Hi – Sue Blaney here with your Parenting Tip from Parenting Teens Info.com

My tip this week is
Slow Down and Reflect >>Listen

When was the last time you got off the daily treadmill and took a deep breath? In our busy and hectic life we find it hard to take any time at all to relax, reflect and restore our balance. Not only is this unhealthy for us adults, but it keeps you from teaching your teen a very important life lesson.

Every one of us, young and old, is bombarded with sensory stimulation coming at us from way too many places. We are on call 24 x 7, we are expected to check and reply to cell phones, home phones, business phones, email, and snail mail; Facebook, MySpace, other personal and business social networks, and our other obligations. We’re so darn busy, and “ON” all the time, we only rarely have a chance to take a breath and slow down, and many people don’t do it at all.

This isn’t a healthy way to live. And it isn’t healthy to allow our teenagers to become overwrought with media consumption, communication, and school and family responsibilities. Everyone needs time to take a breath. Everyone can benefit from a little stillness and quiet reflection. We all need to recharge our batteries; smell the crisp fall air; tune in to what really matters, and slow down long enough to breathe deeply all the way down to our toes.

However it feels right to you is the best way to slow down. Light a candle and listen to some of your favorite music. Go to a yoga class, or meditate. Read a good book that makes you think about the deeper issues in life; write in your journal. Understand that you take this time in not just to soothe your over-stimulated body and psyche; but if you live this value and model this behavior, you’ll be teaching your teen about important aspects of a healthy and balanced life.

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Til next time…I'm Sue Blaney.