Mindfulness for Superheroes

With great power comes great mindfulness… at least I think that’s what Spiderman said. Mindfulness is a skill that can be taught to your child to better equip them for times when they experience big emotions. It can provide your child with a way to refocus their attention to the present moment while acknowledging what emotions they are feeling and how these emotions are manifesting in the body. This article explains common mindfulness activities with a fun spin: superheroes! Without further ado, let’s get into some ways your little superheroes can begin to practice mindfulness.

1: Activate your Spidey Senses

Tuning into the 5 senses is strategy that can be used to ground ourselves and become more aware of our surroundings when we are experiencing anxiety or stress. It helps to redirect us from thoughts that may be distressing and instead focus on the details of our environment. To complete this activity, find a way to tune in to each of the 5 senses. Here are some ideas:

Sight: Find an interesting object (such as a toy, rock, or marble) and try to take in every detail of its appearance. Identify any shapes, lines, colors, shadows, or patterns that may not be noticed usually.

Sound: Close your eyes and listen closely to your surrounding. Notice how many different sounds you can hear and try to identify it. Think about where the sounds might be coming from and if they change over time. It can also be helpful to focus on the sound of your own breathing - how might it change if you were to take a deep breath?

Touch: Find an object and use your hands to feel it. Notice the details of the object such as its’ temperature, texture, and firmness. Pay close attention to how these details might be different across the object.

Smell: Find a small piece of food (raisin, goldfish, berry) and take a moment to smell it before eating. Consider if the smell is pleasant to you and if the smell is strong or subtle.

Taste: Find a small piece of food (raisin, goldfish, berry) and place it in your mouth. Before chewing, notice the texture and taste by rolling the piece of food around your mouth. Slowly chew the food and notice how the texture and taste changes. Now you’re eating like a superhero!

2: Strike your Hero Pose

A hero pose can actually change how you feel! High-power posing is when you have an open and expansive posture like the classic superhero pose (placing your hands on your hips with a wide-legged stance, your chest out, and your head raised). These types of poses can actually alter hormone levels to make us feel less stressed and more confident. For this activity, hold the hero pose of your choice for one minute and notice how it feels different than a pose you might make when you feel sad. Typically when we are feeling down, we will take up less space and position ourselves in low-power poses. Posing in a high-power pose when we feel upset is one way of helping us to turn our mood around and be mindful of how our bodies can reflect how we feel inside.

3: Hulk-Out… and Release

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a mindfulness technique that involves contracting and relaxing isolated muscle groups. Think about how the Hulk flexes all his muscles when he “hulks out”, except this time we’re using it to calm down! You can begin this activity by selecting a muscle group to begin with; my preference is working from the toes upward. From there, the activity would go like this:

Lower Limb:

Foot: Curl your toes inward for 5-10 seconds, release.

Lower Leg: Pull your toes toward your head for 5-10 seconds, release.

Upper Leg: Squeeze your thighs together for 5-10 seconds, release.

Entire Leg: Repeat the above all together for 5-10 seconds, release.

Upper Limb:

Hand: Squeeze your hands into fists for 5-10 seconds, release.

Entire Arm: Flex your arms like a superhero by bringing your forearm toward your upper arm for 5-10 seconds, release.

Trunk:

Abdomen: Flex your abdomen as if someone is throwing a ball toward your stomach for 5-10 seconds, release.

Chest: Take a deep breath and hold for 5-10 seconds, release.

Neck: Bring your shoulders up toward your ears for 5-10 seconds, release.

Finish:

Finish the exercise by trying to contract all your muscles at once with one final release to end the activity. Notice how your body feels now, did you notice any areas that were already tense?

Notes:

• If able to, it can be helpful to pair muscle contractions with a deep breath in and muscle release with a big breath out.

• There are many videos on YouTube that will guide you through progressive muscle relaxation

We hope this series of mindfulness activities can help your little ones to tune into their environment and be mindful just like their favorite superhero!

If you’re interested in mindfulness catered to your child’s needs, consider booking a complimentary 15 Minute Consultation for psychotherapy or counseling to see which practitioner is right for you!

References:

https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/how-to-do-progressive-muscle-relaxation/

Carney, D. R., Cuddy, A. J., & Yap, A. J. (2010). Power posing: brief nonverbal displays affect neuroendocrine levels and risk tolerance. Psychological science, 21(10), 1363–1368. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610383437