Being organized in managing your time is key. Make a to-do list for each class and set up a realistic routine of what you are going to do and when. Schedule times you will work on certain tasks and do your best to stick to your plan. Make sure to be realistic with yourself and talk to yourself in kind ways! Set yourself up for success!

Reward Yourself with Breaks

If you are not able to focus, you may need to switch up your location, what you are studying, or take a break. Over-studying can lead to exhaustion, so be sure to have some balance. It’s more about the quality of hours and not quantity (Study 30-45 min increments at a time vs 1-4 hours without a break). Doing this can help retain information and prevent mental fatigue. Know your limits and when it’s not sinking in anymore and time to rest.

Practice Self-Care

Utilize your coping skills, which are your tools to deal with stressful situations. Examples are taking a walk, listening to music, art and crafts, playing video games, exercising, spending time with friends, etc. These activities should be restorative and give you more energy. Try to be proactive and have them built into your routine or plan, so the stress doesn’t build up. Be sure these activities are intentional and stick to your plan, otherwise they can soon turn into procrastination behaviors!

Be Kind to Yourself

Treating yourself with compassion is so important, so that you feel more encouraged rather than discouraged. Motivate yourself and don’t beat yourself up if you get off track. The way you talk to yourself can either mobilize you or make yourself anxious and even paralyzed.

Remember the Basics

Your body needs fuel! Taking care of yourself is key. Be sure to eat healthy and get good sleep. Your memory, focus and emotional regulation depend on it! Watch your intake of caffeine, alcohol and other drugs… they can make you more anxious and down. Try to stick to your food and sleep routine and stay as balanced as you can. Although it may feel like the only way is doing an all-nighter, it is not ideal for the long haul and will catch up to you, so do your best to sleep and allow your body and mind to restore energy for the next day.

Set Limits and Boundaries

Most college students are juggling a lot… jobs, leadership positions, relationships, family responsibilities. Everyone can reach you constantly on your cell phone, which is always in your hand or by your side. It may be helpful to put it away, turn off the ringer and/or let folks know that you need to focus and can’t be as available as usual. It is okay to prioritize your studying and not be everything to everybody all the time! Let your boss know that your finals are important and see if you can make up the time after finals period. Same for friends and family.

Would you like to discover a deeper sense of ease and peace of mind?

Would you like to gain a greater sense of balance and control in your life?

Have you wondered if mindfulness could be helpful to you??

����vlog will once again offer the eight week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course developed by Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn that has been featured in countless media segments and in hundreds of scientific journals.   The MBSR course has been shown to reduce anxiety, stress and depression, improve health and increase a sense of well being.

FREE Information Session!

Wednesday September 16, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m., Drop In Center

At this free session you will meet the instructors, get a first-hand experience in mindfulness, and learn about MBSR so you can decide whether the course is right for you. Mindfulness can be successfully learned and practiced by people of all backgrounds. No prior experience is necessary.

About The Course

Each class is 2.5 hours long on Wednesday evenings, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m., and the course includes an orientation session and an all-day class on a Sunday, November 15, from 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.  Home practice support materials are included. Important dates below. Instructors: Dr. Arlene Gordon and Beth Sandweiss.

Cost

$300 for ����vlog faculty/staff; $375 for non-MSU participants.

Important Dates

• Orientation: September 30, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., The Orientation is intended for people who are serious about the course.  Participants  receive orientation information and participate in an individual interview prior to attending Class 1. Please contact the instructors if you are unable to attend the orientation.
• Class 1: Wednesday, October 7, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Class 2: Wednesday, October 14, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Class 3: Wednesday, October 21, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Class 4: Wednesday, October 28, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Class 5: Wednesday, November 4, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Class 6: Wednesday, November 11, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Retreat: All day Class on Sunday, November 15, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This all day retreat is an opportunity to put into practice all the skills you have learned so far in a supportive community environment, together with alumni from previous MBSR courses.
• Class 7:  Wednesday, November 18, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Class 8: Wednesday, December 2, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Location: Ben Samuel’s Children’s Center

How Do I Register?

To register call 973-655-3340 or stop by the Student Recreation Center.  Registration code is 4200. Space is limited. Register early to ensure a space.

Got Questions?

For more information contact Dr. Nancy Friedman friedmann@mail.montclair.edu

What is Mindfulness and How Can It Help Me?

Mindfulness involves paying attention in the present moment with kindness and acceptance. It is a simple yet powerful practice that gives you the tools to access your inner resources and wisdom. Cultivating mindful awareness can help free you from being caught up with worries about the future, regrets, judgments and emotional reactions to whatever is happening.

Mindfulness fosters the kind of awareness that can allow you to handle challenging situations in all areas of your life, including work stress, interpersonal stress, parenting stress and anything that life throws at you. It can help you quiet self-criticism and doubt so that you can live with more balance and ease. Learn Core Mindfulness Practices.

This unique course is an opportunity to build and sustain a personal mindfulness practice. During the course you will become familiar with several core mindfulness practices including:

•     mindful breathing
•     sitting and walking meditation
•     mindfulness of sound and choiceless awareness
•     gentle yoga and movement
•     the body scan
•     practices for handling difficult thoughts and emotions with mindful awareness

Participants will also learn “informal mindfulness” which involves bringing the same mindful awareness into routine activities at home and work.  Through guided instruction, group discussion and inquiry, participants will develop powerful tools to recognize habitual reactions and learn to handle stress one moment at a time.

Helpful links to learn more about MBSR

Materials

The learning in your weekly class sessions is supported by audio tracks with guided meditations. These materials are included in the course fee.

Commitment

Attendance is important. By registering for this course you are committing yourself to attend each of the weekly sessions, the Day of Mindfulness session, and to practice at home 45 minutes a day throughout the course.

Parking Information

There is no parking in front of the building and participants who have a ����vlog surface lot pass can park in lots on either side of the center. Participants can pay by phone after 4:30 p.m. or park in NJTransit parking deck.

Sponsored by CAPS, Health Promotion, and the Ben Samuels Children’s Center.

The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course uses meditation, mindful movement, inquiry and discussion to develop awareness. You will learn practical strategies that can bring greater balance and ease into your daily life even in the midst of stress, pain, and illness.

About the Course

The course meets weekly, 2 ½ hours per week, for eight weeks, plus a day of Mindfulness on a Sunday, April 12th from 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.

This eight-week MBSR course will be taught by Dr. Arlene Gordon and Beth Sandweiss, MSW, instructors with extensive training from The Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical Center, where the course was developed.

This is a course for anyone, and no previous meditation experience is necessary.

The following is both the FREE Introductory class and the actual course information:

Faculty/Staff Program

Introductory Session:
Wednesday, January 21, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. 
Location: Student Center 417
and
Wednesday, January 28, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location:  Drop in Center
No registration is necessary and it is FREE.

Course Information:

• Cost: $250
• Time:Wednesday evenings, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Student Center 417
• Meeting dates: February 11, 18, 25; March 4, 18, 25; April 22, 29
• To register call 973-655-3340 or stop by the Student Recreation Center.  Faculty/staff registration code is 3914.
• Space limited to 30 participants. Register early to ensure a space.

Student Program

Introductory Session:
Friday, January 23, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location:  Machuga Heights Multipurpose Room
and
Friday, January 30, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location:  Drop in Center
No registration is necessary and it is FREE.

Course Information:

• Cost: $40
• Time: Friday Morning, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• Location:  Machuga Heights Multipurpose Room
• Meeting Dates: February 13, 20, 27; March 6, 20, 27; April 24; May 1
• To register call 973-655-3340 or stop by the Student Recreation Center.  Student registration code is 3915.
• Space limited to 30 participants. Register early to ensure a space.

Got Questions?

For more information contact Dr. Nancy Friedman friedmann@montclair.edu or Dr. Marie Cascarano at cascaranom@montclair.edu 973-655-7397.

What is Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)?

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a program for those who would like to develop a meditation and mindfulness practice and would appreciate a structured step-by-step approach. Over eight weeks we will introduce guided practices that teach us how to cultivate our attention and shift from a mode of mind that is oriented toward “doing” to a more spacious mode of mind that rests in “being.” These include focusing on the breath and body as an anchor for attention,  mindful movement and discussion.  

This class is an opportunity to pause in the midst of our hectic lives, to calm our bodies and minds, and reconnect with ourselves 

This class is appropriate to both beginners and those with some meditation experience. We will provide an inclusive and welcoming environment that is accessible to all. No meditation experience is necessary. You are welcome just as you are.

We can go through much of our daily lives on automatic pilot; not being present and feeling scattered, as though our minds and bodies are not in sync. In automatic pilot, we are more susceptible to daily pressures and triggers. The aim of the MBSR program is to increase awareness so that we can respond to situations with choice rather than habitual reactions. We can do this by becoming more aware of where our attention is and deliberately changing our focus, over and over again.

The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course uses meditation, mindful movement, inquiry and discussion to develop a capacity for awareness by teaching practical strategies that can bring greater balance and peace even in the midst of stress, pain, and illness.

Developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at UMass Medical Center, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a eight week course that has been at the cutting edge of integrative medicine for over 30 years. It is the most widely offered and researched training program in mindfulness and stress reduction worldwide. MBSR was recently featured on 60 minutes with Anderson Cooper.

This course is sponsored by and .