WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
Mindfulness is a way of slowing down and focusing on one thing at a time. This can help manage anxiety, center oneself before a stressful situation, calm oneself when stresses are high, or just be a good way to relax for a moment. Mindfulness also refers to our ability to check in with ourselves to know what we're feeling and thinking and how that is affecting us in the current moment.
There are three "what" skills to use when you want to engage in mindfulness. These skills tell us the steps to completing a mindfulness activity. You must do them in order, and you can only do one at a time. If your mind wanders, that's okay, just calmly come back to your goal without beating yourself up for it! The three "what" skills are:
Observe, Describe, and Participate.
There are also three "how" skills to focus on when you want to engage in mindfulness. These skills tell us the the way we should use our brains when we're doing mindfulness. They don't have to be done in any specific order, and they can be done all at the same time. The three "how" skills are:
Effectively, One-Mindfully and Non-Judgementally
If a student is becoming overwhelmed, frustrated, or anxious, it might be time to prompt them to pause what they're doing and check in with themselves. Ask what they're feeling (this will help them be better able to identify their needs independently) and prompt them to use one of the skills below (or try it with them!).
5-4-3-2-1 Mindfulness
An easy way to begin practicing mindfulness is to engage in this 5-4-3-2-1 activity. You can do all steps in your mind, or out loud if you're by yourself:
-Name five things that you can see. *Pro-tip: if this feels too broad, pick a color and name 5 things of that color you can see
-Name four things that you can feel or that your body is touching.
-Name three things that you can hear.
-Name two things that you can smell.
-Name one thing that you can taste.
Rainbow Game
Take turns naming things around the room in ROYGBV order.
Alphabet Game
Take turns naming things in the room in alphabetical order.
Categories
Pick a category (or ask a friend). Take turns naming as many items in that group as you can. If someone repeats something, start a new category (or end the game).
Group Mindfulness Activities
Rainbow Game, Alphabet Game, and Categories are all mindfulness activities that can be done as a group. Consider starting academic support or other classes with these, or to allow students a break from stressful work.
One other option for a group activity is Zen Counting: In a group, count to 20. Do not go in any specific order, but pay attention to subtle cues about who might be the next person to count. If two people say a number at the same time, start over.