Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Georgina.

Now Georgina, how resilient are you?

Resilient? You mean able to cope with difficult situations.

I have a pile of work to do today but I'm remaining calm and not getting stressed.

Well that's good. You are showing resilience.

And today we're discussing whether we're born with resilience or we have to learn it.

OK Rob, but first I expect you're going to ask me a question. Bring it on.

OK. Resilience is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance or object. But what does it mean? a. That it's very tough or hard. b. That it can return to its original shape after being bent. c. It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly.

I have a feeling it means b. An object that returns to its original shape after being bent.

OK, I'll let you know if you were correct at the end of the programme.

But let's talk more about human resilience. There are many self-help books and motivational speakers all promising us we can learn to be resilient.

Well, it is a useful trait to have and it's something that can help you deal with many difficult situations, from coping with the pressures of work to handling the death of a loved one. And it's more than just telling someone to toughen up or get a grip, as Dr David Wesley knows. He is Head of Psychology at Middlesex University and talked about levels of resilience on the BBC World Service programme, The Why Factor.

First of all, there's our social supports, our communities, our families, the people who are important to us, the organisations we work for. So one way we can look at resilience is to measure that, the amount of social support available to us. Another way to think about resilience is to think about how we think about the situations we're in. So, for example, one way to look at that would be just to look at how optimistic people are as a guide to how resilient they might be when times get tough. And then a third level that we can look at for resilience is a biological level – how well we can soothe ourselves, calm ourselves down, how well we can actually regulate our own nervous systems at times of distress.

Right, so Dr Wesley describes social supports – the people around us who we can talk to and support us and generally make us feel better. I think he's saying with more support we'll feel more resilient.

It's interesting to note that a resilient person isn't necessarily someone quiet, who doesn't make a fuss and gets on with things. Some experts think it's people who ask for help and use this social support network who are acting in a more resilient way.

It's a good point. And another level of resilience is how optimistic someone is.

Being optimistic means having positive thoughts about the future and believing things will turn out well. A positive mind means you can deal with situations that at first look tough. Another level Dr Wesley mentioned was our biological level – how our bodies cope in times of distress. Distress is the feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something.

So when we're distressed, a resilient person is able to soothe his or her body and regulate his or her nervous system, which helps them stay calm.

But Rob, the big question is, are we born with resilience or can we learn it?

Experts speaking on the Y Factor programme tended to think it could be learned.

Yes, one of them is Anne Maston, a professor at the University of Minnesota. From her studies, she found it was something that we learn when we need to.

Anne Maston talks about how some of the children she studied manifest resilience from the start. When something manifests, it shows clearly and is easy to notice. They remain resilient despite adversity – a difficult time in their life that they have had to face. Other children, what she calls the late bloomers, started off less resilient, struggled with adversity, but turned their lives around by becoming more resilient. Maybe we can learn resilience from having a bad experience.

Well, one thing Anne went on to say was that families and friends can be a great support and help with resilience. Those that were late bloomers only connected with adults and mentors later in life.

Yes, she says that teachers or parents are role models in how to handle adversity.

And children are watching – they're learning from the adults around them by seeing how they react when they get challenged by something.

Time now to find out how resilient you are when you discover the correct answer to the question I asked earlier. I said that resilience is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance or object. But what does that mean? Is it… a. It's very tough or hard, b. It can return to its original shape after being bent, or c. It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly. And what did you say, Georgina?

I said it was b. It can return to its original shape after being bent.

And you are right. Well done. Bamboo is a good example of a resilient material.

You can bend it, it doesn't break and returns to its original shape.

Thanks for the science lesson, Rob. Now we need to recap the vocabulary we've mentioned today.

Yes, we've talked about being resilient – an adjective that describes someone's ability to cope with difficult situations. When you do this, you show resilience.

Someone who is optimistic has positive thoughts about the future and believes things will turn out well.

Distress is the feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something.

When something manifests itself, it shows clearly and is easy to notice.

And adversity is a difficult time in somebody's life that they have had to face.

And that brings us to the end of this discussion about resilience.

Please join us again next time. Bye bye.

Bye.

OK, I want you to close your eyes. Focus on your breathing.

Neil, can we do this later? We've only got six minutes.

OK, Catherine. Welcome to a Mindful edition of 6 Minute English, where we're exploring the rise of mindfulness, particularly in schools.

And we'll be teaching six items of vocabulary along the way.

So I think we should start with mindfulness itself.

Being mindful is the ability to be mindful of what you're doing.

I think we should start with mindfulness itself.

Being mindful, as an adjective, means being calmly aware of everything in your body and mind.

You only focus on now.

People practise mindfulness, the noun, by focusing only on their breath and not allowing themselves to be distracted by passing thoughts.

Indeed. It's traditionally associated with Buddhism and has become incredibly popular in the secular world, in workplaces, in private classes and even in schools.

Secular means non-religious, by the way.

OK, I just mentioned schools. How many teachers in the UK are trained to teach mindfulness?

Is it… a, 500, b, 5,000 or c, 50,000?

Let me focus really hard. I think it's 5,000.

A very mindful answer, Catherine, but I'll reveal the real answer later.

Now let's hear from one teacher who's been practising mindfulness with students for many years.

Alison Mayo, head of early years at Dharma Primary School, thinks it's particularly suited to young children. Why?

That's very natural for children to be in the present.

And we really kind of celebrate that because that is a place where they are learning.

So if they feel grounded then they can really develop their concentration and their focus and relax. Learning happens so much more easily if you're relaxed and happy.

Alison said it was natural for children to be in the present.

The present means now. You'll know the term from the present tense in grammar.

And people who practise mindfulness use this phrase a lot – to be in the present, or in the present moment.

It sounds simple but actually it's very hard to achieve.

Well, Neil, it might be for an old chap like you, but for young people,

Miss Mayo thinks it's very natural.

Fair enough. Being grounded, as she says, helps students concentrate and learn in a relaxed way.

Grounded is another good adjective there. It means rational, sensible, clear thinking.

So she's a fan of mindfulness and there's growing evidence behind its benefits.

Yes, the UK's National Health Advisory Body has recommended it to help treat conditions like depression and anxiety.

Studies have shown it reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

And a new study has claimed that eating mindfully can actually help people to lose weight.

You mean eating slowly?

Yes, slowly and really experiencing and tasting the food – not being distracted and not eating too much too fast.

Anyway, Neil, is mindfulness taking over the world?

Well, not quite yet. There still aren't many detailed studies on it, and some critics say the studies we have show a publication bias.

In other words, only the positive results are published.

A bias is when you support something or someone in an unfair way because of your preferences or beliefs.

What seems certain is that mindfulness has entered into many aspects of modern life, at least here in the UK.

Now, let's look back at our question.

I asked how many teachers in the UK have been trained in mindfulness?

And I said 5,000.

Well, it was actually 5,000.

Yay!

Well done. According to the Mindfulness Initiative. And it keeps on growing.

So before we finish up, here's another question that might be useful for our listeners.

What's the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

Aha, that's not so easy to define. Meditation is the broader term.

When you meditate, you spend time quietly, focusing your mind, often for relaxation or spiritual purposes.

Mindfulness is a particular kind of meditation, where you try to empty your mind of thought. Does that make sense?

Yeah, more or less. So we'll let our listeners meditate on that answer.

And before we empty our minds, let's look back at today's words.

We had mindfulness, mindful and mindfully.

They all relate to the particular practice of being only focused on what's happening now.

What's happening now, or we could say what's happening in the present.

People often focus on the past, thinking back about mistakes or happy memories.

Or on the future, which can be full of worries.

But by being in the present, you overcome these thoughts and fears.

Next we had secular. It contrasts with religious. So, while a church is a religious building, we also have secular buildings, like factories and shops and hospitals.

All non-religious buildings, in other words.

Exactly. Now tell me, Neil, are you feeling grounded right now?

You're asking if I'm thinking clearly and feeling connected to the world.

Do you even have to ask, Catherine? I'm a very grounded person.

You are most of the time. Most of the time you're naturally grounded.

Every now and again you get a bit panicked, but hey!

But some of us need to remember to slow down, chill out and meditate once in a while.

That would be meditate meaning to take quiet time to focus deeply on something.

Exactly. Now for more ways to improve your English, I suggest you mindfully visit our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages.

Yes, focus only on our pages. Don't be distracted by anything else.

Bye.

Goodbye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Beth.

And I'm Neil. Phew! I've spent a day in meetings, then shopping, then collecting the kids from school. I'm exhausted, Beth. What have you been doing today?

Oh, not much. Just sitting around, doing nothing, relaxing and kicking back.

Lucky you. Don't you have any work to do?

It may not look it, Neil, but I'm actually as busy as a bee.

If you've seen nature documentaries about worker bees flying from flower to flower, you probably think animals are always on the move. But the surprising truth is, away from the cameras, most animals spend most of their time doing absolutely nothing at all.

In the natural world, where finding food and shelter is hard work, why have some animals evolved to do nothing? And if it's good enough for animals, would being lazy work for humans too? That's what we'll be discussing in this programme and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

But first, let me work up the energy to ask you a question, Neil. Of course, some animals have a reputation for lounging about. Lions, for example, can sleep up to 20 hours a day. But what is the slowest moving animal on Earth? Is it… a. The giant tortoise b. The three-toed sloth or c. The koala Well, I think it's the three-toed sloth.

OK, Neil. I'll reveal the correct answer at the end of the programme.

Now, it's no surprise that lazy lions love relaxing, but even animals with reputations for being busy spend time doing nothing. Look carefully into an ant's nest and you'll see around half of them just sitting there motionless. Here's Professor Dan Charbonneau, an expert in insect behaviour, discussing the lazy rock ant with Emily Knight, presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme Nature Bang.

Dan's research has focused on ant colonies, a species called Temnothorax regartilis, or the rock ant.

I think ants are sort of a symbol of, like, industriousness. You know, they have this whole tiny little society going on that's kind of similar to ours.

If some idealised version of what humans might be, if we could only, like, pull it together and all work together, we could be as industrious as the ants. But then when you look at it, you know, roughly about half the colony is inactive at any given time.

We think ants are industrious or hard-working. Groups of ants called colonies seem tiny, perfect societies where everyone works hard for the good of the group.

Then why are so many of them inactive? One possible answer is that they're reserve ants, ready to step in if disease or disaster strike. But could it simply be that they don't work because they don't need to? Would you get out of bed on Monday morning if you didn't have to?

Maybe the ants can teach us a thing or two about relaxing.

But wouldn't it get boring just sitting around all day?

Not according to psychologist Dr Sandy Mann. She thinks being productive – working to produce a lot for the amount of resources we use – is overrated. Boredom has its benefits too, as she explained to BBC Radio 4 programme Nature Bang.

Would humans have invented bread or beer or fire, you know, if we hadn't been bored and were wondering what on earth would happen if we mix this with this, you know? Are all these sorts of inventions the mother of boredom? But in this world of constant stimulation, switching off is harder than it's ever been. That's why we're constantly swiping and scrolling and looking for the next big thing and the new thing and we get bored of things very quickly.

So it's a kind of paradox to get rid of this unpleasant state of boredom is actually to allow more boredom into your life.

Dr Mann doubts humans would have invented things without the curiosity that comes from being bored.

Boredom is the mother of invention – an idea based on the famous proverb, necessity is the mother of invention – an idiom meaning that if you really need to do something, you will think of a way of doing it.

Instead of fearing boredom, we can open up to its benefits by switching off – stopping worrying or thinking about something and relaxing. Slowing down helps too – something we can definitely learn from our animal cousins. I think now is a good time to reveal the answer to my question, since we have nothing else to do.

You asked me to name the world's slowest animal and I guessed it was the three-toed sloth.

Was I right?

That was the correct answer. With a top speed of 30 centimetres per minute, three-toed sloths move so slowly that algae grows on their coats.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme, starting with the phrase kicking back – to stop doing things and relax completely.