Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has become a very important part of classrooms and school environments across the country. SEL teaches students to become aware of their own emotions and those of others and to communicate more effectively. Mindfulness teaches students to recognize their emotions in the present moment.
What is Mindfulness, you may ask. Diane Reibel, PhD, founder of Mindfulness and More and one of the leading practitioners of Mindfulness, defines it as:
“Mindfulness is about paying attention and living your life in the richness of the present moment. Being here now, rather than being lost in memories of the past or overwhelmed by worries about the future. It's a simple practice that strengthens the mind's ability to stay focused on what is happening right now and to be open to experience — meeting the present moment with care, curiosity and kindness.”
1 in 5 adolescents experience emotional problems that interfere with their functioning. Anxiety is the most common problem for this age group.
Learning to recognize emotions as they arise and the accompanying bodily sensations, can help teenagers develop the capacity to regulate their behaviors and control their impulses, which can be difficult for many adolescents. Research has shown that when practiced on a regular basis, Mindfulness has helped adolescents regulate their emotions, improve attention and concentration, develop stress management skills, and improve health and wellbeing. Accordingly, anxiety and depression are also reduced.
Learning to Breathe: A Mindfulness Curriculum for Adolescents to Cultivate Emotion Regulation, Attention, and Performance (L2B) by Patricia Broderick, is a program that teaches teens the practice of mindfulness in their everyday lives. “The Learning to BREATHE” curriculum provides a precious opportunity to develop greater awareness and self- compassion at a crucial phase of life, and the ability to make wiser choices and to respond more appropriately in difficulty situations, rather than to react in habitual and often harmful ways.” (Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn)
After attending a professional development workshop last April, and learning about the many positive effects of Mindfulness, I took the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course to allow me the opportunity to experience firsthand the practice of Mindfulness so that I could possibly bring it to the Middle School community. At the end of the first class, when the teacher assigned us homework to do a 25 minute Mindfulness practice every day, I got completely stressed out! Who has 25 minutes to sit and just do nothing? I certainly didn’t. And therein lie the problem. We do not take time to just be. We are all constantly running, doing, working, multitasking – all the time. I find that I sometimes forget to just breathe. And that was when I decided to make the time to do my homework - that maybe it was what I really needed to do for my own mental health – to slow down, to notice, to breathe, to be more in the moment.
Since this class, we have been slowly introducing the concept of Mindfulness to Middle School students. Lessons and practices have been introduced to students in PE classes, advisory, and Health and Wellness classes, across the 3 grades. The response from students has been amazing. After class, students have said that they would like a club on Mindfulness, more opportunities to practice, and that they have been trying to incorporate some of the strategies into their everyday lives. Some have reported that they take 3 mindful breaths before taking a test and they are better able to focus. Others have said that they practice the Body Scan before bed so that they can relax and clear their minds of the “thoughts swirling around in their heads.” Whatever it is that they are doing, they are looking for ways to manage their stress and calm their minds and bodies.
The Middle School faculty was also fortunate enough to have Patricia Broderick conduct a workshop on Mindfulness last month. She provided an overview of what Mindfulness is, the research to support the practice and guided teachers in a Mindfulness practice. The response from faculty has also been very positive. The bottom line is that stress is inevitable. We experience it throughout our lives, in varying degrees. To learn healthy ways to manage that stress at an early age, is a gift, a life skill that can have dramatic positive effects. Teaching adolescents this skill will undoubtedly help them throughout their lives. We can all benefit from taking a moment, breathing, and just being.
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