Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness in College
Being in college can be one of the busiest times in a young adult's life. Balancing school, work,and a social life, along with all the other obligations that come with university life, can put astrain on your mental health. As a busy college student myself, I have had my fair share ofmental health struggles, and one way I have learned to cope with stress and anxiety is throughmindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of the present moment, acknowledgingany thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. Mindfulness is a practice that collegestudents can implement into their daily routine to reap its benefits.
Various research studies have been conducted over the years looking at the connection between mindfulness and mental health. According to the American Psychological Association,“researchers reviewed more than 200 studies of mindfulness among healthy people and foundmindfulness-based therapy was especially effective for reducing stress, anxiety, anddepression. Mindfulness can also help treat people with specific problems, including depression,pain, smoking, and addiction.” Practicing mindfulness consistently can also help improve focus, memory, and even emotional regulation. The American Psychological Association also cites, “a study of people who had anywhere from one month to 29 years of mindfulness meditation practice, researchers found that mindfulness meditation practice helped people disengage from emotionally upsetting pictures and enabled them to focus better on a cognitive task as compared with people who saw the pictures but did not meditate (Ortner et al., 2007).”Practicing mindfulness meditation before bed can also help those who struggle with insomnia ordifficulty sleeping at night.
Some people might feel overwhelmed by the idea of practicing mindfulness, but there arevarious ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. One of the best ways to startpracticing mindfulness is by using guided meditations. I personally like to use YouTube to findguided meditations, but there are also various apps now, such as Headspace and Calm, thathave beginner-friendly meditations as well.
Another way to incorporate mindfulness into your routine is by turning daily tasks into mindfulpractices. One of my favorite ways to do this is by going on a mindful walk. In the morning onmy walk to class, I put away my phone, and as I am walking, I try to stay fully aware of eachstep I am taking, along with my breathing. I use this time to observe my feelings and thoughtswithout judgment, and it is a great way to start the day. Another way to implement mindfulnessinto your daily routine is to practice it in the shower. This may sound strange, but being in theshower is one of the few moments in a day where we are free of distractions. When showering, Ilike to use that time to pay attention to my breathing, and I visualize the water washing away thenegative thoughts that come to my mind.
While college can be one of the most exciting times of a young adult's life, it also comes with aton of stress. The pressures of school, work, and staying social can take a toll on students'mental health, leading so many to struggle with anxiety and depression. Mindfulness can be anincredible tool for students to use to help cope with the stress of college life.
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