Meditation Changes Your Brain for the Better

This is a postscript to our discussion of meditation in class.

Here is a newsletter article from Lynn McTaggart, who has written several books about the latest research on brain-mind connections. This article is about how practices of memorizing and of meditation create very positive physical changes in the brain.

http://www.lynnemctaggart.com/blog/160-change-brains-not-minds

Remember, you don't have to empty your mind of all thoughts in order to meditate. Simply focus on your breathing, a positive word or phrase of your choice, and let yourself move into the peace within. If thoughts are present, just let them be there and keep focusing on your breath or the sound you have chosen. If you are off entirely on thoughts, gently bring your awareness back to your breath or the sound. Enjoy the process. Start with just a few minutes and gradually increase your meditation time to suit your needs and schedule.

Have a terrific, calm and peaceful day!
Dr. Marrin

Still on the subject of overcoming procrastination, here is a link from Psychology Today
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/procrastination-ten-things-know
to a good article on procrastination -- why you do it and how it is harming you.

And here is a link to an in-depth article from Cal-Poly designed specifically to help students overcome procrastination: http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/procrastination.html

I thought the Psychology Today article was especially telling when it indicated that procrastination can be a rebellion against a very authoritarian, strict parent.

Let me know if you find some useful ideas in these articles. Dr. Marrin

Get in Gear by Starting Your Project Now

Here's another way to tackle overcoming procrastination. I learned this one from a brilliant man named Wally Minto, back in 1980 or so. He taught Alpha Awareness Training, to help people gain attunement with their natural intuition.

If you are a person who has lots of projects underway, and jumps from one to the other without finishing them, it can look like procrastination. A key that Wally shared is this: You are good at starting things. Starting things makes you happy. So when you have a project underway, talk to yourself about starting to work on it now. Vividly imagine starting your project right now. Get excited about starting on it!

Example: You made a brave start on research for your term paper soon after it was assigned. But your notes are just sitting there and you have no energy for finishing the task even though the deadline is next week.

Don't focus on finishing. Focus on your project like this:

I get to start working on my research paper now! I'll start the next piece of it, now! Do as much as you feel like doing, as long as that energy lasts.

Later, come back to it and start again. Do another chunk with renewed energy. Come back as many times as needed and START working on your paper. Pretty soon you'll be starting the ending and it will be complete.

Hope this is helpful to a few of you.
Many blessings, Dr. Marrin

Overcoming Procrastination

I just read all the getting acquainted mini-essays from my students this term. The number one issue reported by an amazing number of students is procrastination.

It was an issue for me when I was a student. I'd have a paper to write and -- in my first year of college -- would sit up all night before it was due, typing frantically, making it up as I went along. By my junior and senior year, I'd learned to pace myself and get started earlier.

But even in grad school, many maturing years later, if I had a big paper due, I would suddenly get a compulsion to scrub my kitchen floor on hands and knees, or to thoroughly clean the fridge and freezer! Looking back, perhaps this was a way to build my active energy to get started on the paper. I certainly built a level of angst, enough to get me mobilized at last.

Here's a true story they I often share with students when this subject comes up in class. Years ago I wanted to incorporate a non-profit organization and I was referred to a young lawyer named David for the pro bono work. He met with me, gathered the information he needed, and promised to get back with me soon. Based on previous experience with lawyers, I had no idea when that would be. But by the end of that week, he came looking for my signature and my little organization was in business.

I commented on his promptness. David then explained that he used to have a terrible problem with procrastination. It got him trouble in college, in law school, and then with judges who were highly annoyed when he missed court deadlines. But, he said, he changed his life with three words.

I eagerly asked his magic secret.

"Do it now," he said. He told himself these words thousands of times daily for a quite a while. After a bit, he started moving his body to do the things that needed to be done. By the time I met him, he was a successful young attorney, someone that people would point to as a guy who would not mess around, but would get good work done on time.

Since sharing this bit of my history with students, I've had a few each semester who come back to me and say this approach really helped them.

It's one of those things that works if you work it. If you just read it and say, "Sounds good," nothing happens. If you start creating new neuron connections in your brain by repeating the instructions to "Do it now," and then you start moving your body (even your eyes over the written words of your assignments) you will quite likely find yourself making the changes you want to make.

If you're a procrastinator, what do you have to lose? Have fun with these three little words. Use them like a mantra for the next month, any time you're doing simple chores, walking, chilling on the couch, sitting in the bathroom -- any time that your mind doesn't have to be actively engaged with talking, thinking, problem-solving -- and see what happens in your life!

Creative Study Tips

Today I met with a few students to figure out ways they could improve study skills. Here are some of the suggestions I made. These tips are specific to unique learning needs and go beyond the standard approach of read, take notes, recite and review. They are creative ways to make life as student more successful and less stressful! If you need to spiff up your approach to study, experiment with any strategies here that appeal to you.

For the Hands-On Learner
For the person who considers herself a very "hands-on" learner and has a hard time with abstract concepts, I said find an example of the idea and then imagine it very vividly. Make it as real in your imagination as if you were experiencing it in your life. For instance, if you are learning about ADHD, imagine what it would be like to have your mind racing in high gear all the time, to feel fidgety, to keep switching from one task to another, to do many things at once, and to feel irritable and edgy because no one understands why you can't sit still. See if you can imagine yourself in the skin of someone with all the symptoms you are reading about. Think of people you know who might have a diagnosis of ADHD and reflect on how their behavior fits with what you are reading. Does this match with what you imagined?

For the Sleep-Deprived
One student works a night shift and doesn't get enough good sleep, so tends to drift off every time she sits to read the textbook. I suggested she stand up to read her text. Put a box on a counter to lift the text to a convenient reading height, and make notes in a notebook or on index cards. Read for ten minutes, take a break and do a simple chore or just stretch and move for a minute or two. Then read and take notes for ten more minutes. Take a longer break when needed, but keep coming back to the text for more short reading sessions.

Zoning in on Key Words
One student had overwhelmed herself trying to memorize the entire definition of each new term highlighted in the text. I told her to figure out the key words in the definition and only highlight or take notes on those. In addition, write down a brief example that illustrates the idea, in her notebook or on flash cards.

Looking up Unknown Words
A number of students were skipping over words they didn't really understand, trying to make sense of the text in a general way. I strongly suggested using a dictionary to clarify. It will take more time at first, but they will quickly enrich their vocabularies and find studying gets easier. Not to mention, they will actually understand what they are studying!

Supplementing the Text
Another student wanted more interactive learning tools but didn't want to spring for the fee for materials available with our textbook. For him, searching on-line for a video related to his interesting or puzzling topic could be useful. For instance, curious about biological clocks and circadian rhythms, he could Google "video circadian rhythms," or "psychology video biological clocks."

Hope these tips are helpful. Good luck with your classes!

Frugal Times Tips

Usually when I'm washing dishes, I think of living skills I'd love to share with my students as they struggle to make ends meet financially, but these tidbits don't fit neatly in the boundaries of a psychology class!

We lived for a while in the beautiful state of Vermont where Yankee thrift is a virtue. An old New England saying is, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Along those lines . . .

Plastic Tubes and Squeeze Bottles
Did you know that plastic squeeze bottles -- anything from mustard to toiletries -- may be convenient but can rip you off? If you throw them out when you can't squeeze any more goo, you may be losing as much as ten percent of your purchase. Of course, the manufacturer is happy because you'll be buying a replacement!

Instead, use sturdy scissors or a serrated knife to cut the tube or bottle in half. Scoop out the remaining mustard or ketchup for your recipe. With tubes of moisturizers, you may find another week's worth of product clinging to the sides. With clean fingers, scoop what you need and put one cut end of the tube over the other, forming a cap to keep the rest clean until you use it up.

Found Money
Go through your house room by room, drawer by drawer, on a money search. You may find odd change and bills tucked in random pockets, boxes, books, etc. Also round up items you meant to return for a refund, bottles to recycle for cash, etc. Go get your money back on these things. In the search process, are you finding items you could sell on Craig's List or at a garage sale? Get busy! Now do something smart or fun with your stash of cash! Save it for your favorite goal, buy groceries, or treat yourself to something special.

Tightwad Gazette
For the homemaker who wants to be smartly frugal, I highly recommend Amy Dacyzn's three book series, The Tightwad Gazette. She published a newsletter in the early nineties, before email was big, and compiled her own ideas and many reader responses into the books, which are a treasure trove of helpful ideas for saving. Even though I don't have children, I got inspired to adapt and try a number of her ideas. Get these books at your local library or invest in used ones from Amazon.com. You'll never think of frugality as a dreaded necessity again!

Overcoming Student Discouragement

Tonight I've been puzzling over how best to help my students (Introduction to Psychology) learn more effectively. At this point, almost everyone in my class seems to want to do well, but many are not well prepared for college level work. They sincerely want to improve their lives via a college education, and it is a shock when they get test grades in my class.

As in any group, there are unique versions of needs for study skill improvement. Some students have been laid off in the downturned economy and are aiming to change careers. Some struggle to understand abstract concepts. Some don't grasp all the vocabulary and are not accustomed to grabbing a dictionary for help. Some procrastinate. Some work and raise families and have little time for study. Some tell me they need hands on learning activities. Many are of the first generation in their families to attend college. Others are immigrants struggling with English as a second language. In this class, I have one tenth grader and a few middled aged adults as well as a group of traditional college-age students.

My message today as I went over the grading procedure in more detail was, "Don't give up. Hang in there and attendance and the term paper will likely help to pull test scores up for the final average."

If you stick with this class, show up and do the work to the best of your ability, you are likely to surprise yourself with results. My philosophy is that test scores are not the only way to measure learning. Participation, self-reflection papers and the self-nurturing project/critical thinking term paper are all ways to demonstrate learning of many of the principles we are studying -- in a more hands on way.

Your persistence will pay off in other ways. You'll work hard in this class, but you will apply the learning to your own life. You'll discover the value of choosing education as a priority and letting go of some other activities so you can dig in and do the learning. You may actually find your own best new methods of studying. You will internalize ideas that will serve you for a lifetime, helping you to understand yourself and others.

Keep turning the pages, keep making notes. Stay awake in class. Be present physically and mentally. Ask questions. Take care of yourself. Use everything for your learning and growth!

May 2011 Student Comments

Even though we learn a tremendous amount from the text -- facts and theories -- my Intro to Psychology classes are never the same. Students add so much with questions, opinions and examples to share. And it seems that those who stick with the class come away with very positive perspectives. Here are a few comments from the personal evaluations I ask students to complete (anonymously) as I don't see official ones for many months. Yes, I am tooting my own horn here, but thought these comments might inspire and encourage new students.

What I liked about this class:
"I honestly liked everything about this class, from the humorous involved lectures to the great overall teaching and examples. I also liked how open to questions you were."

"Going into this class, I thought it would just be a clas that I did work and received a grade. After the second week of class, I was very excited about the class. I loved learning about everything that goes on within myself and others. During this class I was able to learn a lot about myself."

"I liked this class because it expanded my thinking. It made me a more open minded person and more tolerant to other people."

"The interaction with other people when we did in-class projects together. That helped explain things more in depth than the lecture."

"I like the way Dr. Marrin teaches. I like the way she is accepting of everyone's opinion. She is very considerate and understanding."

"I like the group activities. I also like that the teacher encouraged class discussions and allowed you to ask questions whether they be silly or intellectual."

"I liked that it allowed you to think in different perspectives. It let you see yourself and things around you different."

"Text -- outstanding!!! Makes it possible to learn enormous amount of material -- great graphics, real people, concept reviews, summary tests -- great!
"Your caring approach to each student, your honesty about knowing/not knowing particulars -- psych is a huge topic."

"I've always been interested in the basics of psychology and I feel you have done a superb job educating myself and the class. You're passionate about the subject, you exude a lot of energy, and that makes for a fun and memorable learning experience."

What I learned from this class that is not testable
"I've learned to be more patient with myself, to be more understanding with myself, and to listen to myself. I have a lot of work ahead of me. The feelings I have about depression and death will get better if I just be honest with myself and keep working on the present."

"My actual self-image is more negative than what I expected, or what I would hope for. And, ways to remedy that issue."

"I learned that you can't change everything at one time in your life. Life is a process and steps have to be taken slowly in order to change in your life."

"I learned not to mismanage my time so much."

"To be more self-forgiving and less judgmental on myself and sometimes with others."

"I've learned how to avoid judgemental negative peope. I also learned how to become better at blocking out the same negative energy. Before, I did not know how to do this."

"I learned how to look at people for who they are. I also learned how to deal with people with disorders, or on drugs, even how to interpret dreams. I learned what happens during my fiance's short term memory loss. I learned why my kids act and think."

"From this class I learned that person can actually change themselves from learning what is going on within one's self."

". . . Self-awareness. I am more aware of my thoughts, emotions and decisions I make. Overall it's a positive life experience."

"I became more aware of my feelings and actions. I became more of a listener from this class. I try to relax more and meditate. "

"Everyone has hard times. We are the same in so many ways. Never give up."

"Behaving myself, how to treat my child, and how to be more confident about myself."

"That it's great to express yourself. It can actually help you get through the rest of your day."

"One thing that has helped in many ways is how to forgive myself."

"How to properly meditate."

"Exercise and positive thoughts can really lower depression -- I proved this to myself. "

A Student Learns to Love Herself

Ha! Here is another end-of-the-semester entry!

I am always blown away by my students and their personal learning and growth. My Intro to Psychology classes cover a lot of facts and theories, but I offer multiple opportunities to apply the material to students' own lives.

This semester, I'm especially captured by one young lady who saw herself as painfully shy and having extremely low self-esteem and self-confidence. For her life-changing experiment, she chose to tackle these large issues. At my suggestion, she went for some powerful positive self-talk statements (affirmations) which she repeated three times a day. She also looked in her own eyes in the mirror daily, telling herself, "I love you." My suggestion was that she aim for 33-35 days in a row of the mirror strategy, and if she missed a day to start over. She also simply kept track of how many times she spoke to strangers each day, and she wrote short journal entries about her experiences in the evening.

Her paper, analyzing her experiment, was brimming with enthusiasm over her skyrocketing self-esteem and confidence. Instead of choosing one or two positive statements from the "brainstorming" list I provided, she memorized the list of a dozen or so short statements and used them all. As I recall, her list ended with, "My life is a creative adventure of self-discovery."

Since she is an artist, this dovetailed with her personal goals.

She said, "I learned to love myself! I love myself!" From self-ratings of zero on esteem and confidence in her pre-treatment week, she soared to eights, nines and tens by the post-treatment week. She discovered she could give herself the love and nurturing that she had been longing for, and when she did, the esteem and confidence naturally lifted. She plans to continue these strategies to maintain her exciting progress as she prepares for the shift to a four year college in the fall.

I don't keep student papers, so can't quote her exactly, but I was smiling all over and had tear-filled eyes as I completed marking her paper.

What Tickles Me Today

Wanting to do something and sitting down to do it are two different things . . . especially when it comes to my updating this blog! My teaching semester is winding down. I am not quite "in my body" because of a minor car accident today -- sliding on the ice! -- and couldn't think of anything upbeat to write about. Here we go . . . I'm grateful to the telephone pole that stopped me from sliding right out into traffic on Telegraph Road!



Checking email, I discovered I now have eight active accounts! Plus Facebook and a couple of other networking sites I seldom use. This tickles me. For someone who with great trepidation purchased her first (very primitive) word processor from Montgomery Wards in 1987 or so, I'm now really involved with technology. So much change in 23 years! I also updated my cell phone, only because the dinosaur died, to a new Blackberry and I have hopes of learning to use more of its features and adding apps. Whoo-hoo! My younger readers may not appreciate this, but it is a big deal.



Something else that has changed in the past 23 years is me! In the last two weeks, I've had students guess my age at 25 years younger than reality, and I giggled all day. Today a kind young service station manager described me to an equally kind police sergeant as "an older lady," and convinced the busy officer to take my accident report, so I don't have to make a special trip to the local police station. It's all relative! I'm grateful to be seen as younger, and to be seen as older. Amazing.



Another ordinary moment of note: I got a Christmas card from a cousin, including a couple of journal notes, memoirs about his childhood and parents. I was astonished to learn that he spent his first seven years with a grandmother and only met his parents when his grandmother was too ill to care for him. I find myself warming with affection that this 60-plus gentleman would bother to share his recollections this way.



My students continue to amaze me. Each one gives me glimpses of a special life story. Many have dramatic stories unfolding even as they are striving to study and pass exams.



One student confided about being accused of a crime he swears he didn't commit. Another had major surgery but was back in class three weeks later. Several are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and struggle to concentrate, and with whether or not to use their prescriptions to help focus. One was unexpectedly served divorce papers a week before finals. In the last two years, students have confided about their dreadful war experiences (shooting and being shot or bombed), rape, history of sexual abuse, family suicides, family murders, fire that killed an entire family, and domestic violence. Others struggle with depression, bipolar disorder, general anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, and social phobias such as extreme shyness and even schizophrenia. Some are veterans of recent wars, and some would protest any wars. At one college, my students are a marvelous mix of Arabic, African American, Chinese, Mexican-American, Phillipino, French, Canadian and Anglo-American. Many are young, including a few high-school students doing advanced placement classes, and some are middle-aged or entering retirement years. Very few could fit the stereotype of a typical 18-23 year old middle-class college student.



I am grateful to touch their lives for a few months, to share my perspective on life along with a broad overview of contemporary psychology. I am grateful that we laugh a lot in my classes, and that in spite of their personal challenges, the students keep coming back, always wanting to learn.



When I began consistent college teaching (in contrast to teaching professional working adults), I felt frustrated that today's students "can't read, can't write," and don't seem to learn the same way my contemporaries and I learned. Now, I've come to think that perhaps our changing world is creating a need for a new breed of learners. Maybe today's students don't really need to learn masses of information, and don't need to master the same old ideas. Instead, maybe they need to know how to find information, recognize when it is accurate and useful, and how to experiment and adapt within a world that keeps leapfrogging into unexpected futures.



I work daily to adjust to my own challenges, and I'm grateful to my students for teaching me a gazillion new ways to keep going in spite of the obstacles in life. I'm privileged to be a neutral compassionate observer of their process of forging new pathways to self-discovery and success.

That tickles me too.

Until next time . . .