Mindfulness

Our mind works in different ways.. Paying attention / Mindfulness Not paying attention / Default Mode

Paying attention or default?

Paying attention or default? Do you have those friends that ask you what you did on the weekend and than 5 minutes later ask the eaxct same question? Or you ask you parents what is for dinner and than can remember asking the question but can’t remember the answer. Reading a page of the book 5 times over

Mindfulness Intentionally paying attention to each moment with an attitude of openness and acceptance

The Default Brain When not paying attention to something Mind wandering Mental chatter Worry (future) and dwelling (past) Autopilot

The Default Brain A human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive “achievement” that comes at an emotional cost. Killingsworth & Gilbert (2010). Science. Day dreaming is part of the human condition.

The Default Brain Associated with Stress (Brewer et al., 2011) Anxiety (Zhao et al., 2007) Depression (Greicius et al., 2007) Poor relationships Learning difficulties Attention difficulties Associated with a whole lot of mental health conditions

Mindfulness Good news... We can train our brain to pay more attention

Paying attention to each moment Mindfulness Paying attention to each moment

One minute looking at this.

Sometimes it is harder than others to pay attention..

Intentionally paying attention to each moment Mindfulness Intentionally paying attention to each moment

Mindfulness Intentionally paying attention to each moment with an attitude of openness and acceptance The openess and acceptance is an important part of mindfulness. When we get too upset at ourselves for worrying about the future or not being able to concentrate in class, it actually makes it harder for us to concentrate.

MINDFUL LEARNING

Mindful Learning Mindfulness increases Working memory Executive functioning Communication Empathy Zeidan et al. (2010) Activates regions involved in short-term memory Klingberg, Forssberg & Westerberg (2002) Learning how to pay attention to the present moment

Mindfulness and Learning Multitasking Procrastinating Hands up if you think you can pay attention to two things at once?

The Illusion Of Multitasking Try it! A, B, C, D, E…

The Illusion Of Multitasking 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…

The Illusion Of Multitasking A1, B2, C3, D4, E5…

The Illusion Of Multitasking Complex multitasking Homework + Instagram Youtube Texting = ?

Procrastination..

Procrastination Is A Habit! Procrastinators are made, not born. It is a learned response, a habit that gets developed over time (and, like all habits, can be changed – with effort). This is a good thing! It means that you can un-learn it (by first learning about how exactly you procrastinate, and then developing a different habit).

Mindfulness & Relationships Turn to person next to you Partner A – tell Partner B about your plans for the weekend Partner B – play on your iPad while listening to Partner A Swap

Mindfulness & Communication Better listening and understanding of others Stronger friendships and relationships Higher empathy Stronger connection Ever had a parent, teacher or friend look like they are listening but you know they really are not?

Mindfulness

Our mind works in different ways.. Paying attention / Mindfulness Improved concentration Better learning Less worrying about the past and future Better relationships Default Mode/Not paying attention Hard to concentrate Miss out on life Increased stress Less productive Accidents

Questions?