This spring, the Contemplative Sciences Center, or CSC, collaborated with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education to create a program for the University students to take a five-day trip over spring break in the countryside of Virginia at the Serenity Ridge Retreat Center. During this retreat, the students participated in mindfulness activities in which they developed their “skills of focused concentration, introspection, compassion, and insight.” While mindfulness education can be seen as a form of narcissism insignificant to a student’s well-being, it is necessary that we incorporate this introspection and meditation in college life through programs such this retreat, as it can significantly reduce stress and motivate self-reflection to strengthen the mind and body.
There is no doubt college students experience amazing amounts of pressure and stress each day. Mindfulness, “a state of active, open attention to the present,” allows the body to wind down and escape from surrounding pressures. In 2010, researchers directed a series of studies to explore the effect of mindfulness training on stress reduction. When participants in a mindfulness-based stress reduction group were compared to participants in a control group, researchers discovered that the mindfulness group had drastically lower rates of anxiety, depression and distress. This does not go to say that people who participate in mindfulness training courses will never experience high levels of stress; instead, they learn useful strategies that allow them to process emotions differently so the outcome is positive. Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl says, "Between stimulus and response there's a space, in that space lies our power to choose our response, in our response lies our growth and our freedom." In essence, we have a choice in how we react to stress and anxiety. Mindfulness training can make us aware of this space that Frankl acknowledges, giving us the opportunity to channel these feelings in a way that helps instead of hurts. When we tap into our minds and begin to learn about ourselves, we can abate stress, “interrupt this cycle and create more choice in life.”
According to Tibetan Buddhists, the mind is not hidden from us.We are in control of how we perceive ourselves, others and the world around us. In order to see the abilities of our minds and distinguish our true motivations, we must undergo self-reflection through meditation. While self-reflection may be seen as a form of narcissism, it is critical to motivating positive change and behavior. Dr. Allen McConnell unfolds this idea of deeming self-reflection as narcissistic: “Quality self-focus is about one having an accurate view of the self for the sake of self-understanding. Narcissists, on the other hand, are focused on the self in pursuit of vanity, egotism and an inflated sense of self importance.” Thus, true self-reflection is not narcissistic. We need to take time for ourselves; it is not a luxury. UCLA researchers proposed the existence of a fourth state of consciousness in the 1970s, one that is proven to be key “for positive human transformation and full awakening of consciousness.” Transcendental consciousness is described as “the essence of who we are — our inmost self.” With this realization, which can be achieved through mindfulness, we can connect with ourselves fully, ultimately fostering our well of potential and reaching heights we did not even know existed. When the mind settles inward, we make this connection between the body and mind, which enables a deeper understanding of oneself.
This retreat presents the opportunity for self-discovery and the formation of mechanisms for coping with stress and anxiety, both of which are critical for leading a healthy and wholesome life. Students should take advantage of opportunities such as these in order to uncover that which is untouchable from the surface. Richard Burnett speaks about the importance of mindfulness in schools in his TED Talk, explaining that we teach biology, English and math in schools, but “we very, very rarely teach young people to use the lens, to best use the lens, through which all of their experiences, both at home and at school, is being filtered.” We need to bring our education full circle by incorporating exercises in mindfulness through extracurricular activities and retreat programs that can profoundly shape our mental health and happiness.
Lucy Siegel is a Viewpoint writer.
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