Mindfulness Helps Increasingly Anxious Students Cope With Stress
Seattle kids are 800 percent above average—in anxiety—and mindfulness could be the cure
By Elaina Friedman April 13, 2017
This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
In Seattle public school classrooms, students are learning a lot more than reading, writing and arithmetic, because educators are concerned about extreme stress levels among students.
In response, schools are beginning to incorporate a new skill into the curriculum: mindfulness, an increasingly popular psychological technique that trains the mind to focus on the present. Richard E. Berger, M.D., who teaches mindfulness at the University of Washington, as well as to children and adolescents through programs such as Inner Kids and Mindful Schools, notes that stress levels at school are unusually high. “I asked a group of first-graders if they were sleeping well,” recalls Dr. Berger, “and many of them said no, that they were too worried about school to sleep.” In fact, Berger says he was told by officials at one Seattle-area suburban public school that student anxiety levels at the school were eight times higher than the national average. Mindfulness, a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, emotions, sensations and surrounding environment, may just be the antidote.
As a part of their social-emotional education, students are learning the basic mechanics of mindfulness: how to sit still and focus, practice self-control, and pay attention to the present moment both inside and outside of themselves. “This teaches students to not just be reactive, but to have control over how they respond to any given situation,” says Berger.
As one of Berger’s second-grade students put it, “Mindfulness is what keeps me from punching people in the nose.”
Ready to become mindful yourself? Berger offers these tips:
1. Find a few minutes of quiet time.
2. Pay attention to what you’re doing in the present moment.
3. Examine your breathing.
4. Observe your thought patterns.
5. Pause before acting.
Follow Us
Floating with Friends
The benefits of sauna go beyond the physical, and Seattle’s newest wellness experience—which glides around the waters of Lake Union—equally taps into the non-tangible positives.
It only took a few minutes to settle in before I knew—these are my people. I met Emma Griffith, one of the founders of Wild Haus Floating Saunas, on a crisp, clear, late-summer morning to chat about the project she helped start last January. In simple terms, the team of eight created two saunas on…
Dog of the Month: Charlie
A would-be space traveler with a complicated legal history.
Charlie is about 10 months old, though his foster parent describes him as an “old soul.” He loves being around people and other dogs, but his social calendar has been limited after an unfortunate encounter with a skunk before he was found just outside Yakima. He is also the recipient of a lifetime ban from…
The Neighborhood Gym Effect
Inside Seattle Strength and Performance’s small-group training model and welcoming approach to fitness.
On a regular Seattle Wednesday morning, a little wet and dreary, I walk into a small gym feeling unsure of what I’ve gotten myself into. It’s late January, a time when many New Year’s resolutions are failing and motivation to keep exercising may be going out the window. I work out consistently—lifting weights, going to…
I Experienced a Skincare Treatment on the World’s Most Expensive Bed
A Hästens pop-up is currently running at Penelope and the Beauty Bar.
Last week as I was heading out the door for an appointment at Penelope and the Beauty Bar—the spa inside the Fairmont Olympic Hotel—my fiancé yelled up the stairs, “You better not fall in love with that mattress!” I was on my way to experience the spa’s Oxygen Dome Facial as part of a pop-up…