Mindfulness has emerged as a leading intervention for dealing with stress in the school setting. But the term has become overused and watered down, and it can be difficult to sort through the clutter to understand what mindfulness is and how it fits with a Christian worldview. In fact, many Christians are wary of mindfulness because it is often associated with spiritual practices outside the Christian faith.

So what is mindfulness, and can Christians practice it? If so, what does it have to offer our schools and our young people? Could it be that mindfulness is a God-given tool for reducing the stress of our modern lives, including the stress of the global COVID-19 pandemic? Let’s take a look together.

Our current generation of teenagers and young adults has led the way in stigma reduction related to mental health.

The Stress of Modern Life

Young people throughout history have played the role of truth-tellers, and our current generation of teenagers and young adults has led the way in stigma reduction related to mental health. Many students are now eager to share their uncomfortable emotions widely, using social media outlets and other online outlets to express emotional pain. They latch on to diagnostic labels, such as depression and anxiety, and may use them to describe common human experiences, such as sadness and stress. They write emails to their teachers sharing mental health struggles, and they include psychiatric treatment histories in their college applications. In many ways, young people are teaching us all to be authentic in acknowledging the pain of being human.

But even taking stigma reduction into account, it appears that mental health issues are on the rise in modern America. As compared to past generations, teens are more likely to report anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and overwhelmed feelings. They are less likely than teens in the past to spend face-to-face time with one another and less likely to pursue traditional markers of independence such as a driver’s license, a dating partner, or a job. In addition, teens are often more careful and more fearful compared to past generations—more aware of potential dangers and eager to avoid risk-taking, sometimes to the detriment of their psychological well-being and growth. These shifts (and many others) are outlined in detail by psychological researcher Jean Twenge in her book iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

Young people these days are growing up in a world of “too much.”

So why the shift? The issue is complex and the answers are hypothetical, and a dissection of mental health is not the goal of this article. But one piece of the puzzle can be summarized in one word: overstimulation.

Young people these days are growing up in a world of “too much.” Surrounded by continuous noise, light, media, pollution, processed food, commercialism, live streams, and excesses of every kind, children and teens have little opportunity to pause and be present without distraction. In addition, the psychological pressures are constant—“tips” pouring in from every corner, advertisers capitalizing on our insecurities, and a never-ending social media parade of picture-perfect comparisons. These inputs take a heavy toll on mental health for us all, and young people are especially vulnerable.

This quotation from Wendell Berry’s essay “An Entrance to the Woods” summarizes the stress of the modern experience: “Our senses, after all, were developed to function at foot speed; and the transition from foot travel to motor travel has been abrupt. The faster one goes, the more strain there is on the senses, the more they fail to take in, the more confusion they tolerate or must gloss over—and the longer it takes to bring the mind to a stop in the presence of anything” (53).

So if we have become collectively overstimulated and overwhelmed, unable “to bring the mind to a stop in the presence of anything,” what does this mean for the experience of the Christian student—especially in a season of extra pandemic-related stress? Without being present, how do we learn? How do we experience goodness? How do we connect with God? For any of these to occur, we must learn to stop and to stay present. We must learn to show up for whatever is happening in the moment so that we can receive what is being offered.

Enter mindfulness.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is defined as the act of paying attention to the present moment with an open, curious, and nonjudgmental attitude. It can be practiced formally through silent periods of guided meditation. Or, it can be practiced informally through the course of each day through frequent noticing of present-moment experiences.

In addition to its usefulness for mental wellness and general learning, mindfulness is a valuable tool in the life of any Christian who would like to increase awareness of God’s presence. By training our attention to rest on the present moment, we train our attention to rest on the only place where we can ever meet God—in the now. We also increase our ability to manage difficult thoughts and feelings, making space for God’s redemptive work in each moment.

I have used mindfulness in my own life to effectively manage symptoms of depression, to increase feelings of connection with others, and to deepen my relationship with God. I teach mindfulness in the Christian university setting to support college students in reaching these same goals—an especially important mission in this day and age of increased psychological distress that started before COVID-19 and is now amplified by the many ways the pandemic has shattered our status quo.

Any self-care practice is especially important during a time of global pandemic, and mindfulness is no exception. Some common themes in Christian mindfulness, particularly applicable to our pandemic season, are as follows:

• Acceptance: noticing ways that we waste energy beating our heads against the wall of reality and noticing the option to accept what is already here so that we can free up our energy to respond effectively
• Curiosity: practicing open awareness of what is around us so that we can learn, grow, and expand our understanding of what God is up to in the world
• Nonjudgment: becoming aware of automatic, ruminative judgments in our thinking that drive feelings of insecurity, depression, or anger and giving ourselves the option to pause before reacting
• Self-compassion: recognizing that compassion is for all of us and that the radical reality of God’s grace is the truest, most beautiful, and most necessary thing there is
• Non-striving: noticing ways that we make life unnecessarily harder and create our own suffering, trusting that when Jesus said “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30), he meant that it’s okay for us to acknowledge our human limits and put down that heavy load

These principles of mindfulness (among others) set us up to respond to these challenging pandemic times with grace. As students move through this time of uncertainty, they are looking to their parents, teachers, and elders to model resilience. Mindfulness is a tool that helps us do that—to authentically feel, to accept change, to see new possibilities, to care well for ourselves and one another. Like so many other healthy tools that God has given us (such as exercise, social connection, prayer, medical care, daily hygiene, counseling, etc.), mindfulness is a wellness tool that prepares us to receive the best of what God has for us in each moment, even in the midst of a global pandemic.

Mindfulness in Christian Schools

In the K–12 school setting, mindfulness has been integrated into the classroom as a tool for students and teachers alike to find calm in the midst of stress. This can begin with a curious and open attitude toward difficult student emotions, recognizing that emotions themselves are not dangerous. Each school culture includes a particular response to emotional expression, and a mindful school culture is not afraid to see, reflect, and empathize with student emotions (whether or not the behavior accompanying that emotion needs to be adjusted). This creates opportunity for students to nonjudgmentally explore their options in managing challenging emotions.

In addition, mindfulness can be integrated into the classroom through very practical exercises in the course of each day. Any activity that helps students pause and pay attention to their experience nonjudgmentally can be considered to be a mindful activity. Here are some examples:

• Mindful minute: Invite students to sit in silence with their eyes closed (providing an option to keep eyes halfway open if desired) for one minute. This can work best when attached to part of the daily classroom routine, such as before or after a transition.
• Sensory awareness: Pause and invite students to notice one to five things coming in through each of the five senses. Or, invite them to close their eyes (fully or partially) and listen for as many sounds as possible over the course of one minute.
• Bell listening: Ring a bell on a regular basis and invite students to listen to the ring until they can no longer hear it.
• Compassion toward feelings: Collect words from students that describe their emotions in the moment, writing each emotion inside a large heart. Or, invite students to write their emotion on a slip of paper and then confidentially collect the papers from students. End by offering a short prayer, holding the collected emotions up to God and expressing thanks for the divine care we receive through all our constantly changing emotions each day. Be sure not to single out any individuals in the process—the goal is to model a lighthearted, accepting, open attitude toward all feelings while minimizing any triggers of shame.

These types of mindfulness interventions are simple but powerful. They draw student attention out of rehashing the past or rehearsing the future, bringing their awareness into the present moment with the goal of soothing the mind. In the process, these practices create space for students to become aware of God’s presence.

Learning the Practice

Mindfulness is not a quick fix, and effective implementation requires intentional training and preparation on the part of teachers. Teachers and administrators interested in incorporating mindfulness strategies into Christian education settings are encouraged to take the following steps:

1. Develop a solid, integrative understanding of how mindfulness practice can be set within a Christian worldview. If you have practiced centering prayer or other Christian contemplative spiritual disciplines, this may come naturally. As an additional resource, I have written on the topic in my recent book, The Mindful Christian: Cultivating a Life of Intentionality, Openness, and Faith, and I also blog about Christian mindfulness at TheMindfulChristian.com, where you can find other references to resources on the topic.
2. Obtain training in mindfulness through a secular program, such as the internationally available Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, or through an education-specific training program, such as MindfulSchools.org. As you learn the evidence-based techniques of mindfulness, root your personal practice in Christian faith. Use your time of present-moment awareness to acknowledge the presence of God in each moment—a spiritual discipline that opens your eyes and ears to what God is up to.
3. Once you have developed your own mindfulness practice, experiment with small, practical exercises in the classroom that provide students with moments of quiet and connection. You can use the examples provided above and explore many more examples available through free mindfulness sites for teachers, such as MindfulTeachers.org, MindfulMomentsInEdu.com, SusanKaiserGreenland.com, and Mindful.org/mindful-educators-community. Also, several mindfulness sites provide free subscriptions for teachers, such as StopBreatheThink.com/educators, Headspace.com/educators, and TenPercent.com/care. These guides will generally be presented in a secular nature, so be prepared to intentionally integrate an awareness of God’s presence and provision as you explore the practices with your students.
4. Use your imagination to blend these practices with Scripture or prayer, as appropriate for your students. Reading a short Scripture passage at the beginning of a mindfulness practice is often a gentle yet powerful way to invite a spiritual awareness to be part of students’ attention in the moment.

As you explore the opportunity to bring mindfulness practice into the classroom, it is essential that you begin with your own development of mindfulness practice. Students are picking up on the subtleties of your behaviors, thoughts, and feelings more than on what you say, and they are absorbing your practice as they develop their own. In addition, parents and others in the school community are unlikely to be familiar with Christian mindfulness practice, and you are likely to receive questions about mindfulness and its place in the Christian tradition. Focusing first on your own mindfulness journey will prepare you to bring mindfulness effectively to your students and the rest of your school community.

Conclusion

While much has been written about mindfulness, and quite a bit about mindfulness in education, much less has been written about mindfulness from a Christian perspective. This is gradually changing as Christians around the world recognize the gift that present-moment awareness is for those of us eager to live in step with God’s Spirit. I invite you to be a part of this movement toward Christian mindful awareness and to bring this gift to the students you teach. Their lives and yours will be enriched as you open up this path to presence—this place in the present moment where we all have the opportunity to meet God, to calm our souls, and to open to the learning that is in store for us in each moment.

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Work Cited

Berry, Wendell. “An Entrance to the Woods.” In Recollected Essays, 1965–1980. North Point, 1981.

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Irene Kraegel (PsyD) is a licensed clinical psychologist who serves as director of the Center for Counseling and Wellness at Calvin University. As a speaker, teacher, and writer, her passion is the practice of mindfulness within a Christian framework. Her recent book release, The Mindful Christian: Cultivating a Life of Intentionality, Openness, and Faith provides Christians with a practical and inspiring tool for deepening their appreciation for the life God has given. Irene also writes at her website, TheMindfulChristian.com, and on social media at @mindfulxian. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband and son.