In this column, we have, over the last few weeks, addressed overall teen stress and the importance of sleep. Today, we’ll dig deeper into an easier, freer tool: Mindfulness and Mediation.
As teenagers, our heads are constantly full of stress, worry, and anxious thoughts. This can lead to trouble in all aspects of life, from focus to sleep to social situations. There are times that even when I’m with my friends, my head is still full of anxiety around all the tasks I need to complete. There is a kind of active “brain buzz” going on. What about you? Does your mind wander? Are you constantly worrying or dreaming? Mindfulness and meditation could be the answer. Meditation helps train your mind. It is a tool every teenager can use to calm down, de-stress and be happier.
Meditation is a practice used to focus your mind and learn to be fully present. People who meditate report being calmer and reducing the chatter in their heads. You know, all the negative thoughts that crept into your mind during the day. While some types of meditation are based on Hinduism and Buddhism, meditation is not a spiritual or religious act. I should mention that there are a variety of meditative practices. These practices include sitting meditations, guided meditations, walking or running meditations, visualizations, yoga, and sound-based practices.
At Fieldston, Clare Mottola, the Theater and Dance Chair, along with Palma Repole, created and runs the Fieldston Mindfulness Initiative. Ms. Mottola began her mediation practice 15 years ago. In 2007, she quickly recognized that “without some kind of regular meditation practice, I was always going to feel a bit unmoored.” Ms. Mottola uses yoga asana and pranayama as preparation to help the body breathe and mind to sit in meditation Meditation is a crucial part of Ms. Mottola’s life. “Once I felt the difference, in all aspects of my life, when I allowed time for more mindfulness and meditation, I knew that it was a really critical part of my well-being.”
A report based on data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)found that U.S. adults’ use of meditation tripled between 2012 and 2017 (from 4.1% to 14.2%). The use of meditation by U.S. children (aged 4 to 17 years) also increased significantly (from 0.6 % in 2012 to 5.4 % in 2017). This study was done several years ago, and since then, interest and use in mediation have only grown.
The pandemic drove another increase in meditation and mindfulness. In a study, researchers showed that interest in mindfulness increased significantly between May and August 2020. During the pandemic, people experienced a tremendous amount of uncertainty and anxiety. Reflect on your own experience. Maybe you were upset about online school or missing sports. Maybe your family was strict, but your friends were getting together and socializing. I remember sitting in my bed and staying up till 4 am because I couldn’t shut my brain off. All of this can cause frustration, fear, or anxiety. Many turned to mindfulness to recenter and gain a sense of calm. It was free, and you could do it from your home. Meditation and mindfulness allowed people to clear their heads and move forward gracefully.
At Fieldston mindfulness is a requirement for all 9th graders. Ms. Cohen, the Director of Health and Wellness for the Upper and Middle schools, feels it is so important for students to embrace mindfulness She calls mindfulness “the ability to be fully present and aware of where we are and what we’re doing, a true superpower -and one not easily cultivated during times like pandemics”
The launch of online applications and videos fueled even more of an the increase. Online mindfulness programs are easily accessible and helpful. A study at Wake Forest showed that 89% of participants who used an online mindfulness program reported that the experience had been beneficial. 76% said that the experience reduced their anxiety, while 80% reported feeling less stressed.
You might be skeptical. Can sitting and clearing your mind work? The answer is YES! Research shows meditation has benefits mentally, physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Meditation reduces overall stress and increases productivity. It is believed that mediation can sharpen your attention span. People who meditate see an increase in happiness, energy, and self-esteem. Importantly meditation helps people sleep better and find a deeper sense of relaxation.
Ms. Mottola talked about many of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. “Mindfulness and meditation are shown to increase our empathy and compassion. They create a more present and productive relaxation response in the body. They create a feeling of well-being and less stress and allow us to live with greater awareness moment to moment, so we are less reactive and increase the space between the input and output. I’m just skimming the surface of the benefits! But these all feel like a great sales pitch.” We agree! Mindfulness and meditation are free and can add so much to your life!
Research shows that regular mediation may even increase brain size, improve intelligence and creativity, and create stronger immune systems. A recent study published in Behavioral Brain Research shows that novice meditators decreased bad moods and anxiety and improved attention and memory in only eight weeks.
Why is meditation good for teens? Let’s look at the science. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the survival mechanism in the brain is called the amygdala. When we experience a stressful situation, our amygdala activates. The frontal lobe of the brain helps us make good decisions. Decisions like staying to finish a paper versus going out with friends. As a teenager, the connection between the amygdala and the frontal lobe is not fully developed. But research suggests that meditation can help rewire the brain and make it less responsive and less reactive.
Ms. Mottola also emphasized the neurological benefits of meditation. “While we all have neuroplasticity, our student’s brains are still in an active state of development, so adding a practice that yields such tremendously positive effects on the human brain is no brainer.”
These neurological improvements lead to better decision-making skills and improved concentration, increases in self-esteem, and improved immune systems.
How can you start using mindfulness and meditation? It can start in Fieldston classrooms. Switching classes from subject to subject can be taxing. It can be hard to move on after you have just been informed of a test grade, homework, or a long-term project. Carrying this stuff over from class to class eventually piles up and causes us to lose focus. If teachers take 5 minutes at the beginning of class to help us clear our minds, it can increase students’ focus and productivity.
Teachers can use meditation to re-set the tone of the classroom. Get everyone to focus and be more open to learning. Ms. Mottola teaches mindfulness in the school, but she also uses it in her classrooms. “I use it in different ways and depending on the class. In some spaces, we will take a mindful moment, focusing on our breath, the sensations in our body, or the quality of our thoughts. In some spaces, it’s mindful movement or mindful activity.”
Even after all of this documented research, the idea of sitting still and thinking might seem overwhelming. Isn’t that ironic. You might be thinking, do I really want to listen to my thoughts? But try! Start small, maybe 5 to 10 minutes. While there are many types of meditation, most have these four features in common.
- Done in a quiet space
- Finding a comfortable position for your body
- Focusing your attention
- Having an open attitude.
The goal of meditation is to focus on one thing at a time and refocus when your mind wanders. It should be an active process and takes practice. As I mentioned, there are so many ways to meditate. Some people meditate sitting, while others walk, draw, color or bake. Pick an activity that allows you to be present in the moment.
Ms. Mottola agrees about starting small, and she has a clever way to begin. “I’m a huge believer in starting small and toggling the habit to another habit. I always say that if humans could mindfully brush their teeth and complete that task from beginning to end with total consciousness and a lack of judgment, then the world would be a much better place.” At Fieldston, the Health and Wellness team has a goal for mindfulness for students. Ms. Cohen states, “As we prioritize physical fitness (PE) at Fieldston, a dream of ours is to have equal importance paid to foster mention/emotional wellness. We are hoping to engage more students in this form of practice (i.e. mindfulness) as we move forward.” I agree!
Ms. Mottola says, “Just don’t give up! Sometimes just one mindful conscious breath a day can lead to mindful daily tasks and then maybe a seated practice!” Perhaps the next time you are in the stall reading the Pews, you can take a minute and just breath and clear your head. Hopefully, the bathroom has just been cleaned.”
