Today, students have to deal with a lot of stressors in their daily lives. For example, they often face academic pressure, family issues, or problems with their peers. This is why it’s pretty important to understand your mental health markers and how to address them. Meditation and stress management techniques are exactly what can help you in this case!
On top of that, some young learners have to work to support themselves as well. Sure, you can look for WriteMy reviews and delegate some of your homework. But this seems like a short-term solution.
All of this creates an unfavorable environment for mental health. If students are not careful about their stress, their mental state might worsen. In time, some learners might experience anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. You need to learn how to deal with all the stressors before they get to you.
Benefits of Teaching Mental Health Techniques in Schools
Not a lot of learners have an opportunity to take care of their emotional state by themselves. They don’t have enough time or even motivation to spend one hour each day on their mindfulness exercises. For this reason, schools need to dedicate a class to dealing with stress. Here are just some of the advantages of including this class in the curriculum:
- Reduced anxiety levels;
- Better focus and concentration;
- Improved self-awareness about your problems;
- Better sleep at night;
- Decreased aggression and hyperactivity;
- Boosted academic performance;
- Improved quality of life in general.
Also, such a class can be seen as a safe space for those students who experience problems. This will help create a more positive and supportive learning environment for everybody. As soon as learners feel less stressed, they will be more open to engaging in class and will get better grades as a result. It’s a win-win for everybody!
How to Implement These Classes into the Curriculum?
Of course, learners can collaborate with each other and hold these activities after class. On the other hand, this defeats the purpose of saving some time. Just a couple of hours per week can improve the mental state of students all over campus. So, it’s always a great idea to set up a separate class for those who need it. Let’s see how this can be achieved.
One of the most obvious approaches is to incorporate these classes into the existing curriculum. This way, students won’t have to spend any extra time and struggle with deadlines after that. For example, teachers can teach students how to do deep breathing exercises at the beginning or end of any class. Also, learning about different kinds of mediation can be pretty fun!
The strategy to incorporate snippets of mindfulness practices into any class is great when there are no openings for a full-time class. Another approach is to offer meditation and stress management classes as an elective or after-school program. A separate class can give you more time to practice and explore techniques that actually work for you in the long run.
How to Make Meditation More Appropriate for Students?
In reality, it doesn’t really matter what approach your school chooses. As long as you start from the basics, learners will find something useful for them! It’s important to make sure that these techniques are appropriate and understandable for everybody. Here is how you can do it:
- Start with simple exercises: not every learner has a background in sports or stress management. This is why you can’t start with a complicated routine right away. Simple breathing exercises are a great place to start. You can introduce more advanced methods as the rest of the class becomes more familiar and comfortable.
- Make it fun for everybody: meditation and stress management can be fun and enjoyable for students. For example, you can use games, reward systems, and other activities to make learning more enjoyable for everyone.
- Always be patient with the newcomers: support is the most important thing that you can offer to students under a lot of stress. They might not be ready to learn everything at once. In this case, patience and support are the key to reducing stress levels in the future!
These tips are pretty simple, but they can make or break meditation classes. Not everybody has the same level of stress management or emotional depth. This is why there can’t be a universal approach to mindfulness that would fit everybody! But, in case you don’t know where to start, here are some simple exercises that can be taught in any school.
Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing is one of the simplest techniques that you can learn. In case you are overwhelmed with your studies or have an anxiety attack, you can help yourself relax in just a couple of minutes. Here is how you do it:
- Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
- Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth, allowing your stomach to fall.
- Repeat for 15 minutes if you have time.
Mindfulness Meditation
For this exercise, you won’t need more than 10 minutes of your time. It’s all about paying attention to the present moment without any thoughts of judgment or regret. Try to follow your thoughts and gently return them back to your breaths. This way, you won’t allow your mind to wander around and will make it focus on the present.
Loving-Kindness Meditation
This is a type of exercise that can boost your appreciation for yourself. As a student, you have to deal with lots of stressors in your life, so you need to remind yourself of how great you are. Try to be kinder and more compassionate to yourself. Remember everything that you accomplished and all the tasks you have finished, even this week. Become a friend to yourself!
Takeaway
Managing stress is very important for students of all ages. You need to recognize all the hard work that you have done and learn how to calm your mind. This is why schools definitely need to introduce mindfulness classes into the curriculum. Even if it’s the last 15 minutes of class, the benefits are huge!
