Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 140 posts

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#31

Post by fooblat »

I really struggle with the term "mindfulness" as it seems it can mean anything and everything, depending on who you ask. We had some Mindfulness workshops at a previous employer and it was so full of woo and magical thinking that it really turned me off and felt like a huge waste of time.

My current company also recently introduced a Mindfulness workshop only this time it was really a basic meditation workshop which I enjoyed.

At this point, I don't even know how to react when something related to Mindfulness is announced.

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#32

Post by arethuza »

mapcars wrote: post #9
fiala__ wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Children have no problems with happiness or well-being. Have you ever met a child IRL?

In my experience kids, until a certain age, run around, scream, shout, full of excitement, happiness, and life. But once they start looking at adults - all they see only dark, gloomy, lifeless serious faces and so they start becoming the same. If adults want to do something about it - we should teach happiness ourselves first. Kids will follow automagically.

"But once they start looking at adults"

I suspect one of the biggest sources of misery for a lot of kids are other kids.

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#33

Post by bencollier49 »

My five year-old son now talks about his mind in the third person as a result of this. I'm having to retrain him with responsibility for his own actions.

Lovely idea and all but having untrained people teaching psychological practices to reception-grade children seems rather foolhardy to me.

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#34

Post by zimpenfish »

mapcars wrote: post #11
hvidgaard wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have it ever occurred to you that adults have mental problems because they didn't learn to manage it as children and young adults? Besides, depression and anxiety is surprisingly common among children.

>Besides, depression and anxiety is surprisingly common among children. Whom do you think they learned this from? Trees or cats?

> Whom do you think they learned this from?

I suspect that in a non-ignorable number of cases, "no one", because it's entirely possible their brain chemistry is just screwy.

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#35

Post by spuz »

fooblat wrote: post #31

I really struggle with the term "mindfulness" as it seems it can mean anything and everything, depending on who you ask. We had some Mindfulness workshops at a previous employer and it was so full of woo and magical thinking that it really turned me off and felt like a huge waste of time. My current company also recently introduced a Mindfulness workshop only this time it was really a basic meditation workshop which…

Sounds like you had a bad workshop the first time round. Mindfulness should be rational, scientific and entirely free of woo or magical thinking.

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#36

Post by samdoidge »

FrankyHollywood wrote: post #27

I'm always puzzled with the fact that people search for surrogate solutions instead of pursuing the real issue. If you don't feel well there is so much you can do. Make serious effort in making friends, join a sports club or something else you like, solve long running conflicts with other people, don't over- or under achieve on a level which doesn't fit you (school/work), be proud with the things you accomplish inste…

I agree problems need to be tackled at the source, but some self-help books may help you deal with the problem. 12 Rules for Life is one such book.

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#37

Post by mapcars »

dTal wrote: post #21
mapcars wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience kids, until a certain age, run around, scream, shout, full of excitement, happiness, and life. But once they start looking at adults - all they see only dark, gloomy, lifeless serious faces and so they start becoming the same. If adults want to do something about it - we should teach happiness ourselves first. Kids will follow automagically.

Are you suggesting we shouldn't teach mindfulness to children? That it's not a useful skill? That the time would be wasted? >“It’s not just to make them feel better in the short-term,” Dr. Deighton said, “but to better equip them for later in life.”

I think if needed it can be learned later, I don't see any problem with that. I started being interested in meditation around 23 when I was on the very bottom of my emotional state.

But I see that most people around me never experienced this and for them, meditation and yoga is an exotic exercise.

One thing which I really don't like here is instead of giving kids free time to experience life themselves they will add one more boring official class.

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#38

Post by zimpenfish »

arethuza wrote: post #32
mapcars wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience kids, until a certain age, run around, scream, shout, full of excitement, happiness, and life. But once they start looking at adults - all they see only dark, gloomy, lifeless serious faces and so they start becoming the same. If adults want to do something about it - we should teach happiness ourselves first. Kids will follow automagically.

"But once they start looking at adults" I suspect one of the biggest sources of misery for a lot of kids are other kids.

Certainly for me it was, compounded by adults not taking this seriously (and a certain amount of screwy brain chemistry.)

If your parent is a teacher at the same school, your school life is going to be A+ miserable.

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#39

Post by growlist »

FrankyHollywood wrote: post #27

I'm always puzzled with the fact that people search for surrogate solutions instead of pursuing the real issue. If you don't feel well there is so much you can do. Make serious effort in making friends, join a sports club or something else you like, solve long running conflicts with other people, don't over- or under achieve on a level which doesn't fit you (school/work), be proud with the things you accomplish inste…

But hang on - there ARE serious problems in our society, culture and economy that need solving, and wishing them away or cloaking yourself in a blanket of warm feelings isn't going to change them, is it?

Re: Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

#40

Post by nightcracker »

growlist wrote: post #39
FrankyHollywood wrote: post #27

I'm always puzzled with the fact that people search for surrogate solutions instead of pursuing the real issue. If you don't feel well there is so much you can do. Make serious effort in making friends, join a sports club or something else you like, solve long running conflicts with other people, don't over- or under achieve on a level which doesn't fit you (school/work), be proud with the things you accomplish inste…

But hang on - there ARE serious problems in our society, culture and economy that need solving, and wishing them away or cloaking yourself in a blanket of warm feelings isn't going to change them, is it?

It is going to solve acute problem of you personally being negatively affected by stress.
Post reply on HN