Meditation in schools to deal with anger, frustration, and anxiety

Meditation can be used in many ways to deal with anxiety, frustration, and anger in school children. It’s been proven to be effective in these areas as well as improving focus in the classroom and helping students with emotional issues or attention deficits become calmer and more able to concentrate on their work in the long term, making it an invaluable tool to have at school.

Meditation is an education
Studies have found that meditation can reduce stress and anxiety levels, improve focus, and decrease aggression. Given these benefits, it’s no surprise that teachers are eager to try out these techniques in their classrooms. In fact, many schools have already implemented some form of meditative activities for their students.

Meditation can reduce healthcare costs
A study published by Massachusetts General Hospital found that meditation can reduce stress-related healthcare costs by 47 percent. Meditation boosts self-control: A recent study published in PLOS One indicates that practicing meditation may increase willpower and, therefore, improve people’s chances of succeeding at losing weight. This makes sense; self-control is a limited resource that gets depleted as we use it throughout our day—meditation can replenish our supply so we don’t succumb to temptation later on.

Benefits of meditation for students
Some educators and health professionals agree that meditation can help curb destructive emotions. One of the most immediate benefits is a boost in self-awareness. Students who meditate are able to recognize their feelings as they happen. They’re also more likely to be aware of how their actions may negatively affect others. Meditation helps students learn how to regulate their behavior by giving them an outlet for expressing themselves constructively rather than violently or destructively.

Let go of your stress through meditation
Millions of Americans struggle with stress on a daily basis. And while we can’t avoid stress completely — especially at work — we can learn to manage it more effectively. After all, keeping your stress levels down is good for your physical health (reduced risk of heart disease) and your mental health (reduced risk of depression). Meditation is one-way people can manage their stress levels.

How to meditate
Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, relieve anxiety, and even help relieve depression. If you’re looking for a few tips on how to meditate, follow these simple instructions Find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted for at least ten minutes. Sit comfortably; if you can sit cross-legged, do so, but sitting up straight is fine too. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths through your nose (inhale through your nose all the way down into your belly). Think about one thing that calms or relaxes you.

Meditation technique steps
Take a seat. Sit up straight but comfortably. Extend your spine and raise your shoulders slightly. Close your eyes for 30 seconds and relax your muscles for five seconds at a time; begin with your toes. Slowly move upward through each muscle group until you reach your head. After you’ve relaxed every muscle, in turn, open your eyes and focus on a neutral object (like a picture on a wall) until it appears blurry. Then close them again, take several deep breaths, close off all thoughts and worries from your mind as best as possible, then just sit there without focusing on anything (try not to let any thoughts or emotions pop into your mind). This helps clear away extraneous thoughts so you can focus more effectively later when meditating.

3 tips for starting a meditation practice at school
Meditation helps us cope with anger, stress, and anxiety by giving us time for self-reflection. It’s a great practice for teachers and students alike. Here are three tips for starting a meditation practice at school: 1) Decide what type of meditation you will teach. This can be very different depending on your objectives (see Step 3). 2) Find out if there is an existing meditation club or group at your school (if so, you’re lucky! Look into how they do things and share their wisdom as best you can; seek advice from them about how to implement these ideas at your school). If there isn’t an existing group or club, start one! Set up times when people can get together (e.g., lunch hours), space in your classroom (you may need to ask for permission from administrators), and whatever else may be necessary; just make sure it happens regularly. Make sure that everyone knows what they need to do—when they show up, where they go, etc.—and keep track of attendance and other metrics associated with implementation success. 3) Establish ground rules/policies. –MM