Use mindfulness training applications : You can practice training your power of attention with mindfulness applications like Headspace , Insight Timer , or Stop Think Breathe on your digital device . Even 10 minutes a day of focused practice can begin to strengthen your attention skills .
Notice and be with boredom : Be mindful during the restlessness of boredom , and rather than trying to medicate it with more stimulation and distraction from your phone , choose a healthier soothing activity , such as going for a walk , reading a book , taking a bath , or listening to music . You can also remind yourself that it ’ s when you ’ re in the state of boredom that your brain makes spontaneous connections leading to creative thought .
Share your knowledge ( and your struggles ): As teachers , consider ways to talk and teach students about what ’ s happening to their brain and attention when accessing the Share your virtual world . Share your experience with technology and experience with mindfulness , and encourage students ’ self-observation and technology and curiosity to discover their own experience . Help students make mindfulness . connections and insights into their learning progress . Support them by offering strategies and guidance , like those suggested above , if and when they want to move towards more awareness and control .
In terms of evolution , the digital world is a recent development for all of us , teachers and students alike . We are now in the process of learning about how best to use and manage this ever-present part of our lives , and in reality , the virtual and the physical worlds are one world of coexistence . Learning to be more mindful and applying a mindful lens to technology and how it affects our lives and learning empowers conscious use and choice . So instead of being overwhelmed or consumed by the everincreasing pull of digital distractions , the power of awareness can give us all the capacity and strength to make more balanced , life fulling choices .
References :
Carr , N . G . ( 2010 ). The shallows : What the internet is doing to our brains . New York , NY : W . W . Norton .
Doyle , T . & Zakrajsek , T . ( 2013 ). The new science of learning : How to learn in harmony with your brain . Sterling , VA : Stylus Publishing .
Pattakos , A . ( with Covey , S .). ( 2008 ). Prisoners of our thoughts : Viktor Frankl ' s principles for discovering meaning in life and work . San Francisco , CA : Berrett-Koehler .
Tang , Y . Y ., Hölzel , B . K ., & Posner , M . I . ( 2015 ). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation . Nature Reviews Neuroscience , 16 ( 4 ), 213-225 .