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Applying Mindfulness Techniques for Enhanced Focus and Retention in School

Daniel Swersky

Mindfulness is a powerful tool in wellness practices. When performed regularly, it can help reduce anxiety and stress levels.

In school or educational settings, practicing mindfulness can be beneficial for students learning as well. Daniel Swersky explores the benefits of utilizing these wellness techniques in an educational setting as well as some practices that should be adopted.

The Benefits

Reducing Anxiety in Students

The COVID-19 pandemic left its mark on students, forcing school closures and isolating students from their peers. In a study on the impact of the pandemic on students’ mental health, researchers found that it led to an increased prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in students.

The mental health crisis in America is a pressing issue that needs to be urgently addressed. Practicing mindfulness can help reduce the anxiety students feel, but only if implemented effectively. Teachers and school leaders need to actively engage students to participate in such practices like meditation and provide the space for them to do so.

Improving Focus in Learning

By practicing mindfulness, students may experience improved attention in learning.
In a study on the effect of mindfulness on learning, researchers found students who participated in mindfulness practices regularly had improved attention toward their learning and reported feeling less stress.

Common Mindfulness Techniques

Five Senses Exercise

This exercise is easy for students to follow with a 5-4-3-2-1 pattern. Students should first be seated or stationary for this exercise. Once situated, they should start listing five things they see, four things they feel, three things they can hear, two things they can smell, and one thing they can taste.

By going through each of their five senses individually and attributing one thing in their setting to the sense, students can ground themselves and refocus their attention back on the classroom. This can be effective after recess, lunch, or gym time when students may need help adjusting back to the formal classroom setting.

Daniel Swersky

Box Breathing

Used by military, doctors, professional athletes, and others who often face high-pressure situations, box breathing is an effective exercise that can help lower anxiety.

To start, students should envision a box while going through the four steps of box breathing. First, students should breathe in four slow breaths. In the second step, students should hold for four counts. In the third step, students should exhale through their mouths for four counts. In the fourth step, students should relax for four counts before repeating the process.

This method may be effective to do right before an exam or class presentation. By taking a few moments to breathe, students may reduce anxiety and feel more grounded, which can lead to better performance.

Conclusion

Mindfulness practices can be an asset in everyday life, as well as the traditional classroom settings. With just a few minutes a day, students who practice mindfulness can lower their stress and anxiety levels. This can benefit students’ overall school performance as well as their well-being.

Daniel Swersky

From Classroom To Community: The Impact Of Educational Development Volunteer Programs

Daniel Swersky

Volunteering can play a significant role in the growth of students. From taking students outside the classroom setting with textbooks and exams, students can apply their learnings in a real-life environment.
The impact volunteering can have on an individual is remarkably profound. In the following article, Daniel Swersky discusses the benefits of volunteering, and why students should participate in it.

Exploring Career Paths

Volunteering is an exceptional way for students to get exposure to a field or industry they are curious about. By being exposed to the real-life setting of a certain job or career, students can see firsthand if that career choice is right for them.

This experience is most relevant for students who are just beginning their journeys in higher education. The volunteer experience alone can help to define or deter them from a certain field of study, not only helping them save time and money but also providing them with confidence in making decisions about their career path.

Increase Awareness of Social Issues

Volunteering not only helps students gain job experience, but also increases their involvement in activism and social issues. In Amplifying Student Learning through Volunteering, researchers discovered that volunteering was an important way to increase civic responsibility in students.

In a study regarding literary inequity, volunteers participated in a community literacy festival and discovered firsthand the impact of the program in bridging literacy inequity in the community. From simply volunteering for this event, researchers discovered that volunteers had gained an increased awareness of literary inequity and developed strong potential in becoming advocates for such programs in their future careers.

Daniel Swersky

Increase Mental Well-Being

Volunteering can also have a positive impact on mental health. In a study by the National Library of Medicine, researchers discovered that participation in voluntary services positively impacts mental and physical health in ways such as a higher sense of life satisfaction, self-esteem, and happiness.
In the simple act of altruism, an individual’s brain releases serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins – chemicals that are all related to happiness. This shows that by helping out others, individuals can directly feel the emotional impact in themselves.

Gaining a Head Start in the Job Market

For students nearing graduation, finding a job can be difficult without prior work experience. In addition to being a top student, employers may look for extracurricular activities to evaluate a candidate.

Through volunteering, students can make their resume stand out. By being a volunteer, individuals are exposed to real-life situations and can actively work on skills such as problem-solving, leadership, and communication.

Additionally, these students are also exposed to a greater number of professionals and may be able to leverage this connection for future opportunities, professional references, and recommendations.

In Conclusion

There’s no doubt that volunteering is a win-win relationship for organizations and individuals. With an abundance of volunteer opportunities year-round, individuals can search for social causes they would like to support and see the ways they can volunteer.

To witness the impact of such efforts, the next step is simply to volunteer.

Daniel Swersky

How Volunteering In A Soup Kitchen Transforms Lives

Daniel Swersky

Opened over 40 years ago, the Soup Kitchen of Boynton Beach, Florida, now serves upwards of 1,000 meals a day.

This group has taken to the road for its Soup Kitchen Meals on Wheels program, providing household supplies to immigrants, refugees, and migrant workers as well as offering infant care assistance with its Taking Care of Babies program.

For an often overlooked part of Boynton Beach’s population, the Soup Kitchen is one of the few places that residents in need can rely on to make ends meet. Over 100 years ago, the Great Depression directly correlated with the rise of soup kitchens in the United States.

Today, Daniel Swersky explains that soup kitchens are still here to serve the same purpose — making sure individuals and families have access not just to what they need, but what they deserve.

And it’s because of its hundreds of volunteers that Boynton Beach’s Soup Kitchen will likely remain open for decades to come.

A Soup Kitchen’s Big Benefits

America may still be the richest country in the world, but more than 34 million residents cope with hunger every day. This includes 1 out of every 8 children.

This is who thousands of soup kitchens, shelters, and food pantries work to assist in small communities and big cities across America. It’s the volunteers and donors who keep them afloat and step up to help their community.

While the majority of soup kitchens stress their mission of helping the homeless, soup kitchens have grown to offer so much more.

The Atlanta Mission opened during the Great Depression and still provides hot meals to this day. In the 1960s, it became the first organization to focus on the unique needs of homeless women. It now provides addiction recovery, shelter, counseling, assistance with finding jobs, educational services, and spiritual guidance.

In 2022 alone, the Atlanta Mission served over 562,000 meals, lead nearly 2,000 life skills classes, and provided 187,000 nights spent with a real bed to sleep in.

Daniel Swersky

Evolving Needs

Despite the growing epidemic of food insecurity in the U.S. and constant struggles to secure funding, soup kitchens have never given up. Instead, their impact is immediately felt during new challenges.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shed a bright light on the pivotal role of soup kitchens. The 11% rate of food insecurity in the United States was unchanged during the first year of the pandemic, a reflection of how soup kitchens can still make a difference even when the need grows.

By the end of the year, 92 million boxes of food were given to food banks, charitable organizations, and soup kitchens through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program.

Transformations

For the millions who use them, soup kitchens are often the only place they can find food for that day.

Besides a good meal, soup kitchens lift up entire communities in immeasurable ways. They often help with job training and offer toys and books to children. Hungry and homeless children are far more likely to develop illness, depression, and behavioral issues, but soup kitchens diminish these risks.

At the Boynton Beach Soup Kitchen, anyone who comes through the door gets soup, a produce box, and two hot meals a day. Hundreds of volunteers work every day to make sure that this won’t ever change.