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The American Psychological Association states that mindfulness is a concept that can be applied to various coping strategies, such as meditation, to help people avoid or overcome destructive habits and responses to stressful situations. The concept suggests that using tools such as observing thoughts, emotions, and real-time experiences without losing control, reacting, or judging can reduce stress and promote physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being (APA, 2022). The wellness paradigm and mindfulness techniques can be applied to any of these aspects. For example, Seaward states that being mindful of the mental component involves living in the present moment by turning off one’s ego and turning on observation of one’s thoughts with the intention of achieving inner peace (Seaward, 2022). Practicing mindfulness promotes inner peace and “neutralizes” stress.

Choosing the right informal practice may be less arduous than you think, and here are several techniques well-suited to a student’s lifestyle:

Mental

• Sitting meditation: Sitting still, back straight, eyes closed, completely focused on one’s breathing. 
• Loving-Kindness Meditation: Strengthen your connection to others by observing your thoughts with the intention of demonstrating loving kindness toward people, events, and situations, to create a more harmonious environment. Repeat the affirmation phrase “May you be happy” to yourself when engaging. This works great when replying to peers’ discussion board posts (Seaward, 2022).

Emotional

• Reduce risk of emotional overload or damage by managing relationships, nutrition, and sleeping habits. Avoid taking on more than you are comfortable with, eat a balanced diet, and create a peaceful sleeping environment/schedule.
• Protect your inner peace. Constantly adjusting to stressful situations and people is exhausting. Be aware of factors that cause imbalance and redirect.
• Do self-care! Loving yourself and enjoying pampering behaviors, such as a pedicure or massage, build resilience to stress (Pittmon, 2026).

Physical

• Body scan: Moving your awareness from your toes, then ankles, then calves, knees, thighs, and so on. Bring awareness to the different regions of the body and observe places that are storing emotions and tension. Then release! Try these during study breaks (Seaward, 2022).
• Physical wellness occurs when the body’s eight physiological systems function optimally for one’s age. As a student over 50, I consider age-related and lifestyle factors. Being homebound, I use daily 4D exercises on YouTube for cardio, Pilates, and stretching. I also make it a point to go to the gym once a week to ensure I weight train. It’s important to select workouts that align with your schedule and to practice slow, deliberate movements along with deep breathing.

Spiritual

• Spiritual wellness (soul wellness) is the state of maturity and higher consciousness derived from insightful relationships with oneself, others, and, in many instances, a higher power. It also embodies the development of a strong belief system, value system, and sense of purpose in life (Ryff, 2021). Some meditate, while others reflect or pray. Ultimately, prioritize what feels right for you. Spiritual wellness is a vital aspect of the overall wellness mandala; omitting it creates a significant void. 

These are just a few concepts, examples, and techniques to introduce you to mindfulness for stress relief. While many factors contribute to stress and a stressful environment, including culture, “isms”, general lack of civility, socioeconomic status, inner conflict, etc., should we simply accept the inevitable, or are there effective, inexpensive, accessible, and inclusive strategies for coping with stress? Mindfulness is the answer! I hope you take the time to explore how mindfulness can benefit your existence. 

Until next time, this is Peer Tutor Joyelle Smith with another Learning for Success podcast. May you be happy! 

References

American Psychological Association. (2022). Mindfulness. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness

Pittmon, S. (2026). Unit 1-5 Seminar. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://purdueglobal.brightspace.com/d2l

Ryff, C. D. (2021). Spirituality and well-being: Theory, science, and the nature connection. Religions, 12(11), 914. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12110914

Seaward, B. L. (2020). Managing Stress: Skills for Self-Care, Personal Resiliency and Work-Life Balance in a Rapidly Changing World (10th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/books/9781284229875