Mindfulness is beneficial for each and every one of us, but too often it is under utilized with our older students.
Teens spend an average of 9, non-school related, hours on a screen each day. Looking at a typical school day for one of our students this means being on a screen as soon as they wake up and being on a screen long past when they should be sleeping.
Teens (and pre-teens) are experiencing fewer hours of sleep and increasing more and more hours of time on a screen.
Studies out of Yale, Harvard, and MIT are starting to provide insight regarding teens and the use of screens.
As the amount of time on screens increase teens are experiencing an increase in fractured attention level, lack of impulse control, and heightened levels of depression and anxiety.
The studies have also found the teens most often are utilizing screens out of boredom, loneliness, and to avoid unpleasant feelings.
Teens today are losing the ability to navigate nuanced and complex interpersonal human interactions.
Our students do not know how to handle and resolve conflict. We need to teach them theses skills and encourage time away from screens.
One great way to help our students is to introduce them to mindfulness and include it in their daily lives.
Some schools across the US have started to address the concern related to screens through various mindfulness exercises.
One such practices focuses on teach students three fundamental skills.
1. Watching thoughts
2. Being present with others and the natural world.
3. Self-compassion
In the first part, watching thoughts, students are asked the questions "Am I using a screen to connect with someone?" or "Am I disconnecting and distracting from feelings?"
To help students answer these questions students they practice a body scan and phone scan. The students are asked to turn off their phones and place them upside down on the floor at their feet. The students conduct a mindful body scan with deep breathing. They are then asked to pick up their phones and turn them on. The students are encouraged to notice where their fingers go on the phone. What app do they open first? Are they checking calls or text to view a missed connection? Are they exploring TikToc or YouTube and disconnecting?"
This practice can then move to exploring ways to utilize ground technology use in values, self-compassion (this is often a big challenge for young girls), and empathy for others.
The second step, being present with others and in the natural world.
This mindfulness practices asks teachers to take students outside. Have students pair up. Ask them to spend time together deep breathing, listening to and looking at nature, and exploring emotions. Have students ask each others about feelings. Have students practice reading faces and body language. Youth need to learn the skills of interpersonal connection and communication. Teach I-statements to utilize during this practice.
The final step, self-compassion is key to helping our students with taking a deep look at screen time and self-value.
Posting the perfect picture. Sending people pictures. Reading comments from others. Posting comments to others. This connects the first step when we talked about values being practice with screens. Mindfulness practices that focus on self-compassion can help.
Helping our students spend non-screen time practicing mindfulness is beneficial for social skills, emotional skills, and for learning.
The publication Mind, Brain, and Education presented a study of 5-8 grade students at a charter school and how mindfulness helped them. The study reported that students who had a regular mindfulness practice also had higher GPA, greater achievement on standardized tests, better attendance, and fewer suspensions.
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