New Year Intentions and Mindfulness

A few weeks into January and you may be feeling frustrated over a lapsed New Year’s Resolution. Don’t despair. Over 40% of us make New Year’s resolutions despite the fact that only about 8% of us actually keep them. 

 

 Given this statistic, we might be tempted to rid ourselves of this annual ritual entirely. However, research informs us that if we do make a resolution, we are 10 times more likely to achieve our goal than if we do nothing at all. So, if we are unwilling to abandon our hope of change in the coming year, what happens if we make a New Year’s Intention instead? It’s never too late.

 

Unlike a resolution, when we use the power of intention to create change, we move beyond conditioned and often unconscious, repetitive thinking that tends to keep us stuck in habitual ways of being. Since our thoughts inform our behavior, and the majority of our thoughts today are the same as yesterday, we quickly realize why our resolutions fail. According to research, when we shift instead to intention, we foster more lasting change, especially when we ground our intention in the awareness found in a mindfulness practice.

 

If we look deeper into the latin origins of the word intention, we find that it means to “turn one’s attention”, to “lean toward”. Where would you like to place your attention this year? What do you wish to lean toward in 2017? Whether our intentions are to foster closer relationships, create greater health and well-being or overcome a specific challenge, we approach our intentions as we would a mindfulness practice:

• Attention: Once you’ve set your intention, you focus your attention on that which you wish to cultivate. In this present moment. Your attention may wander. You may become distracted by the activities of daily life. Whenever you notice that your attention has drifted away from your intention, gently guide it back, just as you do your breath during mindfulness practice. Practice self-compassion and patience as you return again, and again, to your intention.
• Non-Judgement: There will be moments, even days, where you stray from your intention. Positive or negative feelings may arise. Allow yourself the fullness of whatever you experience around your intention without judgement. Know that you can begin again in the next moment, with awareness, and the renewed commitment that resides in the settled mind.
• Beginner’s Mind: Approach your intention with curiosity. New experience and insights may arise to offer fresh perspective on your goals. You may unearth the unconscious forces that would have derailed a resolution. Curiosity offers the opportunity for new learning at every turn.
• Let go of Attachment: When we become rigidly attached to how the fulfillment of our intention may show up in our lives, we may miss all the wonderful and creative ways it is already unfolding. When we release our expectations, we lessen the frustration and disappointment that often accompanies a forced result. We can be surprised by and embrace the unexpected.

New Year’s Intentions grow from our deeper, essential desires. See where yours sprout from; a wish to be more connected, more generous, more playful? When we combine a regular mindfulness practice with the power of intention, we open ourselves to even more transformation and all the gifts the New Year has to offer.

 

What do you choose, Mindfulness vs Multi-tasking

Many people are proud of their ability to multitask. They feel that they can get so much done in a short amount of time, if they multitask. They could be more productive, more energetic and feel more lively if they multitask, however when they compare their past work with current work, they find that the reality is different.

 

I also used to boast about my ability to multi-task, proud that I could get so much done simultaneously. Performing numerous activities at one time seemed to energize me and keep me more aware. I just didn’t know what I was missing and it never struck me that the anxiety and depression I struggled with had anything to do with the way I was living my life.

 

One of my favorite quotes by Jon Kabat-Zinn is “We are human be-ings, not human do-ings.” At that point in my life I was living like a human do-ing.

 

Now, as I drive and talk business on the phone, or when some other tasks converge at the same time, I notice an almost imperceptible disturbance. It’s a very subtle awareness of how I am not present in all that I am doing, and I don’t like it. I have felt I can feel this disturbance in my brain, although I thought I was imaging these sensations until I read this quote by neuroscientist Sara Lazar in the article Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation not only reduces stress, here’s how it changes your brain: 

“We found long-term meditators have an increased amount of gray matter in the insula and sensory regions, the auditory and sensory cortex. Which makes sense. When you’re mindful you’re paying attention to your breathing, to sounds, to the present moment experience, and shutting cognition down. It stands to reason your senses would be enhanced.”

 

I believe that the disturbance I describe above is actually recognition of my senses being overwhelmed as well as a diminished quality of my experience. So, while there are still times when I multi-task to some extent it is rarely to the Olympian standards it used to be and when anxiety or depression creep into my life I take time to sit with these states of being, which then quickly pass, instead of becoming larger than life, swallowing me up.

Combating Stress with Mindfulness

There is a critical factor that influences academic outcomes….that has nothing to do with academics……and even nothing to do with school.  That factor is STRESS! Extensive research suggests that stress (caused by poverty, trauma, technology overload, violence etc) significantly inhibits learning…….and is likely the root of the achievement gap and academic failure in at-risk communities.

From a neuro biology standpoint, when students come to the school with chronic stress, their cognitive resources shift from higher order thinking in the prefrontal cortex to lower order “fight or flight” in the limbic system. They become more reactive and less likely to be able to pay attention. The best teachers, best curriculum, best facilities will not get through. A child may be sitting in a seat in class, yet isn’t ready to learn

A daily mindfulness program helps to unlock academic success and foster well-being for millions of children.  Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment non-judgmentally, and when done every day, it helps students build the capacity to focus, to be more self-aware and more resilient. 

 Mindfulness has been shown to improve grades and test scores, to reduce suspensions, detentions and bullying, and maybe as importantly, to increase compassion and collaboration. (Parents even tell us that their kids don’t fight as much with each other at home).  Think of these practices as mental fitness to optimize brain function.  We relate this to brushing your teeth, you brush your teeth every day to keep them healthy and strong, same logic goes towards practicing mindfulness…you practice mindfulness every day to keep our minds healthy and strong. 

I’d like to tell you a story about a boy in Cleveland.  He was not a high achiever, in fact, you could say he struggled a bit with academics.  He and his mother and sister had just moved into a new housing unit when a drive by shooting had taken place.  His mom’s rented car got hit so she had to report the incident to the police.  The next day, this boy had come home and his mom was not there, she had been in the emergency room due to a visit from the shooters and a bottle broken over her head.  The following day in school, he had taken an exam and did pretty well.  His teacher, knowing his situation had asked him how he managed to do so well with all the stress he had at home and he said “mindfulness helps me to focus”.

If every child practiced mindfulness every day throughout their pre-K through 12 years, they would improve their academic success and their life success. The achievement gap and school to prison pipeline would be things for the history books. We believe, and initial research is showing, that mindfulness could be the most impactful social justice and peace initiative of our time. 

Isn’t a “Daily Mindfulness Practice” a Bit Rigid?

I used to wonder when I started mindful meditation, that isn't daily mindfulness practice too much. I mean you can do it on a weekly basis but daily seems a bit much. So, I started practicing mindfulness on weekends instead of daily and guess what's the answer to the question - Isn’t a “Daily Mindfulness Practice” a Bit Rigid?

 

The answer of course is no.  Before we get into the scientific studies on why one should practice mindfulness daily, let’s talk about what this means for me, personally, how it has changed my life and how it has driven me towards the mission to bring mindfulness to children worldwide.  

 

 

 

As a confessed procrastinator, much of my life has been spent on what I call ‘bulk’ work, I can get an amazing amount of work done yet not always on a consistent basis.  So when asked to try this for 30 days, every day, my thinking immediately went to “Really, 30 days every day!”  30 days later, I could not believe how my thoughts then turned to “I can’t believe I have lived this long without having this practice”.  Truly, I was feeling better.  It was as if things slowed down enough for me to be clearer on what was happening.  Yet, I was still unclear as to any long term effects mindfulness may have…maybe I should say that I was a bit skeptical.  

 

I have suffered from anxiety since I was in my early 20’s, not sure what brought it on but I was given some medication to use which was a great aid to stop the physical symptoms of anxiety yet what lay behind the physical symptoms, deeply embedded still sat there.  I looked at a list of how mindfulness can bring about changes in one’s health and well-being and anxiety is on that list.  The now more positive thought came to me “can mindfulness really help with anxiety”?  Could this be a way for me to not have to constantly seek out solutions to my anxiety?  I’ll save that journey for another day but for now, let’s just say that the answer is yes.  I can still manifest anxiety and my thoughts can still bring on the physical symptoms of anxiety but as I continue practicing daily, I can see and feel how mindfulness has helped with my anxiety.

 

Fast forward to having a son who was on the verge of entering into elementary school.  I thought, as most adults think when it comes to mindfulness that “wow, if I had only had a mindfulness practice as a kid, what a difference it would have made on my life”.  Blend that thought with images of kids who are hungry, stressed out, and how illnesses that were previously related to adults were showing up in kids (heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc.).  Not to mention that only 80% of our students nationwide that were entering into high school were graduating in 4 years.  And that as a country to we rated 27 in math and 20 in science of all industrialized countries (OECD 2012).  No, my anxiety did not come back but a sense of urgency did.  How could I give my son, his friends and children everywhere the best advantage to succeed in school?  This strong desire resulted in creating the non-profit Inner Explorer.  Inner Explorer has enabled Laura and I as Co-Founders the ability to make a difference in children’s lives worldwide and we have just started, we have so many children to reach and our belief is that with a daily mindfulness practice done in all grades, Pre-K to 12, we can create a generational shift in love, compassion, and readiness to learn.  

 

I don’t expect that you’ll just accept my viewpoint so there needs to be some scientific studies that back up my understanding of this concept.  I will, of course, first mention our study that showed a significant increase in grades in math, science, and reading.  One of many great resources to look at is the American Mindfulness Research Monthly.  They post a monthly newsletter that highlights mindfulness research studies (including the significance of a daily practice) that are being published.  So far, great things have come from most of the studies and I look forward to even greater things as we start to help the next generation by teaching them mindfulness.

 

I could go on and on about why we should practice mindfulness daily, the best statement was said by Dr. Dan Siegel that mindfulness practices are to cognitive health what teeth brushing is to dental health.  Need I say more?