What it is
Mindfulness is taking a break to connect yourself with the present moment and activity. For a lot of us, studying carries some anxiety with it: what if I fail? What if I let my group mates down? What if I flunk out of the program? These are worries about the future that can distract attention away from the task at hand. Similarly, thinking about how you bombed that final last week is a regret about the past.
Mindfulness is the process of reconnecting with the present moment, disconnecting from the concerns of the future or the memories of the past. It helps settle us emotionally. When we're emotional, our brain's resources get diverted to the emotion centers and the areas responsible for fight or flight responses. A calm mind has more resources to put towards high cognitive tasks like information synthesis and memory creation.
How to do it
Use grounding exercises like 5-4-3-2-1: list out 5 things you can see around you, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can taste or smell, and finish with 1 nice thing about yourself. Focusing on the local area and reconnecting with your senses can ground you in the present moment.
Meditation is another option. Just sit in a place free of distraction, and watch your thoughts and your breath. If you find yourself thinking a thought about the future, you thank your brain for bringing it to your attention, and let it drift away, returning to the present. Same for memories of the past. Focus on counting breath, feeling the air move into you and out of you. See if you can get to 10. It can be quite challenging!
You can also take a moment to write down all of the other things on your mind, past and future. You can add to the list after you start your grounding or meditation exercise, if needed. By putting the thoughts down on paper, you remove the pressure on your brain to remember them while trying to be mindful.
When to use it
Every time you start a study session, and any time you feel emotional working with the material or find your mind wandering.
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