By Siobhan Mulligan, Campus Carrier Features Editor
College is stressful. Just coming out of midterms, the memory of pulling all-nighters to finish papers and study for exams is still fresh in most of our minds, as is the dread of fast-approaching final exams. Most of us have heard of stress-reduction techniques like proper time management, getting out to exercise and getting enough sleep. Although those techniques are definitely helpful, it can be hard sometimes to put them into practice. Last semester, I found myself in the typical Berry dilemma of having taken on too much. I wound up spending many nights banging my head on my laptop in frustration while I tried to write papers, chowing down on caffeinated chocolate bars as a replacement for sleep and mostly wishing I could just lie on the ground and do nothing for a while. I resolved that this semester would be different.
So now, I give myself five or 10 minutes a day to lie on the ground and do nothing.
More accurately, I’ve started practicing mindfulness. It’s a practice based off meditative traditions in Buddhism and other religions that has recently gained steam in the West, where it was first introduced in the 1970s. Rather than doing nothing, per se, it’s a state of relaxed awareness where the practitioner notices how their body and mind feel, accepts those feelings and lets them go. It can be surprisingly calming to turn your attention not to the exam you have next week, but just to the way your spine feels as you lie on the floor, or the way air goes from cool to warm as you breathe it in and out. If you start thinking of that exam, it’s okay to acknowledge it and let the thought go as a moment of mindfulness in and of itself, rather than stressing because you’re not being relaxed enough. It’s a practice that’s inherently forgiving of oneself and others, which can make a welcome break for those of us who struggle with perfectionism and self-criticism.
It may seem a little bit New Age to some people, and others may be turned off by its religious roots. However, most forms don’t require you to follow a particular religion, and its benefits have intrigued scientists for years now. Integrating mindfulness with psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy has been successful in treating depression and other mental illnesses. A study published in the Lancet last year by Willem Kuyken, professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford, tested whether or not mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was as effective as antidepressants for preventing further depressive episodes in patients who had already experienced three or more depressive episodes. The researchers found that taking an eight-week MBCT course proved roughly as effective as staying on antidepressants for two years, and MBCT was slightly more effective than antidepressants for patients who had undergone childhood abuse. Even more studies exist showing the benefits of mindfulness in dealing with everyday stress and exhaustion.
Personally, I’ve found it a useful tool in dealing with the things my brain throws my way. While it doesn’t mean that I’ll never be stressed again, it’s helped me avoid the full-scale freak-outs I used to have, because I now have the tools to face my problems one at a time. Importantly, it’s easier to fit into my schedule than, say, going for a two-hour hike in the woods or driving to Sweet Frog to eat my problems away in frozen yogurt. If you want to get started, you can look for a class or meditation group that fits your needs and schedule. If that seems overly ambitious or you can’t make it out of bed, you can find guided meditations on YouTube or through a variety of apps.
When you find yourself worrying about all the stress college brings, take a minute. Lie on the floor or sit in a chair, and give yourself permission not to worry for a while. It can make more of a difference than you’d think.