The time we spend at college can be some of the best days of our lives. With new people, places and things to experience, it can all be equally stressful. Many often stress out and suffer trying to balance making time for assignments, studying, exams, work and friends. So when it’s time for students to de-stress, it’s surprising many don’t consider adding a meditation regimen to their schedule.
Now that all the skeptics are rolling their eyes, it is important to point out what meditation is not. Meditation is often dismissed as a religious activity or being out of one’s comfort zone. You don’t have to accept a new religion or go study with a guru in the mountains because meditation isn’t about belief; it is about consciousness.
Meditation is the practice and art of quieting the mind. If you take time to just listen to yourself think, your mind is probably racing with what else you have to do today, this week, who you want to hang out with, where you want to go and the list goes on. When you quiet the mind, it allows you to step back from the hustle and bustle of life. This chance at peace, no matter how temporary, is what draws so many people to meditation in the first place.
One of the clearest benefits of meditation reveals itself in your concentration. When you have a clear and quiet mind, you have a greater ability to focus and become more productive.
Another of the benefits of meditation is improved health. Numerous studies have found health benefits tied to frequent meditation. In reducing stress and anxiety, meditation allows for other health benefits to follow.
Meditation also allows the chance to calm down and stop sweating the small stuff. It’s easy to get carried away and build up small things into serious problems. In meditation, you are able to step back and detach from those stressful aspects of life. In looking at the bigger picture, we can see how small those small problems are and get over them.
While many are warming up to the idea of meditation, they believe they don’t have the time to commit to a routine. It’s not difficult to make time; take time if a rerun comes on, take a short break from focusing on Facebook to focus on yourself or if you want to meditate in the morning, just wake up a little earlier. The benefits
of a more productive day are worth the small break from your regular routine.
Meditation takes practice, but it’s not as scary as it sounds. When you sit down to meditate for the first time, you might become frustrated at how loud your thoughts are and feelings of “it’s been ten minutes, why am I not a Zen master by now?” It is helpful to remind yourself anything worthwhile takes practice. Meditating every day would be ideal, but only you can hold yourself to such a standard.
When meditating, it is important to keep your back straight. You can keep your back against a wall if that helps, but don’t slouch or you’re likely to get too comfortable and fall asleep. Also, don’t try to cheat the system and meditate on your back in bed with your eyes closed. Last time I checked, this is called sleeping. It is important to be conscious while meditating.
You don’t have to twist your legs up like a pretzel to meditate. You could even meditate in a chair as long as you keep your back straight. You could burn incense or light a candle, but if you live on-campus, you’ll just get busted. RAs and DPS pounding on your door is close to the opposite of what you want your meditation
sessions to be like.
Now that you’re all set, just close your eyes and focus on the act of slowly breathing in and out. Your mind might wander, but it’s important to focus on your breathing. It might be difficult the first time, but as long as you keep your wandering thoughts positive and keep up with the practice, you’re on your way to calmer days with less stress.
