Mindfulness
Facts
ASU students indicated the following had resulted in receiving a lower grade in a class, taking an incomplete or dropping a class, or disrupting their graduate studies over the past 12 months:
- Anxiety - 13.0%
- Stress - 15.7%
60.9% of ASU students indicated they experienced more than average or tremendous stress during the past 12 months.
64.8% of ASU students indicated they felt overwhelming anxiety during the past 12 months.
- Mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety among college students.
- Mindfulness supports attention, focus and memory.
Many ASU students experience positive benefits by engaging in mindfulness practices.
- Among ASU students, 58.0% reported they had engaged in mindfulness practices in the previous 7 days.
Sources:
American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment: Arizona State University Spring 2019. Baltimore: American College Health Association; Spring 2019 (n=2,096).
Bamber, M.D. & Schneider, J.K. (2016). Mindfulness-based meditation to decrease stress and anxiety in college students: A narrative synthesis of the research. Educational Research Review 18:1-32.
Mrazek, M.D., Franklin, M.D., Phillips, D.T, Baird, B., & Schooler, J.W. (2013). Mindfulness training improves working memory capacity and GRE performance while reducing mind wandering. Psychological Science 24(5) 776-781.
Mindfulness is the act of purposefully paying attention to what is going on now, in the present moment, with openness and willingness to fully experience of this moment.
(adapted from Jon Kabat-Zin and the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center)
Mindfulness practices are:
- Ancient practices that are being used as a remedy for modern stresses and a host of physical ailments
- Mental training that is meant to become a way of living and being
- Formal and informal practices such as meditation, yoga, music, art, nature and other activities
Being mindful means:
- Self-regulating your attention to stay focused on your experience in the present moment
- Being curious, open and accepting toward your present moment experience
- Willingness to bring whatever you are experiencing – pleasant and/or unpleasant — into your field of awareness
- Bringing friendly, kind, caring attention to your own experience
- Cultivating self-compassion and self-care
- Enhancing empathy and compassion for the experience and action of others
Why mindfulness matters:
- Mindfulness practices, such as mindful meditation, have been shown to reduce anxiety, improve focus, concentration and mood.
- Mindfulness practices can be used to support well-being and academic performance.
Mindfulness practices
Simple mindfulness practices include:
- Sitting meditation
- Body scan meditation
- Mindful yoga, walking, eating, communication
- Being mindful in routines (such as brushing teeth, showering, doing chores, etc.)
- Loving-kindness practices
S.T.O.P. to practice mindfulness
Stop - Pause for a moment. Slow down.
Take a breath - Take a slow breath to help you calm down and become aware.
Observe - Pay attention to what is happening in the present moment. Notice what you feel and what is happening in your body.
Proceed - Continue with what you were doing.
Center for Mindfulness offers a variety of resources for ASU Students, Faculty, and Staff including links to online guided meditations, free events, and helpful tools.
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center offers information and online resources including a wide selection of FREE Guided Meditations.
Take a class for credit
SWU250 Stress Management Tools 1 offers students the opportunity to understand how stress impacts quality of life by exploring nutrition, exercise, passion, vision, relationships and environment while developing strategies to manage stress through mindfulness.
SWU349 Stress Management Tools 2 offers students the opportunity to identify personal strategies in managing stress while deepening their mindfulness practice. Students explore the impact of instinct, happiness, physiology of the nervous system, gratitude, mindful relationships, mindful eating and sustainable living.
SWG579 Critical Incident Stress Management explores the impact of trauma and vicarious trauma while regaining homeostasis through mindfulness and quality of life.