The Mindful Edge: Stress Management and Life Strategies for Teens and Young Adults
The Mindful Edge at R. H. King; In Their Voices -
The Benefits of Mindfulness
The Mindful Edge® is a specially-developed program to provide Stress Reduction and Life Strategies for Teens. It is based on the principles of the MBSR Workshop program created by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
The Mindful Edge™ combines the practices of mindfulness with knowledge of brain science, positive psychology, movement and healthy living skills to create a program that benefits teens socially, emotionally, physically and academically.
Students actively participate in the process of unfolding a practical understanding of mindfulness and how it can benefit them in their lives.
5-Session Workshops for Students (grades 6-8 | 9-12) ages 12-19.
Being a Teen is Stressful!
The Program Helps Students Enhance Health and Well-Being by:
- Reducing stress
- Cultivating present-moment attention
- Increasing focus and attention skills
- Increasing positive coping skills
- Developing emotional regulation and balance strategies
- Teaching the science on how the brain affects behaviour and learning
- Manage transitions in life, i.e. to high school/post-secondary
- Developing communications skills to foster improved relationships
- Improving overall mental and physical health and well-being
The Mindful Edge Teachers
The Mindful Edge program is delivered either in-person or virtually, by qualified, experienced teachers, each with a strong background and practice in mindfulness. See our 'Mindful Edge Facilitators' page for more information.
Course Structure
The 3-unit program is composed of 1.5-hour themed sessions, delivered in small groups, in person or online.
Overall Program Goal -
Resilience: Skill for being with the ups and downs in life
Lesson | Theme | Description |
---|---|---|
Lesson 1 | What is Stress? | Physiology of stress and how mindfulness can ease and help manage students' response to stress. |
Lesson 2 | Why Be Mindful? | Intro to mindfulness and relevance for students, establishing personal connection - the buy-in. |
Lesson 3 | How to Practice Mindfulness? Paying Attention to Body and Breath | Experience of mindful practices that use body and breath as an anchor to attention: body scan, circle breathing, mindful eating. |
Lesson 4 | What is the Neuroscience of Mindfulness? | The neuroscience of attention and neuroplasticity. | /tr>
Lesson 5 | How do Thoughts Impact Emotions and Behaviour? | Exploring thinking, including the impacts of perception, implicit bias, cognitive distortions. Cultivating mindful self-compassion as a means to manage negative self-talk. |
Lesson 6 | How do Emotions Impact Thoughts and Behaviour? | What is Social and Emotional Intelligence? Exploring emotional literacy, moods, feelings and the continuum of emotions. |
Lesson 7 | How to Manage Strong Emotions? | We can learn to manage strong emotions in a way that helps us identify our needs and get them met in situations, and does not escalate them. |
Lesson 8 | What is the Science of Happiness? | Happiness is a state that can be cultivated through practicing gratitude, appreciation & kindness, drawing on the recent research on Positive Psychology. |
Lesson 9 | How Can Mindfulness Impact Creativity? | Exploring mindful art-based activities. | Lesson 10 | What is Mindful Self-Compassion? | Self-compassion is a skill that can be cultivated, exploring the three foundations of mindful self-compassion: mindfulness, self kindness and common humanity. How to be your own best friend. |
Lesson 11 | How Does Mindful Communication Improve Relationships? | Relationships and connection can be enhanced through practicing mindful speaking and listening. Principles of mindful communication include setting an intention, being fully present, remaining open and non-judgmental, and relating to others with compassion. |
Lesson 12 | What Does Mindful Leadership Look Like? | Investigating the aspects of mindfulness that support leadership: awareness, attention, intention and action. |
Program Delivery
The 12-lesson program is delivered in 3 Units that are comprised of 4-lessons each with a specific theme and focus:
- The Essentials of Mindfulness: What is it, how to practice it, practical skills and strategies to manage stress, and why it is beneficial.
- Mindful Social and Emotional Learning: The lessons build on the framework of Social Emotional Learning (SEL), with an emphasis on mindful awareness as the foundation to support emotional regulation. The 5 core SEL competencies are Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision Making, Social Awareness, and Relationship skills.
- Mindful Leadership: training students to share their learnings with other students.
Some options for the delivery of this 3 unit program are:
- Best: All 3 Units, the full 12-session program
- Better: Units 1 and 2, 9 sessions
- Basic: Unit 1, 5 sessions
Email: Angela Ventrice
With thanks to Roy Hintsa for his inspiration, contribution and mindful presence