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Being Mindful: The Science and Practice of Meditation
Jasmine Perez
Miami Dade College
ENC1102: English Composition II
Professor Oscar Gonzalez
April 22, 2025
Being Mindful: The Science and Practice of Meditation
Pay attention. Take a stroll around a city like Miami and look at the faces, body language, or people’s interactions. Quickly one is made aware of the extent of the problem. If they are not burying their face in a cellphone or walking around with earphones people are running around trying to get from point A to point B as fast as possible. During afternoon rush hour the city bustles with honking cars and crowds of pedestrians boarding busses and trains. Everyone is trying to get somewhere. While cities offer the possibility of connecting to different people from all over the world, cities can be a place of disconnect, discontent, loneliness, and stress. Why are so many people stressed and lonely? This paper will argue that people are disconnected from Self and confused by the demands and obligations of life and will suggest mindfulness meditation as a solution to problem.
Literature Review
To understand the effects of depression among adolescents a study of depression was reviewed. Duthely, L. M., et al. (2017) explain that depression and suicide are common among adolescents on a global scale. Particularly adolescents spend a lot of time in school which makes for the ideal place to carry out this meditation study. The study was carried out in a Miami middle school with 75 ethnically diverse students. The study’s findings were as follows: four weeks of gratitude meditation improved student happiness, emotional involvement with education, and gratitude. Additionally, the study explained that “Meditation helped youth manage behavior, emotions, and thinking skills that are beneficial at school and at home. Meditation correlated to a decrease in behavioral challenges related to autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), and bullying” (Duthely, L. M., et al., 2017, p. 157). Statistically, this study performed superior to other similar gratitude studies that have been conducted among adolescents in the literature. The study recommends that more research is necessary for educators, adolescent psychologists, and mental health specialists to accurately assess adolescents’ life satisfaction. The study also recommends that topics such as meditation and happiness should be included in the education system for students.
In another study that by Vijayaraghavan, N., et al. (2021), positive correlation between meditation and reduction stress an anxiety is found. Vijayaraghavan, N., et al. (2021) explain that stress is a fast-growing issue that people suffer from in modern life. The study suggest that meditation is a simple and effective way to combat it. The research was conducted in a research institute in India, where 90 adult participants were provided with a questionnaire before and after meditation to monitor their levels of stress and happiness. The research findings were that after the meditation the stress levels highly decreased, allowing the participants to feel happier. The study proves the significance meditation has for individuals to be happier and encourages them to practice it for a better quality of life.
Similarly, Maiti, R, (2017) studies how meditation can help decrease stress levels and increase happiness in people. Maiti, R, (2017) discusses how it is common for people to find themselves focused on accomplishing their life goals, and in the process, they may encounter problems along the way that could lead to stress. Maiti, R (2017) suggests, “sustaining a daily meditation practice over the course of three months renders a significant increase in positive mood and reduction of stress, as report in a doubling study” (p.76). The study also concluded that there are many types of meditation all benefiting people in many aspects of life and encouraging individuals to practice the meditation techniques that best suit their needs. The study had different types of meditation such as guided meditation, music meditation, light energy meditation, and transitional meditation, among others. The study found that meditation is an effective way to decrease stress, and increase levels of productivity and well-being, therefore achieving happiness. Finally, the study explained that “meditation is a highly powerful technology to enhance the productivity, and happiness in mankind.” (Maiti, R, 2017, p.368.). The article’s main purpose is to explore several approaches to meditation to reduce stress most effectively, leading to people’s well-being and happiness. The study had different types of meditation such as guided meditation, music meditation, light energy meditation, and transitional meditation, among others. The study found that meditation is an effective way to decrease stress, and increase levels of productivity and well-being, therefore achieving happiness.
Just like medical staff, teachers could also benefit from meditation as their professions have some of the same issues. Kyte, D (2016) addressed the effect meditation has on teachers. The study was conducted on practicing teachers in a school of about 1,000 students. Teaching is a demanding profession and can often lead to stress, depression, and exhaustion which can jeopardize the well-being of the teachers and their job performance. The study’s results suggested that mindful practices such as meditation led to calmness, peace, and well-being which helped the teachers achieve happiness and self-worth. The study recommended that teachers should practice mindfulness and meditation because it enhances not only their personal life but also their workspace bringing peace and happiness to the classrooms. Finally, the study also recommended that more studies on the subject should be done to amplify the limited literature as the benefits have proven to be beneficial.
Discussion
The literature and the 7-day mindfulness practice suggest that mindfulness works to reduce anxiety and stress, but what is causing stress in the first place? Is it technology, social media, the 40 hour work week, or the fast-pace lifestyle of cities that are causing so much problems with our mental health and our capicity to cope? According to one study, “inflation, low wages, popullation growth, and ‘me’ culture is leading to higher stress levels in young adults” (Smith et. al., 2020, p.46). This is easy to see in a city such as Miami, Florida where the average household income is “$47,860 a year for a family of four according to census numbers in 2019” (US Census, 2020). While rent for a two bedroom apartment is on average $2,400 (Caferent.org, 2021). It is no wonder that people are so stressed and anxious. They work too much and can barely afford to pay their rent. This may also affect a persons perception of time and how to manage it. Because of family and work obligations many report that they do not have the luxury to waist time meditating. People believe that to overcome their problems they must dlew otn need to let them dominate their mental life. They constantly worry about the past what they did or didn’t do to be in the situation they are in, or they worry about the future and whether or not they will be able to take care of all the responsibilities.
While these concerns are normal and understandable, holding on to these concerns every moment of everyday is not. Instead of living and appriciating each moment, people often keep busy to try to mask their feelings and concerns. The need to stay busy and the fear of thinking about the problems is what makes some believe that they do not have time to meditate. However, mindfulness meditation is not an added task but a reduction of action. Meditation is about pausing and doing less not doing more. As suggested by Gomez (2019), “it only takes 5 minutes a day of mindfulness meditation to see physical and mental health benefits” (p.17). A five minute meditation should be implemented because it will reduce anxiety and stress and as research suggests. It will give a person a sense that they can control their time. The high stress from this fast-paced world needs to be countered with a practice that decluters the mind and resets ones mental energy. Meditation is a needed practice because it will not only reduce stress and anxiety, it will let one connect to others and be present in the moment. As a parent or family memember we owe it to those we love to be present. Living a life of stress and anxiety is not the kind of life we deserve. We must, for the sake of family, our children, and those who love us, take care of ourselves and live a better life.
We should practice mindfulness because not doing so will lead to mental and physical problems. According to The Heart Institute and Cardiovascular Health, “stress is one of the main causes of health problems. Stress leads people to seek careless behavior such as unhealthy eating and alchohol consumtion. It leads to mental and physical distress that correlate to the likelyhood of suffering a heart attack or stroke” (Luther, 2019, pp. 135-36). Instead of seeking to relieve stress through destructive behavior we should practice selfcare and mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation has been proven to change the composition of brain. As stated by Keller and Wise (2020) “people who meditated reduce their activity in the default network and increase activity in the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for emotions and decision making” (p. 29). Practicing daily mindfulness leads to better mental and physical health. Therefore, it is the logical thing to do.
Conclusion
The results of the research is clear. Mindfulness meditation is a successful intervention pratices for everyday stress and anxiety, but should not replace form psychological thearapy for diagnosed mental disorders. Pet thearapy while helpful to all participants, is recommended most for cases of PTSD a long with cognitive behaviral thearapy. This study, however, does not take into account other intervention methods, such as medication, alternative medicine or group thearapy. It also does not address the issues of social media and comparisson culture, nor does it suggest a solution to them. Further research in these areas are needed to come up with a more robust intervention method for today’s complex mental malidies.
References
Ashdown-Franks, G., Sabiston, C. M., & Stubbs, B. (2019). The evidence for physical activity in the management of major mental illnesses: A concise overview to inform busy clinicians’ practice and guide policy.
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Coo, C., & Salanova, M. (2018). Mindfulness Can Make You Happy-and-Productive: A Mindfulness Controlled Trial and Its Effects on Happiness, Work Engagement and Performance. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(6), 1691–1711.
Crowley, C., Kapitula, L. R., & Munk, D. (2022). Mindfulness, happiness, and anxiety in a sample of college students before and after taking a meditation course.
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Smith, C. (2023, November 23). Stress in America 2023 A nation recovering from collective trauma.
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Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With The Heart of A Buddha (pp. 25-48). : Bantam Books.
