iMindMatters #BePartOfTheChange

Do you mind that “Culture has CHANGED?” iMind!

Adolescents spend more than 6.5 hours per day engaging in screen time. More use of technology is linked to later increases in attention, behavior and self-regulation problems for adolescents already at risk for mental health issues, a new study from Duke University finds.

Do you mind that “Generations have CHANGED?” iMind!

In 2016, college students were found to spend 7 hours less engaging in activities involving in-person social interaction than college students in the 1980s (Twenge, 2017, p. 72).

Do you mind that “Minds are CHANGING?” iMind!

The mental health of America’s youth is predicted to be getting worse. Research shows that suicide rates for children and adolescents in the United States has doubled from 2008-2015 (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017).

High levels of stress and anxiety in addition to the excessive use of technology are altering the way the social and emotional bodies of the brain are developing and functioning. The rapid increase in mental health issues amongst today’s adolescent students indicates that cultural influences are impacting their abilities to regulate emotions, inhibit thoughts, and control their actions in an effort to accomplish a task or achieve goals. Thus, current cultural practices are affecting the development of self-regulation skills for this generation of adolescents. “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well being. It affects how we think, feel and act” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017).

It is, therefore, crucial to find a medium where psychological wellness and technology can coexist. Mindfulness can help CHANGE the evolving brains of this generation of adolescents by promoting positive self-regulation skills. Mindfulness emphasizes being in the present and cautiously observing ones thoughts and feelings. Aside from the obvious benefits of being in the present, mindfulness can improve physical health and alleviate stress. This generation must begin the process of being present in the here and now.

As a professor in higher education for more than ten years and a ‘mommy’ of two young children, it frightens me to think of the current statistics. I cannot fathom what it will be like to raise my now little ones in their teenage years in this present-day, failed system. We must make a conscious effort to make a CHANGE for this generation. We must #BePartOfTheChange and inform educators on this new generational cohort. It is time to raise awareness and understanding of the CHANGES in culture, generations, and minds.

Take a stance and understand the significance of Mind Matters.

#BePartOfTheChange with #iMindAcademy.

References:

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2017, December 13). Children’s hospitals admissions for          suicidal thoughts, actions double during past decade. Retrieved January 07, 2018,                   from http://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/05/04/PASSuicide050417

Twenge, J. M. (2017). iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less                         Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy – and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.               New York: Atria Books.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2017, August 29). What is Mental Health?        Retrieved January 07, 2018 from https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-                       mental-health