Finding your place: Helping young people feel at home, with themselves

Every February, Children’s Mental Health Week invites us to pause and reflect on what young people truly need to feel supported, understood and emotionally secure.

This year’s theme  - ‘This is My Place’ - focuses on belonging. That could mean feeling safe, loved and supported in a home, school, friendship group or community - all undeniably important and vital to a child’s wellbeing. But we think it means something else too…

At 25 Degrees North, we see every day how young people are navigating pressure from school, friendships, identity, social media and a world that rarely slows down. Belonging can feel complicated when life moves this fast. And while community, family and friendships all play a huge role, we believe that before young people can feel at home in their friendships, their classrooms, their teams or their communities, they need to feel at home in themselves.

Feeling secure in their thoughts, their emotions, their bodies and their inner world is not always easy, especially during adolescence, when everything feels louder, bigger and more intense. This is where mindfulness becomes a powerful ally.

Why internal belonging matters

When a young person feels at home in themselves, they carry a quiet confidence that travels with them into more challenging spaces. They’re better able to:

• Trust their instincts

• Understand what they’re feeling

• Recognise when they need support

• Speak up when something doesn’t feel right

• Navigate conflict or uncertainty

• Stay grounded when things feel overwhelming

Internal belonging isn’t about perfection or constant calm. It’s about knowing your own inner landscape well enough that it doesn’t feel frightening or confusing.

Opening the door

Mindfulness isn’t a magic fix, and it won’t remove the pressures young people face – an impossible ask, and not one that should necessarily be encouraged anyway. Pressure happens, it’s knowing how to manage it that is the trick! And that is where mindfulness can help.

It can help provide a set of practical, accessible tools, that helps a young person build awareness, resilience and a kinder relationship with their own thoughts. This ability to slowing the internal pace and create space to notice what’s happening is an invaluable tool, and something that will stay with them forever.

Supporting young people to find their place

An external sense of belonging - within a family, friendships, groups, communities - is incredibly important. But it can also change, and naturally does as people grown and develop. Internal belonging, however, stays with you, as a skill set that is carried into adulthood.

At 25 Degrees North, we’re committed to helping young people build this sense of inner belonging,  strengthen their awareness and resilience. Our six-week course for Young Adults, comprised of six 45-minute sessions, is designed specifically for young adults and delivers practical tools to help deal with the stresses of teenage life. The online course offers a safe space to explore practical mindfulness techniques that help deal with the stress of exams, build confidence in social situations, to help make better choices when emotions run high.

When a young person feels at home in themselves, the world becomes a far less intimidating place.