Mindfulness exercise

S. Janneker Lawrence Daniel,

Assistant Professor of English.

Last week research was published showing that headteachers are concerned about pupils’ mental health. Of the 1,131 headteachers spoken to by the school leaders’ network The Key, four in five said they were worried about pupils suffering from an anxiety disorder. Self-harming, depression and eating disorders were also cited as areas of concern.

One of the techniques that has been found to help young people manage these issues is mindfulness – a form of meditation that involves breathing techniques to help people focus on the present moment. Increasingly, academics are looking at how the method can be used to support students in school. In an upcoming book shared with us, Dr Stan Kutcher, Dr Mark Weist and Yifeng Wei talk about the impact mindfulness can have.

They write: “Both targeted and universal [mindfulness] interventions have been shown to have a significant impact on mental health problems in the young.

“For example, the MiSP.b programme has had a clear impact. The young people who participated in the programme reported fewer depressive symptoms post-treatment and at follow-up, along with lower stress and greater well-being.”

We’ll be looking at the effect mindfulness can have on children’s mental health in the live chat, as well as discussing other benefits, such as boosting concentration and academic achievement. And we’ll be sharing lots of ideas for how you can introduce the technique – from getting students to pause and close their eyes for two minutes each day to setting up hour long classes where parents come along too. As well as talking about how the meditation technique can be used with students, we’ll be exploring ways it can support teachers with their wellbeing.

Courtesy: wingedpost