Small Things Matter Most

Lindsay Anderson found that families really struggled with their mental health during lockdown, with parents worried about the effect the pandemic had on the wellbeing of their children.

With the upheaval and isolation of the pandemic, we can’t blame our youngsters from feeling anxious. “Parents reached out to me to try and help make sense of what was going on.” Lindsay explains. “I was honest with them; I couldn’t make sense with what was going on at the time. But I was there, and I was an ear, I was there to explore their fears. I take on the whole family, not just the young person.” Lindsay acknowledged that parents really struggled to balance their workload and childcare during the pandemic, as well as suffering stress stemming from the uncertainty of when or  if things would return to normal.

“You have no idea the settings I’ve done mindfulness in. I just adapted to what was needed because there were a lot of children struggling”.

As parents attempted to deal with their emotions, this was impacting on their children. “Their children were looking to them on how to deal with the pandemic. Children were picking up on their parents’ emotions and energy. It was important for me to try and allow parents to see their behaviours in front of their children weren’t helping the situation.”

To help clients safely during the pandemic, Lindsay had to come up with creative ideas. “I did a lot of sessions at school in their grounds, and I also used to meet clients down at our local park in Colne. You have no idea the settings I’ve done mindfulness in. I just adapted to what was needed because there were a lot of children struggling, who wanted to explore their feelings and emotions and what was going on in the world.”

Lindsay knows all too well how it feels for your child to suffer with mental health problems, her youngest child, who has autism, suffers from anxiety and their mental health started declining during her last year at primary school. “It was through her struggles and the fight we had to endure to get her the mental health support she desperately needed that inspired me to become a fully qualified and accredited mindfulness practitioner so I could help other families that were struggling with mental health problems. She is and continues to be my inspiration.”

“Little seeds of mindfulness and well-being help young people grow into resilient and emotionally intelligent grown-ups.”

“My end goal as a mindfulness and meditation couch for young people is to encourage families to have open conversations about mental health, to lay feelings and struggles out on the table, for feelings not to be something they try and hide from and that children and young people are encouraged to lean into their feelings and to welcome them. When we invite feelings in, we take away the power that they often have over us that stops us from living the life we have. By giving children and young people the tools of mindfulness, it has a ripple effect and the transformational effects that mindfulness brings can be planted into the minds of all. Little seeds of mindfulness and well-being help young people grow into resilient and emotionally intelligent grownups.”

If you’d like to try mindfulness at home, Lindsay advises a quick, easy tip to get started. You should set aside time at the end of the day to think about three things that have happened that day that made you happy. It doesn’t have to be big material things; it could be something as little as your friend buying you a drink. By completing this exercise each day, you can hopefully begin to appreciate the little things and develop a sense that it’s the small things that matter most.

Coach Lindsay provides unique mindfulness and wellbeing services to schools within Lancashire, Yorkshire or remotely. Visit coachlindsay.co.uk for more info.

ColneLife Autumn 22