Francene - Views on news
  • BLOG
  • About
  • Contact

Who is in charge of your mind?

7/16/2015

9 Comments

 
PictureMeditation - MorgueFile - cohdra
Researchers believe mindfulness could be incorporated into the national curriculum to help pupils build psychological resilience to peer group pressure. Research suggests brain exercises which focus on self-control may enable youngsters to stop them engaging in 'risk-taking' behaviors such as joining gangs, binge-drinking and taking drugs.

Top academics have launched the first study into how effective it could be in schools.

The meditation-style technique often used to help adults with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, has already been adopted by some state and private schools. Also, mindfulness is a form of meditation popular with celebrities and in the corporate world.

Here are the benefits of mindfulness meditation:

Aimed at escaping ‘tunnel vision’ in your daily life, it is said to help people gain a wider perspective of themselves and the world, so giving a greater enjoyment of life and an enhanced productiveness in the workplace.

Key components include accepting flaws, letting go of unpleasant memories and becoming content with your lot in life.

During mindfulness meditation participants sit in silence and pay attention to their breathing, refocusing the mind whenever it starts to wander.

Picturedrug crime - MorgueFile - DogertonSkillhause
A professor of University College London's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience who is one of the team carrying out the £6.4million trial, said it could be particularly helpful to teenagers, whose brains are more vulnerable to taking part in harmful activities. The training, which includes breathing exercises and imagined scenarios, was about 'not allowing these risky thoughts to snowball out of control and take over your decisions'.

The nationwide UK pilot involves nearly 6,000 youngsters aged 11 to 14 across 76 schools, including some inner-city comprehensives. Half the schools will teach mindfulness and the other half standard personal, health and social education lessons. Students will take ten lessons a term for five years, with a follow-up period of two years for every pupil.

Computerized tests will be assessed, with results compared with those of the control group.

If the practice is proved to be effective, the Department for Education may decide to roll it out to all schools. Source: Daily Mail.
 
I like the idea of youngsters learning to control their brain. As I say to my husband, 'The brain is like a computer. It works on what you put in. So if you think of a negative outcome, that's what will happen. You're in charge.'

Too often, schooling fails youngsters. What use is all the knowledge crammed into their brain if a related job is unlikely? Wouldn't it be better to teach them life skills?

I've never allowed any substance to control me. Once, I drank too much alcohol. I just don't like the feeling. I want to be in charge of what happens to my body, thank you very much.


9 Comments
Alana link
7/15/2015 08:27:41 pm

As I grow older, I find mindfulness is a necessity. But I also like the idea of it being taught in school. In the United States, though, academic testing has become so popular that music and arts are being cut. I think something like this, and other life skills, are so much more important for the schools to teach once the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic are mastered

Reply
Roy A Ackerman, PhD, EA link
7/15/2015 09:34:25 pm

I fear this expensive experiment is doomed to failure. Teaching mindfulness is one thing. Ensuring it becomes a habit is a whole different exercise.

Reply
Jeanne Melanson link
7/16/2015 08:57:48 am

I don't understand why you think this project is doomed to failure. If mindfulness is taught early on in life, it could very well become a lifetime habit.

Reply
Magical Mystical Mimi link
7/15/2015 10:20:31 pm

This is really interesting. I always taught my kids that your mind is the only thing you come into this world having complete and total control over, if you lose the control over that, your behavior follows.. On your toes kids! I think this is a great idea. In my oldest grandson's school - elementary - they meditate every morning and sometimes in the afternoon, and often times my grandson will give himself a break to go meditate in his room. I think it's wonderful and I hope this program has much success. I wonder if they'll use it in prisons.. I really enjoy your posts!

Reply
Shalini link
7/16/2015 12:11:09 am

I second that! I would want to have absolute control over my happiness, whether that includes my body, mind or soul! Interesting read!

Reply
Melanie T. Campbell link
7/16/2015 12:15:29 am

It will be interesting to see how this study turns out and which method is/will be more effective. I agree that the mind is under our control. What we put in, comes out in so many ways. I see a lot of self-control lacking in today's society. Too often people react instead of think before acting/speaking. I long for the days when we have more self-control and are able to get our ideas across without the need to bully another.

Reply
Kandas link
7/16/2015 01:10:41 am

I learned how to meditate from a 7th grade public school teacher in the 80s in Washington state. I was lucky enough to be included in a program for "gifted students" and we learned critical thinking skills and meditation and a myriad of other tools that would have been useful to the entire student body.

Reply
Joan Harrington link
7/16/2015 04:11:06 am

Hi Francene,

Interesting post :) I have yet to get into meditation.......having control of your own mind is so important. Thanks for sharing :)

Reply
Jeanne Melanson link
7/16/2015 09:04:40 am

I love this post and am happy that mindfulness will be taught to a certain sector. It should be taught to all children, especially elementary school kids. The idea of mindfulness, of bringing yourself back into your self, is a wonderful way of grounding. I use it all the time when I'm feeling anxious, or am being just too darned busy. It brings me back to a place of peace and enables me to look at how unnecessary and mundane a lot of my thought-things truly are. Don't sweat the small stuff, right?

I noticed that in your title you use the word, "mind," and within your article, you use "brain." I see these as two separate things. What is the mind? Can you touch it? See what I mean?

Thanks for sharing. Peace

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories
    news
    earth
    sea
    space
    environment
    people
    animals
    fish
    birds 

    experience 
    writing
    novels

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.