Mindful teens learn to manage stress and cell phone addictions in Tempe - AZFamily

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- This time of year, we could all use some help diffusing holiday stress and teens are no different. Navigating the holidays in addition to the pressure of finals and social media, some Tempe teens are finding relief in their school's mindfulness room.

[WATCH: Teens in Tempe use school's special room to relieve stress]

“So, everyone we have, our cell phones silenced and put away. I invite everyone here to close their eyes. Start to pay attention to your breath."

Corona del Sol High School's mindfulness room exists to help teens cope with the typical stressors students face

Exam anxiety, peer pressure, expectations for the future, it’s no wonder why a startling number of teens are facing mental health problems

“They are coming to me with self-harming behaviors, feeling like failures or that they are losing out on something,” said Corona Del Sol social worker Lauri Pagano.

The piling on is constant and while today’s social media landscape offers little relief, Pagano is providing students a healthy coping mechanism in the way of mindfulness. “Mindfulness helps with allowing us that moment to disconnect, to be at ease with quiet and peace within ourselves, just shut out the noise for a little while.”

“You don't necessarily let things go, you just let them flow,” said junior Eric Amaya. “You just do mindfulness for 15-30 seconds, it makes a difference.”

“Their chief complaint is stress, anxiety and pressure,” said Pagano. “I think it has a lot to do with not being able to disconnect.”

Phone addiction is a real concern, and when parents confiscate a teen’s phone, they will go to great lengths to remain connected.

“My older brother, he had multiple burner phones,” said Amaya. “He just couldn’t live without his phone for some reason.”

And he’s not alone. The use of burner phones is not only indicative of teens trying to circumvent their parents’ rules but also suggests just how seductive and addictive the phones are.

“When you don' t have your phone, it's like that panic moment. What am I missing, what’s going on,” said freshman Layla Reif. “That's why a lot of kids get burner phones.”

“I don't know how many times I tried ditching my phone and I just couldn't,” said Amaya.

Cell phones are increasingly used for educational purposes as well as recreational ones so better than banning the phone is learning how to limit its influence over you.

“I came in here, sat down, closed my eyes and it’s like everything just disappeared,” said sophomore Gabreyelle Barrera.

“I think people could use more mindfulness,” said freshman Erin Levy.

“It’s a great thing to learn at a young age so you can carry this your whole life,” said freshman Molly Hunter.

All Tempe Union High Schools have mindfulness rooms, allowing students time to reflect and reset. They offer morning, lunch and Wednesday sessions that frequently are filled with students looking for the chance to decompress and gain a sense of calm in an otherwise crazy world. And Pagano says it is making a difference in the lives of many.

“I've seen these students be more calm, more focused, they even come to me saying they are happier,” said Pagano. “They are more at ease with themselves and others and their relationships with others are improved as well.”

2019-12-26 04:30:00Z
https://www.azfamily.com/news/mindful-teens-learn-to-manage-stress-and-cell-phone-addictions/article_e35d07e4-2355-11ea-9529-2fb571d21d29.html