Mindfulness Training For Students: Stability In Stressful Times

As students face cascading uncertainties about school, the pandemic, racial unrest and their futures, some school districts are turning to a simple practice to help young people deal with stress: mindfulness.

The exercise of quiet breathing and focusing on the present moment, mindfulness is a way to become aware of one's emotional state and usher in a sense of calm. It can be particularly helpful for young people as a means to boost attention skills and cope with stress, according to a 2019 report published by researchers at Harvard's Center for Education Policy Research.

In the Bay Area, since campuses closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, interest in mindfulness techniques for young people has soared, said JG Larochette, director of the Mindful Life Project, a Richmond nonprofit that serves San Francisco Unified, Oakland Unified and other Bay Area school districts.

Downloads of the organization's free app, available on its website, have increased 250 percent in the past two months, he said. Free videos and online lessons in English and Spanish are also available. (A link to download the app is below this article)

"It's not a surprise," he said. "The keys to good mental health for many people - stability, routine, interaction with peers - have all been taken away. It makes sense that some people are feeling angry, afraid, hopeless."

Fuente: https://patch.com/california/lamorinda/mindfulness-training-students-stability-stressful-times