what life throws their way.

The meditation bible: the definitive guide to meditation

Guading, Madonna. -- London: Sterling Publishers, 2005.

Features 140 step-by-step techniques drawn from a variety of spiritual traditions, both Eastern and Western. This title offers meditations for calming and centering, living mindfully, developing love and compassion, solving problems, manifesting your dreams and connecting with the Divine. It also includes advice on meditation postures.

Meditation is an open sky: mindfulness for kids

Stewart, Whitney; Rippin, Sally (ill). -- Chicago, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 2014.

In this daily companion, kids of any age will learn simple exercises to help manage stress and emotions, find focus, and face challenges. They'll discover how to feel safe when scared, relax when anxious, spread kindness, and calm.

The mindful child: how to help your kid manage stress and become happier, kinder, and more compassionate

Greenland, Susan Kaiser. -- New York: Free Press, 2010.

Mindful awareness works by enabling you to pay closer attention to what is happening within you-- your thoughts, feelings and emotions-- so you can better understand what is happening to you. The author has developed techniques to teach mindful awareness to children, building their emotional and social skills and positively affecting their academic performance.

Mindful Monkey, happy Panda

Alderfer, Lauren; MacLean, Kerry Lee. -- Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2011.

Monkey asks Panda what he does to seem so happy and peaceful all the time, and Panda replies that he brings his attention to whatever he is doing at a given time, whether eating, walking, or resting.

The mindful teen: powerful skills to help you handle stress one moment at a time

Dzung X. Vo. -- Oakland, CA: Instant Help, 2015.

The Mindful Teen offers teens a unique mindfulness program based in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) designed especially for teens to help manage stress, navigate volatile emotions, and improve communication skills.

Mindful way through anxiety: break free from chronic worry and reclaim your life

Orsillo, Susan M; Roemer, Lizabeth. -- New York, NY: Guilford Press, 2010.

With clarity and compassion, this book describes clinically tested mindfulness practices specifically tailored for anxiety in its many forms. Learn step-by-step strategies for gaining awareness of anxious feelings without letting them escalate; loosening the grip of worry and fear; and achieving a new level of emotional and physical well-being.

Mindfulness for teen anger: a workbook to overcome anger & aggression using MBSR & DBT skills

Purcell, Mark C.; Murphy, Jason R. -- Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, 2014.

Using mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), this book teaches teens the difference between healthy and unhealthy forms of anger. Teens will learn to make better choices, stop overreacting, find emotional balance, and be more aware of their thoughts and feelings in the moment.

Mindfulness for teen anxiety: a workbook for overcoming anxiety at home, at school & everywhere else

Willard, Christopher. -- Oakland, CA: Instant Help Books, 2014.

This book offers teens effective, mindfulness-based practices to help you cope with your anxiety, identify common triggers (such as dating or school performance), learn valuable time-management skills, and feel more calm at home, at school, and with friends.

Mindfulness for teen depression: a workbook for improving your mood

Willard, Christopher. -- Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2016.

Depression can make it hard for teens to do well in school, make friends, and reach their goals. In this book, two teen experts offer powerful tools based in mindfulness and positive psychology to empower young readers who suffer from depression. The depathologizing approach in this book will help teens ease symptoms, work through troubling thoughts and feelings, and thrive in all aspects of life.

Mindfulness starts here: an eight-week guide to skillful living

Monteiro, Lynette; Musten, Frank. -- Victoria, BC: Friesen Press, 2013.

This book offers you a way to ease stress with clear instructions on these points: How mindfulness works using Five Skillful Habits; How being mindful can help you deal better with sadness, pain, and anxiety; How mindfulness can make your life more manageable. You will learn how mindfulness works through simple, clear explanations. The instructions and practices show you how to pay attention to your life so you can make skillful decisions.

No ordinary apple: a story about eating mindfully

Marlowe, Sara; Pascuzzo, Philip. -- Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2013.

Elliot stays with his neighbor, Carmen, after school every day and one afternoon she offers an apple as a snack, guiding him to experience it in a new way that makes it "the most appley-apple ever."

Sitting still like a frog: mindfulness exercises for kids (and their parents)

Snel, Eline. -- Boston: Shambhala, 2013.

This book is an introduction to mindfulness meditation for children and their parents. In a simple and accessible way, it describes what mindfulness is and how mindfulness-based practices can help children calm down, become more focused, fall asleep more easily, alleviate worry, manage anger, and generally become more patient and aware. The book contains eleven practices that focus on just these scenarios, along with short examples and anecdotes throughout.

A still quiet place for teens: a mindfulness workbook to ease stress and difficult emotions

Saltzman, Amy. -- Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2016. Being a teen in today's fast-paced, media-saturated world is difficult, and it's easy to get overwhelmed or stressed out. Using mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) techniques, teens will learn to balance emotions, stay focused, and experience the natural quietness that lives within.

Superhero therapy: mindfulness skills to help teens & young adults deal with anxiety, depression & trauma

Scarlet, Janina; Alves, Wellinton (ill.). -- Oakland, CA: Instant Help Books, 2017.

This graphic novel provides everything you need to begin your very own superhero training using evidence-based ACT and mindfulness skills. Within these pages, you'll team up with a group of troubled heroes enlisted at the Superhero Training Academy. When you're finished, you'll have a slew of new tools you can use - like mindfulness, self-compassion, and values - to help you conquer whatever life throws your way. For ages 12-17.

Take the time: mindfulness for kids

Roegiers, Maud. -- Washington, DC: Magination Press/American Psychological Association, 2010.

Via rhythms and imagery, guides a child toward self-awareness and mindfulness, tools which may help him or her calm down and feel better when out-of-sorts.

Pamphlets

Mindfulness 101: the basics

You are free to copy and redistribute these materials in any medium or format. This work may not be used for commercial purposes. View the full Creative Commons license. 

Websites

  • Mindfulness for Teens

Apps

Smiling Minds

  • From Smiling Minds
  • Free
  • Available from Google Play & iTunes

Breathr: Mindful Moments

  • From BC Children's Hospital
  • Free
  • Available from Google Play & iTunes

MindMasters

MindMasters2 is a mental health promotion resource that helps children to master emotional regulation through relaxation, positive thinking and mindfulness.

MindMasters 2 was developed by the Child and Youth Health Network for Eastern Ontario and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. It is now a program of Ottawa Public Health. It is designed for adults (both parents and professionals) to use with children ages 4-9 years.

Find MindMasters 2 resources on the Ottawa Public Health website 

Disclaimer

These resources are for educational purposes only. If you have any questions, ask your health-care provider.

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