These teens use Mindfulness to cope with anxiety

Nine students sit in a circle on the grass.

They hear a ding, but it is not a text message. It's her teacher, Kyla McIntyre, ringing a golden bell to signal the end of her meditation.

These students have spent the last few minutes in silence focusing on developing a goal: positivity, calm, kindness, compassion and simplicity.

Whatever your goal, every Monday morning you practice Mindfulness and stop worrying about school, your peer relationships or social media.

They focus on breathing: inhale and exhale. They count to 10 and start over. It sounds like a simple exercise, but it's not that easy for these hormone-boosted teens.

Monday mornings are now the highlight of the week: "We can relax and forget about everything else".

«It reassures me; helps me throughout my day; it relaxes me in my classes »Allen McCaskill said.

Professor Kyla McIntyre began to implement Mindfulness at Sheldon-Williams College in the fall. It is a comprehensive wellness program that only takes up one hour of emotional health class each week.

Meditation is only part of this program mental health. There is also a physical component (they do yoga) and a creative component (poetry and painting).

Collectively, Mindfulness practice provides students with the tools to manage stress and focus their energy.

"There is no silence" for these kids, McIntyre said. "They are connected all the time ... There is no space, there is no downtime, and that is not good for the brain".

Mindfulness teaches self-control and self-regulation: how to recognize stress, change mindset, respond to situations consciously, pay attention to thoughts and feelings. Fountain