by Cal Wilson ’14

Research shows meditation can help increase focus and even improve school grades.

Well, exam time again. This is when all those notes from the very beginning of the year are pulled out and looked over in hopes of remembering ancient facts long forgotten by students. On top of stressful mid-terms next week, some students have to tackle additional HSAs this week. This is the time for cramming, and it’s not healthy for a developing adolescent brain. In order to cope with the pressure of retaining so much information in these next few days, a few minutes of mindful meditation before a study session could make this time period tremendously less stressful. I know, it sounds crazy, but meditation has expanded a lot since the monks practiced it high up in a temple in the mountains. Meditation has grown into its own field of psychological study. At the University of Massachusetts, John Kabet-Zinn used a “mindfulness-based-stress-reduction” program to calm both patients with terminal cancer and psychological issues. He also used his MBSR program on healthy people, with successful results. Research actually shows meditation can help increase focus and even improve school grades. Looking over a piece of paper may help you see the information but you won’t be able to retain it without a clear mind. Try it, it could save your grade. A little mindful-meditation before an exam may be just what you need to get that A for the semester.