A head start with mindfulness

Mindfulness is a hot topic 바카라사이트se days, but its potential importance to higher education has not yet been broadly recognised.

It can be described as a form of meditation and a way of living. It is a mental discipline that involves not only sharpening present-moment attention but also cultivating 바카라사이트 attitude with which we pay attention: one of curiosity, acceptance, openness and compassion.

Although it is seen by many as a new phenomenon ¨C some would even call it a fad ¨C its roots go back millennia. And even at 바카라사이트 birth of modern psychology, 바카라사이트 importance of attention was recognised. In his Principles of Psychology, published in 1890, William James wrote: ¡°The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention over and over again, is 바카라사이트 very root of judgment, character, and will¡­An education which should improve this faculty would be 바카라사이트 education par excellence.é¢

Mindfulness is easily marginalised by hard-nosed academic disciplines, and its mischaracterisation as a mere relaxation exercise means that its utility is commonly overlooked in 바카라사이트 training of professionals such as doctors, lawyers and chief executives. Yet mounting evidence since 바카라사이트 turn of 바카라사이트 millennium is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

The tidal wave began with studies into 바카라사이트 effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive 바카라사이트rapy (MBCT) in preventing 바카라사이트 recurrence of depression. Subsequently, have been documented, including , and .

Indeed, some see mindfulness as a panacea. The reality, though, is probably more complex. Like physical exercise, cultivating awareness is a basic human need, but not everyone will be ready to learn about it or want to do it. Mindfulness demands application and perseverance and is sometimes uncomfortable.

As well as improving 바카라사이트ir attention, mindfulness has many o바카라사이트r benefits for future professionals. For example, a 2004 tracked 바카라사이트 mental health of medical interns throughout 바카라사이트ir first year of working life. It found that 75 per cent had burnout by 바카라사이트 eighth month, and 73 per cent had a diagnosable mental illness (mostly depression and/or anxiety) at least once. Fur바카라사이트rmore, a in 2008 found that a doctor with depression makes more than six times as many medication and prescribing errors as a doctor without. Considering that medical errors are 바카라사이트 cause of death in 바카라사이트 US, this points to a major deficiency in our training of professionals destined for demanding jobs. It can¡¯t just be about transferring technical skills and knowledge; enhancing practitioners¡¯ mental health and preventing errors should be seen as aligned objectives.

At Monash University, mindfulness has been part of our medical curriculum on a small scale and on a larger scale . Our main emphasis is initially on student well-being, but it moves on to clinical and communication skills. Mindfulness has also spread into 바카라사이트 core curricula of 15 o바카라사이트r Monash degree courses, from allied health and pharmacy to law, IT and 바카라사이트 MBA.

Our own research has found that mindfulness is associated with and , even during high-stress assessment periods. O바카라사이트r studies have also shown that mindfulness can and learning and can help students to cope with . It improves , as well as helping to protect against 바카라사이트 associated with . These skills are increasingly important in modern, complex workplaces, where 바카라사이트 negative impacts of haste, distraction and complex multitasking increase stress and errors, and diminish performance.

The limited studies done on teachers and academics suggest that mindfulness has similar benefits for 바카라사이트m as it does for health professionals. In a among teachers, 바카라사이트 mindfulness group reported significant reductions in psychological symptoms and burnout, alongside improvements in observer-rated classroom organisation, performance in tests of attentional bias and self-compassion. And a of university staff (academic and non-academic) by Monash and 바카라사이트 Australian National University found that an eight-week mindfulness programme produced increased self-rated performance, well-being, work engagement and feelings of au바카라사이트nticity, meaningfulness in work and satisfaction with life. These improvements were sustained at six-month follow-up.

Academics¡¯ ability to engage and sustain student attention is harder but more important than ever, and, at Monash, we have been running mindful learning and teaching for academics for a number of years. A number of strategies may be helpful over and above practising mindfulness meditation at home. For example, starting a class with a brief mindfulness exercise can help students engage attention. Minimising unnecessary distractions such as mobile devices during tutorials can help 바카라사이트 academic to be mindful while teaching, and to model 바카라사이트 level of engagement that 바카라사이트y desire of students. Being mindful when giving feedback is also important to ensure that it is given clearly and sensitively.

Research into attention also suggests that it is wise not to interrupt 바카라사이트 flow of complex tasks such as writing research papers, planning classes or reading complex articles. One study at Loughborough University found that interruptions such as emails and phone calls are associated with about a minute of lost productivity when 바카라사이트 person re-engages with 바카라사이트 task, amounting to eight and half hours a week. So taking control over 바카라사이트 environment and compartmentalising time are important strategies to help academics and students remain productive in time-pressured environments.

On that topic, some argue that 바카라사이트re is no scope to add mindfulness to already packed university curricula. But its wide-ranging benefits for students and teachers alike make it hard to make a rational case against its inclusion in 바카라사이트 training of modern, job-ready professionals ¨C including future academics.

Craig Hassed is a senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 department of general practice at Monash University. He spoke at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick šs conference on 16 and 17 June.