As part of my continuing education program, I read Attack of the Teenage Brain by John Medina. Among many topics related to teenagers, brains, education and the like, I was particularly interested in a chapter that discussed mindfulness and its positive effects.
I had been introduced to the concept of mindfulness by a colleague a few years ago, so I was aware of some of the tenets; however, I found it interesting to read about some of the research into the benefits of the practice.
Medina's mindfulness portion reviewed the three components of the practice:
(1) Attentional control: focusing on a specific, emotionally neutral subject to distract your brain from things that bother you
(2) Emotional regulation: approaches used to control how feelings are experienced (selecting which emotions earn further processing, cultivating nonjudgmental attitudes, etc.)
(3) Altered self-awareness: a form of anti-narcissism - not focusing on yourself, diminishing recursive self-referential habits
Medina also discussed the idea that with consistent practice of mindfulness, anyone can develop reflex interventions to self-regulate conditions such as depression and anxiety. He went on to share that mindfulness aids in other conditions, such as chronic pain, cigarette addiction and even irritable bowel syndrome.
In teens, those who were trained in and practiced mindfulness exhibited quantifiable improvement in mathematics, literacy and second-language proficiency, as well as improved social interactions and overall presence of positive emotions.
In adults, mindful practice has been shown to change the way the brain looks at fear and pain, while simultaneously strengthening regions of the brain associated with controlling these feelings. In adolescents, mindfulness has been shown to affect connections in the brain which stabilize arousal and reduce harmful risk-taking.
Research certainly seems to indicate that the concept of mindfulness should be taken into consideration with future school planning.
Source:
Medina, John. Attack of the Teenage Brain!: Understanding and Supporting the Weird and Wonderful Adolescent Learner. ASCD, 2018.
