Gorzycki has recently started an activity Mondays during announcement called Mindful Monday. Mindful Monday is a way for students in excel to be directed through a 30 second to one minute stress relieving process. Eighth grade Counselor, Corinne Oh leads Mindful Monday. She was inspired to start Mindful Monday because she had started doing yoga four years ago, and from that, she began meditating.

“I meditate every day, I start the day by waking up, turning on the coffee machine, and meditating,” Corrine Oh said. “I think that if you start the day off right, you will end it right too.”

Corinne Oh and many other people around the school do yoga, meditate, or another stress relieving process every day. She thought teaching the students at Gorzycki ways to cope with their stress will help them succeed in school. While some participate, many do not.

“I feel like most students don’t participate in Mindful Monday,” Eighth Grader Josh O. said. “I think it’s because the students can’t take it seriously.”

Studies have shown that when students incorporate the techniques they learn into their everyday life, it decreases tension levels, and has given the students strategies to deal with stress and anxiety.

“I know some students don’t participate in mindful Monday and I think that even if they just hear it they still benefit from it, Corinne Oh said.  “Mindfulness is something I practice in my everyday personal life. I have noticed the benefits myself and there is plenty of research from scientists that proves that it is helpful and that it works.”

While there are students with negative thoughts towards mindful Monday there are also students with positive thoughts. Seventh grader Laura M. says why she enjoys mindful monday.

“These exercises affect my everyday life, when I am stressed I can use them to

help me relax,” Laura said. “My favorite exercise is the breathing square.”  

Mindful Monday isn’t for everyone, but there are a lot of people who like to participate in it, and who enjoy learning these different ways to cope with their stress.  Seventh grader Ava W. explains why she would recommend mindful Monday to other schools who don’t provide a way to relieve stress.

“I would recommend Mindful Monday to other schools with a lot of homework because it is good with stress management and people can benefit from it,” Ava said.

Since not everyone participates in Mindful Monday, President of Student Council Josh has ideas that can come in replacement of Mindful Monday.

“An idea I’ve had is that since no one really participates in mindful monday, we can stop doing it and instead, we can have a meditation area in the library were people who want to learn ways to cope with stress or people who want to take some time to do stress relieving exercises they can,” Josh said.

There are many different opinions on Mindful Monday, some enjoy it and some don’t but over all it is beneficial to daily life activities.