MATTERS How mindfulness could help your child beat exam result stress T
FIVE months after we were treated to the first in a new series of Wind In The Willows-inspired adventures, Tom Moorhouse and Holly Swain are back with a second – and it’s just as pacy, clever and fun.
In A Race For Toad Hall, we were introduced to a younger generation of animal companions: Girl toad Teejay and her friends Ratty and Mo, who stumbled upon the original Mr Toad, locked in his own Ice House (and preserved) by the dastardly weasels.
The trio teamed up with Mr T and Mrs Badger to win back Toad Hall from the weasels – and now Toad is renovating his home with the help of a band of dubious squirrels.
As they remove his antique furniture and replace it with innumerable gadgets, including runaway hoovers and a malfunctioning fried-egg machine, Teejay and co. start to suspect the squirrels aren’t who they claim to be – and soon they’re helping the irrepressible toad win back his home all over again.
A sparkling standalone read filled with Holly Swain’s jump-off-the-page, green-toned drawings.
We’re glad Mr Toad lives on. HEY may not let on. But rest assured, many teenagers still waiting for their exam results are feeling extremely anxious at the moment. And they’re not alone – there are plenty of parents equally stressed about their child’s exam results, be that GCSEs, or others.
Research by the National Citizen Service (NCS) found 58% of teens say their biggest worry of the year is they won’t achieve their desired exam results. More than a third of parents (36%) said they worried most about their teenage children suffering exam stress, this fear being more prevalent than concerns about teens drinking, smoking or being bullied.
In response, the NCS, which offers a summer adventure and activity programme for 16 and 17-year-olds, has teamed up with mindfulness expert Dr Danny Penman to give teens and their parents practical help to alleviate stress as they await their results.
“Mindfulness can help teens and parents,” promises Dr Penman. “If you’re being mindful you’re fully aware of whatever’s happening in the present moment, without being trapped in the past or worrying about the future - a great help when waiting for results.”
Here’s how to be mindful and meditate, according to Dr Penman:
Sit erect but relaxed, or lie down. Relax your arms and hands.
Close your eyes and focus on your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Feel the sensations the air makes as it flows through your mouth or nose, down your throat and into your lungs. Feel your chest and stomach rise and fall. Focus on where the sensations are strongest. Observe your breath without trying to alter it in any way, or expecting anything special to happen.
When your mind wanders, gently shepherd it back to the breath. Don’t criticise yourself. Realising your mind has wandered, and encouraging it to return to focus on the breath, is mindfulness. Your mind may become calm, although this may only be short-lived. It may become filled with thoughts or powerful emotions, and these may also be fleeting. Whatever happens, observe without reacting or trying to change anything. Gently return your awareness to the sensations of breathing repeatedly.
After a few minutes, or longer if you prefer, open your eyes and take in your surroundings. EATING can also be a great mindfulness exercise to centre you in the present when worries about exam results and the future are taking over, says Dr Penman. “If you like chocolate, why not turn it into a mini-meditation?” he proposes.
Close your eyes, break off a piece of chocolate and spend a few moments inhaling its aroma. Put the chocolate in your mouth and allow it to melt (don’t gulp it down).