Do you sometimes feel like you just need to take a quick time-out from your day or situation? EXCEPT… you’re in the middle of class, or you’re in the middle of an intense study group, or you’re staring at a test!
Maybe you need to get a handle on your emotions, like right now. A quick meditation or mindfulness exercise to focus your attention on the here and now might be just what you need.
But first, in case you need some convincing, let me tell you about some of the benefits that have been found with regular meditation or mindfulness exercises (meditation brings you to the present moment = mindfulness).
- One study suggests that 8 weeks of mindfulness training may reduce stress-induced inflammation better than a health program that includes physical activity, education about diet, and music therapy.(1) That’s some powerful stuff!
- Meditation reduces inflammation and may help to regulate the immune system.(1)
- It can help in the management of depression and insomnia, and it arms practitioners to break the cycle of self-rumination.(1,2)
- Meditation can affect activity in a part of the brain involved in processing emotions even when the person is not meditating.(1)
- In the classroom, teachers have found that mindfulness helps improve students’ attention skills and reduce test anxiety, it has helped children with ADHD improve their attention span, and it increased optimism, attention, and behavior in 4th through 7th graders.(3)
- In one study, mindful awareness exercises helped 1st through 3rd graders reduce their anxiety and do better in school.(3) Hey, if they can do it…seriously!
So how do we bring our mind to the present moment to start realizing some of these benefits?
Let me give you the quick answer. Focus on each breath.
Specifically, breath through your nose and focus on the feeling of air moving in and out of your nose. Feel the sensations of your breath as it moves in and then moves out, past your nostrils and across the area above your upper lip.
Try it for one breath…two breaths…three breaths.
See how when you do this your attention is focused on the present moment? Congratulations, you have made it to the here and now! You may not have even closed your eyes. No one else could tell that you were getting all mindful. You could totally do that during a test.
Sometimes you may want to keep going. You might decide to gradually add more breaths, or to just jump in to a 10-minute mindfulness session (set an alarm with a calming sound). That’s great! Your mind will wander, and that’s fine too, because that’s what minds do.
You may find that your mind wanders less with more practice. The most important thing is to not be down on yourself when you find your mind wandering. Simply bring your attention back to your breath as soon as you notice this. No judgment.
Sometimes uncomfortable thoughts and feelings surface when one’s mind wanders. That’s normal, and it’s a part of the process. Each time a thought comes up you have an opportunity to release it more quickly than the last time. Simply bring your attention back to the sensations of your breath.
Like everything else in this world, you’ll get better with practice and over time these mindful moments throughout your week can help de-stress your life.
References
- Meditation: In Depth | NCCIH. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-in-depth
- Harvard researchers study how mindfulness may change the brain in depressed patients – Harvard Gazette. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/harvard-researchers-study-how-mindfulness-may-change-the-brain-in-depressed-patients/
- How Meditation Benefits Students in the Classroom – EOC Institute. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://eocinstitute.org/meditation/meditation-and-teachers-benefits-for-educators-and-students/