How To Use Mindfulness To Cope With Uncertainty During The School Year

Starting a new school year can be very exciting, scary and full of fresh experiences that, for most, will determine how you are shaped into a young adult but can also become somewhat overwhelming.

With the return to physical classrooms from remote learning, the country is moving back into a state of normalcy. There will be enormous pressure on young people to work harder than the previous year due to Ofqual's plans to reign in grade inflation and bring results back to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

Anxiety rates are higher, especially in female pupils who reported, in September 2020, elevated anxiety levels 10% greater than their male counterparts and nearly twice as many were worried about returning to school (around one-third of female participants). They also reported experiencing higher levels of anxiety when in school. While boys endured more elevated rates of behavioural and attentional difficulties, the Oxford Co-Space Study states. 

Pupils are uncertain about the future, with students in years 10 and 11 experiencing the most prominent challenges with motivation for learning; this remained consistent on return to school after the first lockdown in 2020. Therefore pupils studying for their examinations were reported having lower wellbeing scores, finding it harder to engage in school work. 

For teenagers, this is also the time of raging hormones, growing bodies and increased self-awareness! I know this may be a lot to digest but wait, there are solutions that you can use to have power over your thoughts and actions.

What is Mindfulness?

The active practice of mindfulness allows for greater awareness of one's psychological state which, has been researched and shown to decrease anxiety and depressive related symptoms like stress and increase focus and memory. Whether you are engaged in a practice that applies mindfulness, such as tai chi or yoga or doing mindfulness meditation, you are learning to live in the moment. Being able to process how you are feeling can have a positive effect on your mental health. It's time to focus on living your life without the burden of overthinking and ruminating. 

If you want to try mindfulness, click here to get six free tools that help children stay motivated and reduce stress. 

References 

1.https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/sep/30/gcse-and-a-level-pupils-to-be-awarded-fewer-top-grades-in-2022-says-ofqual

2.https://impacted.org.uk/covid-19 

3. https://cospaceoxford.org/findings/report-10-changes-in-childrens-mental-health-throughout-one-year-of-the-covid-19- 4.https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner