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The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation available at www.suleone.com/education

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Page 1: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Relaxation Response

Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic AnxietyWake Tech Community College

Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015

Presentation available at www.suleone.com/education

Page 2: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

According the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology information at the National Institutes of Health, pediatric generalized anxiety disorder occurs in about 10% of children and teens, affecting more girls than boys.

Can you guess the average age of onset?

Pediatric Anxiety

8.5

Page 3: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

Studies have shown that academic anxiety reduces performance at any age.

As the saying goes:The neurons that fire together, wire together. The

neurons that fire apart, wire apart.

Which means, anxiety feeds on itself, and can often be alleviated with therapy.

Pediatric Anxiety

Page 4: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Brain-Body Connection

• This connection is well-documented in research in the past 30 years.

Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)Columbia University (New York, NY)University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of Pittsburgh (PA)

These universities have mind-body departments!

Dr. Dean Ornish, UC-SF Dr. Herbert Benson, Harvard

Page 5: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Brain-Body Connection

• The connection is well-documented in research in the past 30 years• Brain-body communication is two-way

The brain also listens

Page 6: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Brain-Body Connection

• The connection is well-documented in research in the past 30 years• Brain-body communication is two-way• Once body responses kick in, the thinking brain may be overruled

until the crisis is over

Page 7: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Anxious Body Feeds the Anxious Mind

“[That] survival brain can’t tell the difference between a tiger and a geometry test.”

From Too Stressed to Think, by Fox and Kirschner

Page 8: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Anxious Body Feeds the Anxious Mind

What do these faces have in

common?

Page 9: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Anxious Body Feeds the Anxious Mind

Get out!

Get into it!

Get down!

Get it on!

There are five basic responses to stress: flee, fight, feed, mate, and hide*.

All these responses require movement.

Get grub!

*sometimes freeze

Page 10: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Anxious Body Feeds the Anxious Mind

The body prepares for all five forms of emergency movement, just in case.

Adrenal glands produce cortisol to keep blood sugar levels high

Eyes widen and dilateSalivation stops

Digestion stops

Elimination stops

Fast, shallow breathingHeart pounds

Large muscles tense

Hands and feet cool and sweat

Adrenal medulla secretes adrenalin

Page 11: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Relaxed Body Calms the Anxious Mind

“Learning to relax and calm your body in any situation is the first step toward learning to calm your anxious mind.”

From My Anxious Mind, by Tompkins and Martinez

“Regular use [of meditation] may strengthen the connections between neurons and…[promotes] growth in the gray matter…the cells that…are responsible for your memory, sense of self, attention and empathy…even after just several weeks.”

Quote of Dr. Eileen Leeders (UCLA), from Success through Stillness, by Russell Simmons

Page 12: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Relaxed Body Calms the Anxious Mind

What do these faces have in

common?

Page 13: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

The Relaxed Body Calms the Anxious Mind

Eyes are relaxed, maybe closed

Respiration slows, especially the exhale, and becomes abdominal

Heart rate slows

Large muscles relax

Blood pressure lowers

Digestion increases

Brain waves enter resting state

Page 14: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

Some Relaxation Methods

• Tai Chi

• Qigong

• Yoga with breathing

• Transcendental Meditation

• Mindfulness Meditation

• Progressive Body Relaxation

• Guided Imagery

Page 15: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

Triggering the Relaxation Response

• Choose one way to meditate.• Practice chosen form of

meditation for a minimum of 10 minutes daily.• Be comfortable.• Choose a mantra (word, phrase or

image) to focus your thoughts.• Assume a passive attitude. When

thoughts intrude, let them drift as you refocus on your breathing or mantra.

Results in as little as

eight weeks!

AND

The longer you

practice, the better

the effect!

Page 16: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”

-Lao Tzu

Presentation available at www.suleone.com/education

Page 17: The Relaxation Response Movement & Meditation for Reducing Academic Anxiety Wake Tech Community College Workshop by Phi Theta Kappa, 2015 Presentation

Sources“Review Finds Meditation Somewhat Effective against Anxiety and Depression” by Christie Nicholson, Scientific

American, Jan 27, 2014. www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/meditation-meta-analysis/

Success through Stillness by Russell Simmons and Chris Morrow, 2014.

“Test Anxiety and Academic Performance of School Students” by Dr. Bharati Roy, Int’l J of Sci Research, Vol 2 No 1 (Jan 2013).

My Anxious Mind: A Teen's Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic by Michael A. Tompkins and Katherine A. Martinez, 2011.

Relaxation Revolution: The Science and Genetics of Mind Body Healing by Herbert Benson and William Proctor, 2010.

“What is the Stress Response?” by Saul McLeod, 2010. http://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-biology.html

“Pediatric generalized anxiety disorder: epidemiology, diagnosis, and management” by CP Keeton, AC Kolos and JT Walkup, Paediatric Drugs, Vol 11 No 3 Pg 171-183 (2009). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19445546

Meditation for Beginners by Jack Kornfield, 2008.

The Everything Parent’s Guide to Children with Anxiety by Ilyne Sandas and Christine Siegel, 2008.

Too Stressed to Think?: A Teen Guide to Staying Sane When Life Makes You Crazy by Annie Fox and Ruth Kirschner, 2005.

Mind Body Medicine: How to Use Your Mind for Better Health (Chapter 14) by Coleman and Gurin (eds.), 1993.