What adolescents think of mindfulness in schools
<i>&gt;In many programmes, students learn that emotions such as anger, anxiety and fear stem from reactions in a brain region called the amygdala. They are taught that mindfulness helps them identify and manage these emotions by activating the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with behavioural regulation. In doing so, students are taught that mindfulness creates space in which we can ‘choose our response’ as opposed to reacting or lashing out. In the words of one programme, mindfulness gives us ‘the freedom to choose’.</i><p><i>&gt; These might sound like reasonable claims, but they imply a dichotomy between emotions and reason, and the superiority of ‘rational’ responses to distress. This idea derives not from traditional mindfulness but from liberal Western ideals. Historically, these ideals have served to undermine oppressed groups, as anger and resistance is perceived as irrational.</i><p>The article&#x27;s commentary here seems out-of-touch with most mindfulness instruction I&#x27;ve experienced. It&#x27;s usually emphasized to notice things in as non-judgmental a way as possible; you&#x27;re definitely not encouraged to label anger or any other emotion as &quot;irrational&quot;.<p>Mindfulness does give you the freedom to choose. It wouldn&#x27;t be freedom to choose if the choice was always to ignore anger: sometimes anger is useful, other times it isn&#x27;t; mindfulness helps you notice that and act accordingly.