Recently I have been busy putting lots of new programmes together in schools, youth centres, for mentoring projects as well as my own Coaching, NLP and Hypnotherapy.

As a Youth Coach and Mentor I find there is a lot of activity, in schools especially, at the start of a new academic year; coaching teachers around time management and implementation of new policies. Working with young people, enabling them to manage their new transitions within school and to new schools. Developing creative thinking and teaching.

As well as one of my new projects at Stormont House, where we are helping young people find their “Element” through creative activity and exploration, bassed on the work by Ken Robinson and in his book “The Element”.

So there is a lot going on, and I have to manage my own time and my own state too. Which reminded me of the work of David Shephard and Michael Mellows. They both place an importance on breathing. Taking time out to focus on your own breath.

I wonder if you just stopped reading for a moment and became aware of your own breathing, what you might notice?

This morning while writing my “Morning Notes”, a concept from “The Artists Way” I realised how tense I was, and how my breathing was caught up high in my chest. So I stopped what I was doing and simply took the time to focus on my breathing, nice deep breaths right down into my tummy.

A lot of us breathe with our shoulders, pulling them up to our ears as we breathe in, not realising that this doen’t really help, in fact it can make you even more tense. Simply allow your breath to drop right into your tummy and your rib cage to swing out.

By simply focusing on your breathing and letting your thoughts wonder off, coming back to your breathing, you are able to entre a far more calm and relaxed state.

So the next time you find you have a lot going on, are tense or nervous. Facing a group of challenging students, or going for an important meeting. Stop and take the time to breathe. Perhaps it might become part of your daily ritual, like meditation or yoga.

I would also be interested to hear any other techniques you might use, like counting to 10 or visualisations, so feel free to leave a comment.

I’m doing some reading this week; Change Your Life In 7 Days by Paul McKenna. I was reading it as part of my NLP and Hypnotherapy studies, and as I’m reading it a few thoughts came to mind.

As always everything I read or come across, I think about how it would work with young people, how I can change, adapt or develop it. I have this belief that whether I’m working with adults, teenagers or young children, the approach and ideas are the same, it’s just the language that changes, and it doesn’t really change, it’s just that you find the access point for whoever it is you are working with, but the content is still the same.

The book starts off by talking about our thinking, and some of us are already aware of the ideas around, what we think we create, and that our thinking creates our experiences. Henry Ford said, ‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right’.

So this leaves me thinking about young people’s thinking, and how we enable them to have the thoughts that says they can, how do we create environments that allow them to have positive images about themselves and their abilities.

The first points of call are the parents and the teachers, they are the ones who are in contact with young people most of their formative years. So part of enabling young people to have positive images of themselves, is by enable teachers and parents, giving them the  ability and skills to create the environments where these thoughts can be about what they can do, and how great they can be.

There are ideas that Paul McKenna shares about our thinking of ourselves, he calls it: The Three Selves; and at the heart of our three selves is our authentic self, the real us, the person we are deep down.

The work that I do with young people tells me that the only way you can access the authentic self is when the environment is one where the young people feel safe. So as Parents, Teachers, Mentors, Youth Coaches and Dynamic Youth Coaches, we have to find ways of creating this safe space. And a first step might be to ask the young people we work with, what would make a safe space for you?

I’m keen to hear their responses, so if you work with young people please ask and let me know their answers. In the mean time, perhaps ask yourself what would a safe space look like, feel like, sound like for you to be your authentic self?

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