Growing up Stressed or Growing up Mindful? | Christopher Willard | TEDxYouth@GDRHS

Summary

The speaker discusses the high stress levels among American teenagers, as revealed by a survey by the American Psychological Association. They introduce 'The Student Paradox' to illustrate the struggle between studying, sleeping, and social life. Through physical demonstrations and explanations of the fight-or-flight response, the speaker explores the physiological effects of stress and introduces mindfulness and self-compassion as methods to counteract stress. They emphasize the importance of being present and accepting the current moment to improve mental and physical health, and the potential for neuroplasticity to rewire our brains for better stress management.

Takeaways

• 📊 American teenagers are identified as the most stressed group in the country according to a survey by the American Psychological Association.
• 📚 The 'Student Paradox' highlights the difficult choices students face between studying, sleeping, social life, and the consequences of trying to balance all three.
• 🤯 Stress can manifest in both major and minor life events, affecting the mind like a shaken snow globe, causing thoughts and worries to swirl uncontrollably.
• 👊 The fight-or-flight response is a biological reaction to stress that can be triggered by both physical and emotional threats, potentially hindering clear thinking and rational responses.
• 🧠 The amygdala and prefrontal cortex play key roles in our stress response, with the former triggering fight-or-flight and the latter, responsible for higher thinking, being suppressed during stress.
• 🤲 The practice of mindfulness and compassion can counteract the stress response, calming the amygdala and reactivating the prefrontal cortex to foster a clearer perspective and emotional regulation.
• 🌱 Mindfulness promotes a state of 'attend and befriend,' encouraging a more open and receptive approach to stressors, as opposed to the defensive stance of fight-or-flight.
• 🧘‍♂️ Deep, slow breathing is a simple yet effective mindfulness technique to calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and enhance mental clarity.
• 🧠 Neuroplasticity allows our brains to change and adapt in response to practices like mindfulness, which can increase the size of areas responsible for perspective and emotional processing while reducing the size of the stress-response amygdala.
• 🕰 Mindfulness is not about eliminating stress but learning to work with it effectively, changing our relationship with stress rather than avoiding it.
• 🌐 Mindfulness is a practice embraced by high-performing individuals across various fields, from politics to sports, as a tool to manage stress and enhance performance.

Q & A

What did the American Psychological Association's survey reveal about stress levels among American teenagers?

The survey revealed that American teenagers are the most stressed out group in America.

What is referred to as 'The Student Paradox' in the script?

'The Student Paradox' refers to the difficult choice students often face between studying and sleep, social life and grades, highlighting the struggle to balance all three aspects of their lives.

How does the speaker describe the impact of stress on the mind, using the analogy of a snow globe?

The speaker describes the mind under stress as a shaken snow globe, where thoughts, worries, and the 'snow' inside get stirred up, creating a chaotic and unsettled state of mind.

What physical demonstration does the speaker ask the audience to perform to understand the body's response to stress?

The speaker asks the audience to make tight fists, notice the changes in their body and breath, and then to let go and relax, comparing the sensations to understand the fight-or-flight response.

What is the fight-or-flight response, and how does it relate to the stress experienced by teenagers?

The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that prepares the body to either confront or escape a perceived threat. It relates to stress as it is triggered by emotional threats such as academic pressure or social issues, causing a regression to a more primitive survival mode.

How does the speaker explain the effect of stress on the prefrontal cortex and amygdala of the brain?

The speaker explains that under stress, the amygdala, which is associated with fear and aggression, becomes active, prompting fight, flight, or freeze responses. Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex, responsible for higher cognitive functions, shuts down, impairing clear thinking and perspective.

What alternative responses to stress does the speaker mention, and what are they called?

The speaker mentions 'attend' and 'befriend' as alternative responses to stress, which involve showing up and being present, and also mindfulness and compassion, or self-compassion, as a way of taking care of oneself.

How does the speaker describe the physical benefits of practicing mindfulness and the attend-and-befriend response?

The speaker describes that practicing mindfulness and the attend-and-befriend response can lead to a relaxation of the body, a slowing of the heart rate, more even breathing, and the reactivation of the immune and digestive systems.

What is neuroplasticity, and how does it relate to the practice of mindfulness according to the script?

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and re-wire itself. The script mentions that practicing mindfulness can lead to changes in the brain, such as the growth of the prefrontal cortex and insular cortex, and the reduction of the amygdala, enhancing clarity and emotional processing.

What does the speaker define mindfulness as, and how does it differ from simply getting rid of stress?

The speaker defines mindfulness as paying attention to the present moment with acceptance and non-judgment. It is not about eliminating stress but learning how to optimize and work with it, changing our relationship to our thoughts and experiences.

How can mindfulness be practiced in daily life, according to the script?

According to the script, mindfulness can be practiced in daily life through deep, slow breathing, focusing on the senses, and being present in the moment. It can be integrated into everyday activities and does not require a significant amount of time or effort.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Stressful Reality of American Teenagers

The speaker opens by referencing a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, which identified American teenagers as the most stressed demographic in the country. The 'Student Paradox' is introduced, illustrating the difficult choices between studying, sleeping, and social life. The speaker discusses the impact of both major and minor stressors on the mental state, likening the mind to a shaken snow globe that needs time to settle. The talk promises to explore methods for dealing with stress, beginning with a physical demonstration of the body's response to stress through clenched fists and relaxation, highlighting the contrast between the body's physiological reactions in stressful and relaxed states.

05:01

🛡️ Understanding the Fight-or-Flight Response

The speaker delves into the biological response to stress, known as the fight-or-flight response, explaining how it was an evolutionary mechanism to protect against physical threats but is now also triggered by emotional stressors. The amygdala, or the 'inner caveman,' is described as the part of the brain that initiates this response, causing the prefrontal cortex, responsible for higher thinking, to shut down. This results in a perception of everyone as a threat and a tendency to react aggressively or avoid situations. The speaker also touches on the body's physical reactions, such as muscle tension, shallow breathing, and an increased heart rate, and how these responses, while useful in ancient times, may not be beneficial in modern stress scenarios.

10:03

🧘‍♂️ Exploring Mindfulness and Compassion as Stress Antidotes

Shifting focus, the speaker introduces alternative responses to stress, such as 'attend' and 'befriend,' which involve mindfulness and compassion. These approaches counteract the fight-or-flight response by calming the amygdala and reactivating the prefrontal cortex, allowing for clearer thinking and a broader perspective. The speaker emphasizes the importance of self-care and the ability to see opportunities amidst stress. The discussion includes the benefits of mindfulness for physical health, immune function, and overall well-being. The speaker also provides practical advice on using deep, slow breathing as a tool to induce relaxation and shift from a stress response to a more mindful state.

15:04

🧠 The Science of Neuroplasticity and Mindfulness

The speaker discusses the concept of neuroplasticity, explaining how the brain can be re-wired through mindfulness practice, leading to growth in areas associated with foresight and emotional processing, and a reduction in the size of the amygdala. Sara Lazar's research is highlighted, showing changes in the brain after just eight weeks of mindfulness practice. The speaker emphasizes that mindfulness is not about avoiding stress but learning to work with it effectively. Mindfulness is defined as paying attention to the present moment with acceptance and non-judgment, teaching us to focus our attention where it is needed. The talk concludes by emphasizing the importance of being present and showing up for life, using mindfulness to navigate stress and promote mental and physical health.

Keywords

💡Stress

Stress is a psychological and physiological response to a perceived threat or challenge. In the video, stress is identified as a significant issue among American teenagers, who are said to be the most stressed out group in America. The script discusses how stress can be triggered by both major life events and minor daily inconveniences, affecting the mind and body.

💡Student Paradox

The 'Student Paradox' is a term used in the script to describe the difficult choices students often face, such as having to choose between studying and socializing or between sleep and academic success. It encapsulates the pressure students feel to balance multiple aspects of their lives, which contributes to their stress levels.

💡Fight-or-flight response

The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event or threat to survival. In the context of the video, it is used to explain the body's automatic reaction to stress, which can be triggered by emotional as well as physical threats, and how this response can be maladaptive in modern life.

💡Amygdala

The amygdala is an almond-shaped part of the brain involved in the processing of emotions. In the script, it is referred to as the 'inner caveman' that triggers the fight-or-flight response during stressful situations, causing a person to perceive threats and react accordingly.

💡Prefrontal cortex

The prefrontal cortex is a region of the brain associated with higher cognitive functions, including decision-making and planning. The video explains that during stress, this part of the brain can become less active, impairing our ability to think clearly and see the bigger picture.

💡Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience. The script mentions this concept to highlight that practicing mindfulness can lead to physical changes in the brain, promoting better stress management and cognitive function.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a mental state of being fully present and engaged in the current moment, characterized by an awareness and acceptance of one's thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. The video emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness for stress reduction and improved mental and physical health, and how it can be cultivated through practices like deep breathing.

💡Self-compassion

Self-compassion is the practice of treating oneself with kindness, understanding, and forgiveness, rather than with harsh judgment or criticism. The script suggests that self-compassion is a component of mindfulness, helping individuals to better manage stress by fostering a more positive internal dialogue.

💡Insular cortex

The insular cortex is a region of the brain involved in processing emotions and interoception, or the sense of the internal state of the body. The video script notes that mindfulness can lead to an enlargement of this area, enhancing emotional awareness and empathy.

💡Present moment

The present moment refers to the current, immediate experience, as opposed to thoughts or worries about the past or future. The script argues that being in the present moment is key to mindfulness and is associated with increased happiness and clarity of thought.

💡Acceptance

Acceptance, in the context of the video, means acknowledging and embracing the reality of a situation without resistance or judgment. It is a core component of mindfulness, allowing individuals to face stress and challenges with a more balanced and open perspective.

Highlights

American teenagers are identified as the most stressed out group in America according to the American Psychological Association's survey.

The 'Student Paradox' illustrates the difficult choices between studying, sleeping, social life, and the impossibility of balancing all three.

Small stressors in life, such as finding shoes for prom or transportation, can accumulate and cause significant stress.

The analogy of a shaken snow globe is used to describe the chaotic state of mind under stress and the need for it to settle.

A physical demonstration is provided to experience the effects of stress on the body and mind, including changes in breathing and mental openness.

The fight-or-flight response is explained as a regression to a more primitive state within us, triggered by both physical and emotional threats.

The role of the amygdala in triggering stress responses and the impact on the prefrontal cortex, affecting clear thinking and big-picture perspective.

The physical manifestations of stress include muscle tension, shallow breathing, increased body heat, and a racing heart.

The negative effects of stress on the digestive and immune systems, leading to issues like nervous stomach before exams.

The concept of 'attend-and-befriend' as an alternative response to stress, promoting mindfulness and compassion.

The benefits of mindfulness for brain function, including the calming of the amygdala and the activation of the prefrontal cortex.

The practice of deep, slow breathing as a method to reduce stress and promote a sense of calm and presence.

Neuroplasticity is introduced as the brain's ability to change and re-wire itself, influenced by practices like mindfulness.

Research findings show that mindfulness can increase the size of the prefrontal cortex and insular cortex while reducing the amygdala.

Mindfulness is defined as paying attention to the present moment with acceptance and non-judgment, teaching us how to focus our attention.

The importance of being present in the moment for happiness, as discussed in Matt Killingsworth's TED talk.

Mindfulness is not about eliminating stress but learning to work with it effectively, changing our relationship with stress.

Examples of high-stress professionals using mindfulness to maintain calm and clarity in their work, such as politicians and athletes.

The invitation of mindfulness to show up for life and be present for our experiences, including stress.

The final message that mindfulness encourages us to befriend our experiences and ourselves on our life's journey.

Transcripts

Translator: Rhonda Jacobs Reviewer: Peter van de Ven

Well, I'm thrilled to be here, so thank you.

Last year, the American Psychological Association

did this big survey of stress in American life

to figure out who the most stressed out people in America were.

Guess who it was?

Us. You, the American teenager, the most stressed out group in America.

When your parents or your teachers don't believe you,

now you have science to prove it.

You are the most stressed out people in America,

and one of my students a couple of years ago

sent me something that looks like this.

This might look familiar to you,

it says "THE STUDENT PARADOX," you can pick two.

You can have studying and sleep, but then you have no friends.

Or you can have sleep and a social life,

but then you're probably failing all your classes.

Studying, social life, never getting any sleep,

and doing all three is basically impossible.

Right?

A lot of us can kind of feel this way.

This might be familiar to some of us.

But we know it's not just these big things in life,

it's also the little things in life, like having your clicker go backwards,

or having issues like "Where am I going to find shoes for the prom?"

or "Where am I going to find a date?"

or "How to get a ride home from soccer practice?"

It's these little things that start to stress us out,

and it's like our minds are like a nice clear snow globe,

and over time they just start to get shaken up,

and the snow and the thoughts and the worries,

we just start to get shaken up,

and there's nothing we can do except to allow this to settle down.

So I'll be talking about ways to do that over the course of my talk tonight.

But I also want to just give a little demonstration

of what's happening in our bodies and what's happening in our minds

when we're stressed out.

So I'll ask you to do this along with me.

I'll ask you to just put out your hands like this.

Just make really tight fists, as tightly as you can.

Just notice what starts happening to your body,

what happens to your breath.

Notice what's happening in your mind; does it feel open or closed?

Do you feel awake? Do you feel asleep when you're like this?

Then just let go,

and then collapse over in your seat like this.

Again, these same questions: how does your body feel?

What's happening with your breath?

Do you feel awake or asleep?

Does your mind feel open or closed?

And other times you tend to feel like this?

Then just kind of sitting up, a little bit more in the middle,

palms open like this.

These same questions again: how does my body feel?

What's happening with my breath?

Do I feel awake or asleep?

Open or closed?

Then just put one hand on the other

and rest these both over your heart like this,

and again, breath,

body,

mind,

times you might feel like this.

Then you can just put your hands down,

back to your TEDx listening posture, whatever that is for you.

I want to talk a little bit about what was happening when we did this?

Basically, when we're like this,

this is what's known as the fight-or-flight response.

Maybe you heard about this in biology,

and when we get stressed out what happens is we kind of regress,

kind of like this little inner caveman inside of us starts to turn on,

and we have this system to keep us safe from physical threats.

Like in the old days,

we were chased by a saber-toothed tiger or something like that,

but the reality is we still have this same system for emotional threats,

and it's not always so helpful.

We get like this if it's an academic threat like that B minus,

or that disappointing score on the SATs,

or like this if we get cut from the soccer team,

or an emotional threat like from a friend or something like that.

Not always so helpful, right?

But we still have that wired into us,

and what's happening in our brain is that the amygdala,

that's way down in our brain,

that's like that little inner caveman,

and he turns on and he tells us to fight the situation

or run away from it, right?

That's this.

Or he tells us to freeze and forget it, like "ugh," like that,

just wait for it to be over,

maybe another word that begins with F that you could put in there.

And the prefrontal cortex, which is like our highest evolved self,

it's the last part of us as human beings to evolve,

that actually shuts down, it doesn't allow us to think as clearly

and see the big picture.

And so everyone looks like an enemy,

everyone looks like a threat when we're stressed out.

That's why our friends are the first to know,

our parents are the first to know when we're stressed out, right?

Often before we know it.

So we're only thinking about how can I get out of this situation?

How can I make it end, right?

Not, what's happening in the big picture?

Oops.

What happens in our bodies, there's no time to get into this,

but if I asked you, people would probably say,

"I noticed I started tensing these muscles and other muscles started to tense up.

My breath got a little more shallow;

my body started to heat up and my heart started to race."

That's what we need in order to survive.

Our digestive system shuts off,

that's why we get that nervous stomach before an exam,

and our immune system starts to shut down

so that we get sick more easily when we're stressed out.

When I was in college,

every time I'd come home after finals I'd get a terrible cold,

because who needs long-term survival when we're stressed out,

we're just trying to fight off that hyena that's chasing us.

So these are a few of the ways that we can naturally respond to stress.

Again, not always terribly helpful.

For me, I used to be terrified of public speaking,

because what was happening was

my body was interpreting this nice audience

as a group of wild hyenas that wants to eat me,

and I'd be going like this and getting more and more nervous,

but in fact, if I'm able to calm myself down,

I see you as a nice bunch of students and teachers,

and you're not actually going to eat me up after the presentation tonight.

We also looked at a few other ways of being,

we kind of went like this,

and like this.

These are what researchers are looking at also,

not just fight-or-flight and freeze-and-forget-it

as ways of responding to stress,

but what they call attend, kind of showing up,

and befriend.

I also like to talk about these

as mindfulness

and compassion,

or what people like Chris Germer and Kristin Neff

might call self-compassion, really taking care of ourselves.

This is the opposite response of the fight-or-flight response.

And what starts to happen is that inner caveman in the brain,

he starts to get a little more quiet,

the amygdala shuts down,

the prefrontal cortex up here, that comes back online,

we're able to see the big picture.

Not everything looks like a threat any more.

In fact, we can actually see opportunity,

we can see "Oh, maybe that person would be a good prom date,"

or we can see different kinds of opportunities.

We approach the SATs or we approach our homework,

and how do we want to be, like this?

Or a little bit more like this?

Right?

To be able to see more clearly, think more clearly,

use those most effective parts of our brains as well.

We can discern friend from foe and see the more positive things.

What else is happening is that the body starts to relax, right?

We notice the body starting to relax, heart rate slows down.

The breath starts to become a little bit more even.

And I even noticed this - I have an 18-month-old son at home,

and when he's concentrating and he's happy,

I can hear him from across the room.

His breath is flowing a little bit more evenly, in and out.

We hear about this mindfulness thing -

doesn't that have something to do with breathing?

It does, in fact, and we'll talk about that in another minute.

The immune system comes back on,

our digestive system starts working again,

and our brain starts working a little bit more effectively.

It's not like fight-or-flight is bad and attend-and-befriend is good,

it's about what situation we're in.

Which is going to be useful to be in fight-or-flight mode?

Which is going to be useful to be a little bit more open

and attend-and-befriend,

or in mindfulness and compassion?

So thinking about the athletic fields, or being backstage,

or going into a test, or maybe driving in a dangerous situation,

or having to run away from something that maybe is scary?

We want to figure out how we can shift between these different states.

And what we have is we have this mind-body system

that allows us to shift between these different mind states

and these different body states,

and in fact, the theme of tonight being "The Little Things,"

it's actually a little thing that can actually allow us to switch.

It can be our breath, for example.

Just by slowing down our breath a little bit,

we can calm down our nervous system a little bit,

we can open up our minds, open up our brains a little bit,

calm down our bodies, and really be our best selves.

I'll often talk to people in my work, about learning how to do deep breathing,

and I did once have someone say, (sigh) "Breathing is played out,"

so I'll try to make it a little bit more interesting for you guys.

When I say deep breathing, I don't mean like (hard inhale, exhale).

I mean slow breathing, is actually what I mean more accurately.

So a way to do this if we imagine-

another way to feel warm and fuzzy and good

is like imagine that you're holding a cup of hot chocolate, right?

Maybe it's too hot to just drink,

maybe you're like me and you drink coffee, which makes me more stressed out,

but if you're drinking hot chocolate,

imagine you're holding it in your hands like this,

so hold out your hands like this.

Just breathing through your nose, breathing in to smell it (inhales),

breathing out through your mouth, just blowing to cool it off (exhales).

It's really just that kind of rate,

so breathing and smelling.

(Inhales)

Breathing out, cooling off.

(Exhales)

Breathing in.

(Inhales)

And breathing out.

(Exhales)

And just noticing how you feel after even just three breaths.

Noticing how the room even feels a little bit different

after three deeper, slower, more mindful breaths that we're doing.

So I want to share a little bit of the research that's happening.

My friend Sara Lazar, who's been scanning the brains of people

that have been practicing mindfulness for only eight weeks,

found some really cool stuff was happening in our brains.

And there's this idea called neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity means that we can change our brains;

we can re-wire our brains.

The quote up here says, "Neurons that fire together, wire together."

We can actually make our brains grow in certain areas

and shrink in other areas just like we work out a muscle.

If I'm working out my muscle like this.

It's active right now and it becomes bigger if I work it out over time.

And she found really interesting parts of the brain started to change

in people that practiced mindfulness for just a few weeks.

The first part to change and actually get bigger was this part up here,

the prefrontal cortex, right behind my forehead.

That started to get bigger,

and that's where we're able to see the future,

think things through,

it's one of the last parts of the brain to evolve in human beings.

It's one of the last parts to grow.

It actually doesn't finish growing till we're, like, 25,

or as insurance companies figured out in young men, more like till 28.

So that's what makes us mature and allows us to see the big picture.

That part of the brain starts to grow.

Deeper in, the insular cortexes, which is where we have emotion,

where we process our emotions and have compassion

and take other people's perspective,

that also starts to get bigger in the brain.

And what starts to get smaller is the amygdala,

that little inner caveman that we all have that's telling us to fight the situation,

flee, run away from it, or just forget it and give up and go home.

So we're actually able to really change and re-wire our brain,

so when we think about the ways that we want to respond to stress,

what are we going to get? It's actually up to us.

We can re-wire ourselves for more stress

and more mental health issues like becoming angry all the time,

or becoming anxious which means running away from the situation.

Or just becoming depressed, which is that kind of giving up.

Or we can respond with a little bit more mindfulness and presence,

learning how to sit through and tolerate

all of the inevitable stresses that life is going to throw our way,

and even kind of become comfortable with some of those,

and have greater mental health, greater physical health,

and all kinds of good benefits that are out there as well.

That's what the experience of mindfulness is,

and I also want to give you some words to explain what mindfulness is.

To me, what I like to say is mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment

with acceptance and non-judgment.

Who here's ever been told to pay attention?

Okay, and who here's ever been taught how to pay attention?

No hands in the room.

So mindfulness actually teaches us how to pay attention to our experience,

which we know is going to serve us well in relationships, and in school,

and on the job, and all these other places in our lives,

when we can learn how to put our attention where we want it to go.

Then we pay attention to the present moment,

and to me, I used to feel like,

"Eh, what's so great about this whole present moment thing?"

Then I was realizing, so much of when I'm stressed out,

where my mind goes, especially when I was younger,

was to the future.

"I'm going to fail this test, then I'm going to flunk out of school,

never get into college, die under a bridge,

and no one's going to come to my funeral."

That's where my mind would go.

Or it's stuck in the past.

Whether it's something that happened a long time ago,

or even just still stuck in the conversation from the cafeteria

a half an hour before.

When we're in the present moment -

there's actually a great TED talk about this by Matt Killingsworth -

we're actually happier when we're in the present moment.

It's twice as important to our happiness to be focused on what we're doing

than what it is that we're actually doing.

Lastly, this piece about acceptance and non-judgment,

it's accepting what's happening, which doesn't mean having to like it,

but it means just accepting that it's happening

and not judging it, and also not judging ourselves.

We all have that inner critical voice that's telling us we're not good enough,

or we're not smart enough, or we'll never make it,

or just give up, right?

We're trying to quiet that voice, and sometimes maybe that's an old bully,

or someone that wasn't so helpful, or maybe it's just the larger culture

telling us there's something wrong with us because of the way we look,

or the shape of our body, or different aspects of our identity

that tell us that we're not good enough.

So with mindfulness, paying attention to the present moment

with some acceptance and non-judgment,

we're able to have a different way of approaching the world.

As my friend Amy likes to say,

she says, "We have that so that we can choose what to do next."

So we can start to see a little bit more clearly

and choose what to do next.

I just want to be clear about what mindfulness is not.

Mindfulness is not getting rid of our stress,

it's learning how to optimize and work with our stress.

It doesn't mean having to shave your head, and put on a robe,

and move to some far off temple.

And it's also not passive, right?

(Exhales) It's not going to turn us into doormats;

it's active, right?

This takes some effort.

It's not shutting off thoughts,

it's changing our relationship to our thoughts.

A bumper sticker says, "You don't have to believe everything you think."

That's what mindfulness is about,

it's learning which of your thoughts you do want to pay attention to.

And also, it doesn't have to be time consuming at all.

You can have a practice that takes a long time,

or you can just find those little moments in your day.

Right?

First thing in the morning or last thing at night;

or while you're waiting for the teacher to hand out the exams,

and you're seeing that anxiety rise, you can calm yourself back down.

Maybe while you're backstage before a performance,

or waiting on the sidelines for the coach to put you in,

you're watching yourself get worked up,

that's a moment you can actually check in rather than checking out.

For me, I was trying to think of all the times you can pause

and think about a way to be mindful,

and it's any time I find myself going like this, right?

And mindlessly refreshing the feed on my Facebook or Twitter or something,

that's a moment I could be taking to check in with myself,

so it doesn't have to take very much time, we have all these moments in our day

that we can, as friend of mine says, stop what we're doing,

take a breath,

(Inhales)

(Exhales)

observe what's happening -

not a little like this, a little like this -

something like this,

and then just proceed with our day, whatever it is that we're doing.

We can also get in touch with the present moment through our five senses.

Like if I go like that, quickly,

we're all suddenly focused on the present moment,

because our senses are always in the present moment,

where our minds are racing to the future or stuck in the past,

or halfway across town thinking about something else.

We could just take a moment and just listen to sounds,

(Ding)

the sound of the bell,

other sounds in the room,

the sound of our own breath.

It doesn't have to take very long.

And there's all kinds of evidence

for why mindfulness can be helpful for us, for our mental health,

for our physical health, for learning, for concentrating, for creativity,

for all kinds of things.

And there's all kinds of people, practicing mindfulness these days,

who have very stressful jobs.

Really high performance people are out there practicing mindfulness

from politicians to top athletes, to musicians, to people like EMTs,

and people in the military who need to keep themselves calm

in these incredibly high-stress environments,

and they're using mindfulness practices to do that,

do get that inner caveman to quiet down

and get their prefrontal cortex to turn on,

and see the whole world more clearly,

and be able to be calm through these difficult situations,

calming all those thoughts, all those worries,

all of that with just a little bit of stillness.

So the famous comedian once said,

"80% of life, 80% of success is showing up."

So mindfulness really extends that invitation.

Show up for life.

Be present for your experience.

Be present even for that stress which will inevitably arise in your life.

When we can be mindful of that inner caveman,

we don't have to listen to him telling us to run away,

or to fight it off and lose that fight,

or avoid it in a way that we'll never be able to avoid

the inevitalbe stresses in life.

So ultimately, mindfulness invites us to attend, to show up,

and maybe that other 20% is also to befriend our experience,

befriend whatever and whoever comes our way in this life,

including maybe most of all, befriending ourselves in this journey.

Thank you.

(Applause)

(Ding)

(Applause)