π What If We Taught Teenagers How to Clear Their Minds?
“Anxiety about college entrance exams, uncertainty about the future, fear of falling behind…”
Does this sound familiar? Whether you are a student yourself or a parent watching your child struggle, the pressure of modern education is immense. Stressed minds that can’t concentrate easily become irritable, highly sensitive, and exhausted.
At Santa Clara Meditation, we know that clearing the mind is the ultimate key to unlocking focus, resilience, and inner peace. But can this method really help highly stressed teenagers in the middle of their hardest academic years?
Today, we are sharing an inspiring story from a high school right in the epicenter of South Korea’s intense educational fervor. Let’s see what happens when students are given the tools to subtract their stress! β¨
π« The Pressure Cooker of High School
“When you’re anxious about college exams, try Mind Subtraction~!”
Believe it or not, this is a conversation you might commonly hear among students at Kyunggi Girls’ High School, located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
Because the school is located right in the epicenter of Gangnam’s intense educational competition, the students are naturally under immense pressure and stress regarding their college exams. Recognizing this crisis, the school held a ‘Special Lecture on Character Building for Self-Reflection and Concentration Improvement through Mind Subtraction’ right before summer vacation.
π‘ What is the Mind Subtraction Character Lecture?
The 20-hour program was designed to improve concentration and build character by having students reflect on and discard their burdensome thoughts using the Ma-eum Su-ryun (Mind Subtraction) meditation method.
Teacher Yoo An-gi, the Head of the Research Department who planned this program, explained the heartbreaking reality of his students:
“Students these days all have a hard time. They are under so much stress… There is a lot of guilt for not meeting parents’ expectations, anxiety about results, fear, and nervousness. Exhausted by the stress of competition, they become highly sensitive, and as a result, they aren’t very generous in their friendships.”
Teacher Yoo first applied this method to education 8 years ago when he was a homeroom teacher for high school seniors. For the kids struggling under too much pressure, he had them ‘subtract their stressed minds’ for just 5 minutes a day. That simple act put their minds at ease and increased their concentration, which ultimately led to better college admission results.
When the official 2-week program opened this year, student interest was fiery. They selected 20 students who seemed to need it the most. Just looking at their state of mind, you could see at a glance the deep struggles of today’s teens burdened by college entrance exams.
π 2 Hours a Day: The Astonishing Changes in Just 2 Weeks
Although the program lasted only two weeks, the changes revealed in the surveys before and after the Mind Subtraction lecture were absolutely astonishing. Positive shifts appeared across the board:
- πͺ Self-Reflection: Students reported a much higher ability to look inward and understand their own complex emotions.
- π― Concentration: Noticeable, dramatic improvements in focus during their studies.
- π Stress Management: Significant reductions in daily anxiety and the crushing feeling of pressure.
Ultimately, 95% of the students responded “Yes” when asked if the training was helpful to them.
“When they are guided to discard those minds, they break free from worries and anxieties, gain peace of mind, become brighter, start caring for their friends, and do much better in school life. Also, because they concentrate better in class, their confidence and study efficiency increase. Seeing them change like this is incredibly rewarding.”
β Teacher Yoo An-gi
Not only did their focus noticeably improve by discarding the thoughts that hindered their concentration, but by reflecting on their own minds, they also developed the mental strength to evaluate themselves objectively and be more compassionate toward their friends.
π “I Don’t Think I’ll Have Any Worries…”
The students themselves felt the massive shift. They all agreed: “I am confident that if I am continuously supported with Mind Subtraction, I can change a great deal.” One student even remarked that she didn’t think she would have any worries going into the second semester!
Exam takers everywhereβand anyone facing a massive hurdle in lifeβtry Mind Subtraction when you’re anxious! If you want to help your teenager (or yourself) clear away the clutter of stress and fear to find a brighter, wider path forward, we invite you to start your journey at Santa Clara Meditation. πΏ
