Mindful Inclusion to Reduce Bullying

 Mindfulness creates an Inclusive Culture where everyone can say " I Count".

October is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Month. 

As a school we need to do more than be anti-bullying, we need to take meaningful action to empower victims, heal bullies, and create an inclusive culture.

Studies have shown that schools with only an anti-bullying program do not have a reduction in bullying, but rather see the same level or an increase. Anti-bullying program can inadvertently teach bullies new ways to hide behavior, provide new ideas for behavior, and empower them to continue. Anti-bullying programs also keep the victim as a victim and do not empower them, leaving them vulnerable to more incidents of bullying.

Schools need to do more. They need to get to the root of the problem. Culture. Values. Expectations. 

Mindfulness is a great way to create a positive and inclusive culture. Mindfulness will empower the victim and help encourage the bully to become a better person.

Bullies often have low self-esteem and are bullied themselves. Bullies also often display a lack of impulse control. Mindfulness has been shown to improve mental health, reduce anxiety, increase self-esteem, and help promote impulse control.

Mindfulness could be the key (or a key) to reducing and ending bullying in schools. 

Mindfulness empowers victims allowing them to understand that bullying while targeted at them is not about them. Understanding this helps them to reduce reactivity to the bullying events. When reactions are diminished bullies are more likely to reduce and give up behavior. When a bully does not see the response they are looking for they move on or give up all together. 

In 2014, three years after Inner Explorer was launched a study showed that those who implemented the program at their school saw a 50% reduction in reactive behaviors of children. Mindfulness programs, such as Inner Explorer, help teach students to think through their actions before taking action.

In 2015 the National Education Association shared that 1 in 3 students report being bullied and 7 in 10 report they are cyber bullied. (This are pre-pandemic numbers, with the pandemic cyberbullying has seen an increase). It was also reported that 50% of the bullying stops when peers intervene. 

The need to empower and equip our students with the ability and bravery to stand up and stop bullying is great. Mindfulness helps bring awareness to the "here" and the "now" which helps students stop and think about their actions. Mindfulness increases focus, attention, and calm. These are tools to help the bully and the bullied reduce negative behaviors and empower standing up for what is right.

Janice Houlihan, co-founder of Inner Explorer and an author has been quoted saying, "Mindfulness practices help the bully, victim, and any witness involved develop a deeper awareness of themselves, resilience, compassion, and a greater ability to regulate their emotional responses."  

Take some time this week and all through the month of October to begin (or continue) a mindfulness practice in your class. Ten minutes of mindfulness a day can reduce reactivity and increase empathy. 10 minutes of mindfulness a day can help improve behavior, self-esteem, and students grades.

Try Inner Explorer today. Connect with me if you need assistance. Let's work together to get to the root of bullying and create a school where ever student and adult can say "I Count".