Girl, Keep on Shining!
Written by A. Simon, April 2019, MN USA
©️Minnesota Kid’s Yoga Co., LLC - Blog
Confidence is key…
As I reflect on my confidence during childhood, as well as, looking at self-esteem of many girls in today’s world, I think of a sad face emoji. Too often, young girls feel inadequate, ugly, or not smart. In an article written by Parents.com called, “The Secret to Raising a Happy Confident Girl” is is stated that,
“A study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found the girls to have three times the number of depressive episodes as the boys, and the rate at which girls reported feeling depressed nearly tripled in just one year. In other words, while girls are doing everything possible to be all that they can, they're not enjoying it. And this "wellness gap" is what parents and teachers need to focus on, says Marean. Like you, I want my daughters to have boundless opportunity.”
As a young girl, I often struggled to feel pretty or smart. I also often felt as though I didn’t fit in, or constantly worried about people liking me. When reading articles around girls today, it is all too often that girls struggle with eating disorders, and anxiety or depression. Therefore, what can we do about it?
I may not have a doctorate degree in mental health, however, I do know from experience that yoga AND art are both AMAZING ways to promote self-confidence, as well as, create healthy habits with our binds and bodies.
Yoga not only makes us reflect and find gratitude in our bodies, it also makes us reflect on how we as individuals are talented, unique, and wonderfully made. Yoga reminds us to slow down, focus on our breath, and become present with out thoughts. I believe girls struggle with mental health issues more often because women in general think deeply in comparison to men. Women over-analyze things. Women also worry about little details. Therefore, when we teach yoga to young girls, we help them gain tools around mindfulness.
Yoga teaches girls to:
Slow down and breath when they are anxious or worried.
Stretch and move their body to relieve tension or stress in the body.
Focus their mind on a single thing, rather than let their mind race in a million directions.
Find confidence in their bodies, and not compare.
Create healthy thoughts towards one’s self and towards others.
Let go of things that no longer serve them (ex. mean friends).
Find joy in the little things and little successes.
Finally, it teaches girls to worry less about boys and more about how they feel about themselves.
Therefore, helping girls gain confidence at an early age is extremely important. Parents, especially moms, can help their daughter gain confidence by praising their imperfections, teaching them healthy eating and exercise habits, and finally, becoming her biggest role model.