LONDON: As the background noise of news broadcasts and smartphone notifications grows ever louder, a quieter trend is beginning to take hold. Across the Arab world, parents and educators are encouraging young people to pause, breathe and be fully present. From living rooms to classrooms, mindfulness is emerging as a tool for coping with the pressures of modern life.
The practice takes many shapes, taking old traditions and adding new approaches to mental health. In Arab households, mindfulness often shows up in familiar rituals: sipping tea, lighting incense or performing Islamic prayers — everyday acts that invite reflection and presence.
Increasingly, though, families and teachers are also adopting more structured methods: yoga and meditation, journaling and art therapy, even digital wellness apps. These practices are being tailored to fit cultural values while giving young people a range of new outlets to manage stress.
For Saudi mother Rawan Radwan, mindfulness begins at home. She sees it as leading by example and creating space for her 12-year-old daughter to process emotions. A communications professional, Radwan said children often “do not yet grasp concepts like breathing exercises or coping with frustration,” so it falls on parents to “lead by example.”
“The older we get, the more aware we are when it comes to our mindfulness and wellbeing — physical or emotional,” she told Arab News.
Radwan’s personal approach reflects a broader cultural shift. ֱ is expected to be the fastest-growing market for meditation in the Middle East and North Africa through 2032, driven by urbanization, rising disposable incomes and greater awareness of mental health, according to Data Bridge Market Research.
Another 2024 study by Bonafide Research projected the Saudi online meditation sector to grow at a compound annual rate of 21.43 percent between 2024 and 2029. Apps such as Calm and Headspace are helping people integrate mindfulness into their digital routines, offering guided meditations and breathing exercises at the tap of a screen.
Having faced her own challenges, Radwan has “found ways to maneuver through” intense emotions and wants her daughter to learn the same. “That’s why I pass on these lessons to her — teaching her mindfulness and self-regulation instead of bottling up emotions,” she said.
The gap between generations is clear to her. “They’re more exposed to social media and things on TV that are not really aligned with my values, morals and teachings — and generally what I want for her to learn in life,” Radwan said.
Mindfulness, she believes, can help bridge that divide. “The one thing I encourage most is for her to speak her mind and never bottle up emotions.
“As her mother, I am also her friend. I will understand, and I will keep an open mind and an open heart. I am her shoulder when she needs someone to lean on.”
FASTFACTS:
• Studies show mindfulness-based programs can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
• Regular mindfulness practice has been linked to improved focus and memory.
• Research shows mindfulness can spark brain changes linked to learning, emotion regulation and empathy.
Psychologists say this dynamic reflects a wider pattern. Rim Ajjour, a Lebanon-based child and adolescent clinical psychologist, says mindfulness techniques can serve not only as stress management but also as a way to connect families.
“The teenage years are critical, and families can use mindfulness practices as a way to strengthen relationships,” Ajjour told Arab News. “For example, many Arabs turn to prayer, which can act as a form of mindfulness, relaxation and reflection.”
Shared activities — prayer, breathing exercises, or journaling — “bring families closer together,” she said.
A 2025 study published in “Frontiers in Psychology” found that people who engaged in moderate or high-intensity exercise at least three times a week had significantly lower depression and anxiety scores than those who exercised little or not at all.
“The more active a person is, and the more they engage in physical activity, the more it directly improves their mental wellbeing,” Ruba Sa’ed, a Palestinian fitness entrepreneur and influencer based in occupied West Bank, told Arab News.
She explained that exercise is closely linked to the release of endorphins, serotonin and dopamine — “happiness hormones” that elevate mood after a workout.
From a personal perspective, she said, “considering what we live through here in Palestine under Israeli occupation, where circumstances are difficult, many women come to my gym to exercise. I notice that the harder their situation is, the more they turn to exercise as an outlet,” said Sa’ed, who is also a mother of a teenage girl.
“They tell me that they carry so much stress, and they come to exercise to relieve it. They feel the direct impact — less stress, less anxiety, fewer daily pressures — and that improves their mental health.”
Sa’ed believes exercise also instills discipline. “The more disciplined a person is with their workouts, the more they accomplish in life through that discipline, as their confidence and self-belief grow,” she said.
For others, mindfulness takes different shapes. Marwah Morhly, Syrian writer and editor based in Turkiye, says her teenage son turns to cycling, deep breathing or wudu (ablution) — “but only when he is not upset with me.”
“If the trigger isn’t me, his mother, he’s usually willing to use all the mindfulness techniques he knows — stepping away from the situation, taking deep breaths, going cycling, washing his face, performing Wudu, eating something healthy, and so on,” Morhly told Arab News.
“But when the source of his anger is me, the caregiver, the reaction changes completely. Instead of applying those tools, he expresses his frustration in ways that test my patience: scrolling endlessly on social media, increasing screen time, blasting strange music, or slamming doors.”
She added: “The irony is that he does understand the techniques. When he’s only mildly upset, he’ll even articulate it, saying things like, ‘I’m upset, let’s not continue arguing right now.’ But once his emotions spiral into full-blown anger, those strategies seem to vanish.”
Morhly said she copes by leading through example. “As for me, I’ve never been great at showing anger outwardly,” she said. “I can look calm — even detached — while boiling inside.
“I try to lead by example through my own coping methods, which include journaling, turning to Salaat as a grounding pause, listening to relaxing music or soothing recitations like Surat Al-Baqara, or walking until I’m too tired to hold on to the frustration.”
Ajjour, the Lebanon-based clinical psychologist, notes that while mindfulness can be a powerful coping tool, it is often misunderstood. “Mindfulness does not make the stress itself disappear, nor does it resolve underlying causes,” she said.
What it does, according to her, is that it equips teens with techniques to use when stressors arise.
“For example, it can help them take a step back, improve cognitive inhibition, and reduce impulsivity. They might rely on grounding or breathing techniques to cope in the moment,” Ajjour said.
“But it’s important to recognize that mindfulness doesn’t resolve the root of the stress — those goals need to be addressed through guided psychotherapy.”
Creative expression is another outlet. In Dearborn, Lebanese American artist Marwa Hachem runs a studio where children and adults explore emotions through painting and drawing. She said art therapy remains underappreciated in Arab communities, even as children embrace it as a safe space.
“Kids are able to express themselves freely through art,” she said. “Many parents don’t want to call it therapy, but that’s exactly what it is — a way to heal, to grow, and to process emotions.”
She recalled a 14-year-old who sought art therapy in secret, afraid of the stigma around the word “therapy.” “She simply wanted to express herself more,” Hachem said.
She added: “Many people feel afraid or ashamed to admit they want help dealing with anxiety or stress.
“Most Arabs, I would say, respond this way when it comes to therapy, and they don’t openly say they want art therapy as a mindfulness practice.”
To normalize such practices, Hachem encourages families to make art supplies available at home and in schools. A mother of two herself, she said that even small exercises can spark reflection.
Both children and adults need “just the ability to sketch whatever comes to mind, without judgment, without trying to make a perfect painting,” she added. “Simply as self-reflection and self-expression.”
One exercise families can try at home is drawing a “feelings wheel,” assigning colors to emotions such as sadness, anger or calm, and filling the circle with shapes and patterns that represent those feelings, Hachem said.
“It doesn’t need to be a perfect painting,” she said. “Just sketching whatever comes to mind can be an act of self-reflection and self-expression.”
For her part, Radwan, the Saudi mother, emphasizes the importance of physical health in supporting emotional balance. She works out regularly and ensures her daughter does too. “I signed her up for gymnastics again because it teaches her balance, strength, and core stability,” she said.
“With time, she’ll understand that she can put her energy and strength in the right place, and she will have the freedom and the will to do so as she gets older. It’s the balance.”
From prayer and sports to art and workouts, the approaches differ, but the goal is common: helping young people regulate emotions, handle stress, and build stronger connections with themselves and their families.
In a region moving through rapid social change, mindfulness is becoming not just a cultural bridge but also a personal lifeline.
