5 Relaxation Exercises that Can Help Your Teen Relieve Stress

Today’s teens are bombarded with a variety of stressors. In fact, the 2014 Stress in America survey found that teens are experiencing even more stress than adults. 

Sadly, many of those stressed out teens are turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with their overwhelming feelings. Eating too much, escaping reality with video games for endless hours, avoiding homework, or abusing substances are just a few of the unhealthy ways some teens are trying to manage their stress. 

It’s important to teach your teen a variety of healthy stress management strategies, including relaxation skills that offer some immediate stress relief. 

Whether your teen is already displaying signs that she’s stressed out, or you’re hoping to give her some skills as preventative measures, here are five relaxation exercises that can help your teen manage stress:

Yoga offers a variety of physical and mental health benefits, such as improved flexibility, posture, and strength as well as a sense of inner calm.

Teens can learn yoga in a variety of ways. Attend a yoga class with your teen and you’ll gain the added benefit of spending quality time together, or look for yoga videos that will let you practice in the privacy of your own home.

Getting teens to slow down and focus on one thing at a time can be a challenge in today’s digital world. But learning how to do so through meditation can provide improved physical and emotional benefits. Meditation has been linked to everything from increased happiness to improved immunity.

There are several different types of meditation, but at the core of all of them is the desire to calm the mind. Explore meditation tutorials or books to learn more about how it can produce meditation and help your teen reduce stress. 

Your teen may enjoy a meditation app. Many of them will walk your teen through meditation strategies step-by-step and offer reminders to meditate every day. 

When people feel anxious, they often take shallow and rapid breaths, which can induce physiological changes—like an increased heart rate—which can add to stress. One of the simplest relaxation exercises involves breathing.

Teach your teen to take deep slow breaths when she’s feeling anxious. Just a few deep breaths can provide an instant calming effect that can help reduce stress. Look for books or online resources that offer tutorials about breathing exercises.

Envisioning a ‘happy place’ can help your brain take a vacation from whatever stress your teen is experiencing. Tell your teen write down a description of her favorite happy place. It could be a cabin in the woods, a sandy beach, or even your backyard.

Request that she describe how it looks, feels, smells, and sounds—the more details the better. When she’s stressed out, tell her to close her eyes and spend a few minutes imagining that scene.

Stress can cause people to tense their muscles, and the more tense they feel, the more stressed out they become. Letting go of that tension can be a simple way to let go of stress.

Progressive muscle relaxation can raise your teen’s awareness of muscle tension. Encourage your teen to start tensing and relaxing each muscle group—moving from her toes all the way up to her head. By the time she’s done, all of her muscles should be relaxed.

There are lots of tutorials that can walk you through progressive muscle relaxation as well. Some teens enjoy listening to an audio clip that describes how to tense and relax each muscle group.

Just like all new skills, relaxation exercises require practice. The first few times your teen tries them, she may report it wasn’t helpful. But with regular practice, these skills can greatly help her reduce stress.

Learn and practice new relaxation skills with your teen. Doing so, won’t just help you manage your stress, it will also give you an opportunity to try something new together, which can help you maintain a healthy relationship with your teen.