Mindfulness Exercises: Tackling overwhelm in the home or classroom
Using Mindfulness exercises as an ongoing practice can help us and our young people create a sense of safety. Oftentimes, we enter situations where more information comes into the mind/body than it can easily handle, creating a sense of overwhelm. We might describe this as “too much, too fast, too soon”. In order to take care of ourselves in these moments, we need to let the body feel safe.
There are many tools that can create this sense of safety. I am going specifically focus on Orienting or “mindful seeing” for this post.
Orienting to your surroundings or “mindful seeing” uses the sense of sight which can help us understand what is happening outside the body. Orienting helps our body’s system to take in its surroundings in the here and now. Having a better awareness of what is happening around us supports our nervous system in identifying if there is an imminent threat or if it can relax. Further, it can help our littles keep their bodies physically safe!
Keeping an ongoing practice of “mindful seeing” can strengthen our regulation, thus prevent overwhelm the more we practice!
Ways to use Mindful Seeing in your Home or Classroom:
Below are various interactive Mindful Seeing practices that you can use with your child/teen or classroom of students. A very helpful Inquiry to offer along the way is simple: What do you notice of the outside of your body? What do you notice on the inside of your body? This gets them connecting to their body and to their experience around them. You can also check out my book, Eagle Eyes, which has characters using the lesson throughout various scenarios!
Notice exits
The concept of noticing exits like windows and doors in a room is a simple yet effective mindfulness and grounding technique used to help manage feelings of anxiety, claustrophobia, or stress. By intentionally scanning the room for exits, your brain receives a signal that you are not trapped or in danger, which helps activate your sense of safety and control. This practice is especially helpful for those who experience moments of overwhelming emotion or when feeling anxious in enclosed or unfamiliar spaces.
Click here for a practice in Noticing Exits
Build a safe visual space
Help the youth identify a spot in the room that feels calming or enjoyable to look at. It could be something like a certain color, texture, a peaceful image, or an object that brings back a happy memory.
Encourage them to find and focus on a similar comforting space in different environments—at home, in school, or even at places like the doctor’s or dentist’s office (fish tanks are great for this!).
Eagle Eyes
Much like the lesson in my book, you can invite young ones to choose an animal known for its incredibly sharp vision, and then ask them to imagine they have that animal's eyes. Have them simply observe and take in their surroundings—what do they notice?
This practice helps build spatial awareness in a fun and interactive way while also gradually calming the nervous system.
It’s also a great tool to redirect focus during moments of challenging emotions or overwhelming thoughts, anchoring us to the present moment rather than, say, stressing over a test or an uncomfortable conversation.Notice these elements:
Noticing elements practice helps us understand what is happening outside the body. Orienting helps the system to take in its surroundings in the present moment. This helps us have a better understanding of whats happening around us, which supports our nervous system in establishing if there is an imminent threat to respond to or if it can relax. Click here for a free printable Orienting Mindfulness Practice.
The object farthest away in your field of vision
The object closest to you in your field of vision
3 different colors
3 different shapes
3 different textures
An object- not a person- that is moving
Three Objects Games
Choose a color, then quietly pick three objects in the room (or outside) that match it. Have the youth guess which items you chose—then switch roles and let them pick.
This interactive game is a simple way to ground attention in the present moment, engage the senses, and gently shift focus away from overwhelming emotions—even if just for a little while.
Spy The Color
Invite the youth to pick a color of their choice. Then, have them quietly look around their environment and find as many objects as they can in that color. Each time they spot one, they can tally it up.
Encourage them to slow down, notice details, and stay present in the moment—this simple practice helps build focus, awareness, and calm through observation.
Observe a nature scene
Choose a nature environment or scene to observe. Perhaps sit under a tree- just notice what’s in motion.
Observing and spending time in nature offers significant mood benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, boosting happiness, and improving overall mental well-being. Nature exposure can lower stress hormones like cortisol, elevate mood-boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin, and promote a sense of peace and calm.
Nature has also been found to boost cognitive functioning, including attention and memory.
Change something in the room and see if the youth can notice what’s different.
Change something in the room and see if the youth can notice what’s different. This can also be fun to do in a classroom where multiple students are guessing. At home, this can be a fun ritual in the morning or after school and can serve as a tricky way to allow kids to land in their environment.
Tree shake!
Sneak a few blank sheets of white paper into your backpack, and head to your local forest or nature preserve. Once you arrive, show Declan how to perform a tree shake! Yes, it’s as simple as it sounds: place the paper underneath a small tree or bush, then give the branches a gentle shake. Invite Declan to check out the paper and see what fell out: bugs? Leaves? Twigs? Berries?
Talk about how big trees are made up of lots of small parts! If interest allows, move on to a different bush or tree to compare/contrast the parts from one another.
Why It Matters: A tree shake is a powerful tool for fostering environmental awareness in children. By guiding a child to engage directly with the natural world, they’re developing a deeper understanding and respect for how to interact with and live sustainably within it.
Nature rainbow walk:
A Nature Rainbow Walk is a mindfulness or sensory exercise where participants engage with the natural environment by focusing on identifying and observing the colors of the rainbow in their surroundings. It’s a fun, grounding activity that helps connect people to nature while promoting presence and awareness.
Go on a walk and pick out different pieces of nature with a variety of colors. Bring them back to create a rainbow!
Click here for a written script of the Nature Rainbow Walk
Color mixing art
Give your child a few supplies like Q tips, paint brushes, small sponges or- yes- fingers! Offer a small bit of washable paint and let your child explore a variety of ways in which the paint can be “brushed” onto paper, wood or other surfaces. Observe how colors mix when they blend them together.
Process-based art (i.e., art without a plan or specific outcome) is a fantastic way to (a) create a growth mindset foundation, (b) boost creativity, and (c) familiarize sensory awareness. By encouraging children to explore different materials and colorful paint, you’re allowing them the space and flexibility to discover just how surprisingly capable he is of putting vision to page!
Mindful Jar
Create a glitter jar together and invite the youth to watch the glitter as it slowly settles to the bottom. You can gently explain that the swirling glitter represents overwhelming thoughts or emotions. As they sit quietly and watch the glitter settle, it’s a way to help their own thoughts and feelings begin to settle too. (Bonus: It’s a simple and visual way to practice mindfulness!)
Car Game!
Don’t overlook the power of a classic car game. Choose a color, find a comfy spot—whether it’s a stoop, bench, or patch of grass—and take turns spotting cars in that color. Each sighting earns a point. It’s simple, fun, and a great way to stay present together.
