Implementing a Mindfulness program at your school

In this chapter the participants discussed the benefits that an Academic Mindfulness program may generate as well as their comfort of using meditation rooms at their campus during school hours. Both questions in this chapter are inspired by Corporations utilizing Mindfulness programs and meditation rooms at their workplace.

6a. What kind of benefits do you think that your school would generate if a mindfulness program was consolidated? Please specify

Question 6a. received the most thorough answers by the interviewees, with several benefits listed both for students, teachers, and the educational institution. All of the interviewees mentioned several benefits and were positive to the implementation of a Mindfulness program at their school. The results have been divided into various categories for showcasing a clear overview.

(1) Academic-related Performance

The listed benefits related to Academic performance were (1) Increased Focus, (2) Increased Productivity, (3) Increased Efficiency and Performance, (4) better Time management and awareness of time, (5) More reachable students, (6) Higher engagement in class, (7) Producing better work, and (8) Positive impact on grades due to increased motivation.

• The mentioned results show that Mindfulness could have a positive impact of several performance related areas that could lead to overall more focused, productive, efficient, and reachable students.

(2) Mental Health

Mental health related benefits were the second most mentioned, and Mindfulness could make a remarkable difference in areas such as anxiety and depression. The interviewees stated that the benefits were (1) Decrease in anxiety and reduced performance related anxiety, (2) Decrease in depression (especially during the darkest months in the north), (3) Decreased stigma around mental health and a broader discussion related to the topic, (4) Suicide prevention and preventing students getting mentally ill, (5) Less burnouts for teachers, (6) Help to stabilize mental health for students and athletes, and (7) Student absence would decrease due to mental health issues. Additionally, the 2^nd interviewee said that she knows several students that do not attend school because of mental health burdens.

• The results related to mental health showcase that an Academic Mindfulness program can be a tool for stabilizing and managing many areas of mental health, especially anxiety, where 7 out 9 participants main reason for practicing Mindfulness in the first place was anxiety.

(3) General wellbeing

General wellbeing is covering areas of health in addition to mental health. The answers show that a mindfulness program could be great for (1) stress reduction, (2) better stress management, (3) increased calmness and students being more at ease, and (4) relationships between students would change by students getting closer to each other and being aware of each other’s health.

• The main finding in the general wellbeing category was the potential improvement of stress levels, general calmness, and student relationships

The findings from question 6a. showcase a major potential of improvement for students, teachers, and even the educational institution. Furthermore, one

participant stated that the students should be both receptive and accepting such a program. Another participant said that the program would need to be approached

in a social way to get as many people as possible interested and another

interviewee elaborated with a similar statement that: “Mindfulness looks different for different people; an issue would be addressing the practice to as many

students as possible”.

As a conclusion for question 6a. can be stated that the benefits from implementing a Mindfulness program for a school could be significant, but as some participants mentioned, the introduction could face setbacks.

6b. Would you utilize the possibility to use Mindfulness meditation rooms at your campus during school hours?

Mindfulness meditation rooms are becoming more common in the corporate world.

Question 6b. is investigating whether students would feel comfortable to utilize such rooms at their school’s campus.

The results show that 7 participants would utilize Mindfulness meditation rooms, 1 student said “Maybe”, and another participant did not feel at all comfortable with the idea.

The 4^th interviewee stated that: “I would absolutely. I did mindfulness at work during the summer in the company’s restroom and it increased the energy and motivation for the rest of the day. If this was a possibility at my school, I’d definitely seize the opportunity”.

The statement shows us the benefits of a mindfulness related exercise mid-day and a positive attitude towards doing so at the campus after a successful former experience with the exercises at work.

The 1^st interviewee said that: “No, I wouldn’t feel safe doing so, a more secure and private environment/location such as my own home would be required. It would require lots of time for me to be comfortable doing mindfulness in a public area even though it is a private and closed off area. I would not be able to relax to the fullest extent”.

The 3rd interviewee stated that: “Maybe... Practicing mindfulness requires a safe environment without any distractions from anywhere. Some uncertainty for doing it at the campus and I would do it most preferably at home. I would have to check out the space at first. The PRIVACY is key in this question”.

Both of the interviewees that did not answer Yes to question 6b. said that privacy is somewhat of an issue and that they would both prefer to do it in the comfort of their own home without any distractions.

The results show that the majority would utilize Mindfulness meditation rooms at their campus, but the privacy is of some concern. The overall perception of the meditation room idea is extraordinary with several students saying that “a lot of people would benefit from this”.