What is Mindfulness?
Being mindful is one of many techniques people can employ to find contentment in a chaotic world, especially in the time of COVID-19. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that teaches people how to live in the moment and think purposefully. Jon Kabat-Zinn describes mindfulness as "purposefully paying attention." (Garey, 2019). This form of mediation has countless benefits for those that put it into practice. Students deal with stress daily, and a lack of coping mechanisms to handle this can lead to depression, anxiety, lack of personal relationships, and a decrease in focus (Baer, 2003; Hofmann et. al, 2010; Kabat-Zinn, 2003.) Mindfulness can help with these challenges.
So...what's the point?
When we pay attention to our thoughts and emotions, our mind becomes more focused and balanced, leading to a decrease in stress and anxiety. The objective of being mindful is to give your mind some time to reflect on what is happening around you, even if that just means focusing on the way your hands feel on your desk, how your feet feel on the floor, or counting each breath you take.
How can Mindfulness help me, as a student?
Throughout the day as students, we are regularly faced with obstacles in the form of zoom classes, reading assignments, social commitments, and even the weight of taking care of ourselves. We are expected to handle all of this with as much energy and confidence as possible, and to be on the top of our games, balancing school, a social life, and even work all at the same time. Our lives tend to be busy and loaded with tasks that need completion: to-do lists litter our desks, our Google calendars are disasters, and it feels like we need to schedule time just to sleep and eat. When we become so overwhelmed by the never-ending lists of assignments and tasks we must complete, it can be hard to do our best on them. By exercising Mindfulness, we are more likely to succeed in our assignments and can even better our mental health. Rather than focusing on all the things we have to complete in the upcoming days and becoming overwhelmed if we can focus our attention on the present moment, we can overcome the stress of future needs, and accommodate what needs we can fulfill right now.
School can be an overwhelming place for many of us, but the purpose of college isn’t to stress us out; it’s supposed to be a place where we learn new things and broaden our horizons. When put into practice, Mindfulness can help transform our endless lists of assignments into a learning experience, as it is designed to be.
When should I practice Mindfulness?
Perhaps the next time your mind is drowning in tasks that need your attention, try slowing down your thoughts. Take a second to notice how you’re feeling, from evaluating your emotions to focusing on what your body feels like in your chair. Go for a walk and focus on how your shoes meet the pavement with each step, listen to the traffic sounds around you, pay attention to the warmth of the sun rays, and tickle of the cool breeze. Take a moment to be present; that essay you’ve been stressing over can wait five minutes while you refresh your mind. If you have a second right now, consider practicing Mindfulness right now, with the video below!
Thanks for reading! Here are our sources and some more resources if you're interested: