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For busy college students, especially working adults, taking time out to peacefully meditate and focus on the quiet in and out of your breath may feel like a useless indulgence. Mindful meditation might seem like something for people with endless time on their hands, not someone who has a paper to finish writing and an exam to study for. 

However, according to a report by the American College Health Association, over 80% of college students experience moderate or high levels of stress (ACHA, 2020). This stress can negatively affect well-being, memory, and performance, including academic performance (APA, 2021; Elias et al., 2011). For students, learning strategies to cope with and manage this stress can lead to greater college success (Hartley, 2012). 

Mindful meditation is an effective strategy for students to manage and cope with stress. Mindfulness is “the practice of being fully present and aware of your current experiences – without overreacting or getting lost in thought” (Mindful, 2025, para. 1). By practicing mindfulness, students can change their cognitive thinking “from one heavily dominated by past or future thinking that creates suffering, to a new paradigm mindset which allows them to stay more present, focused, calm, productive, and as a result, appreciate and enjoy life to a greater extent” (St. Martin et al., 2024, p. 2833). These benefits can enable students to decrease their stress, anxiety, and negative thoughts while increasing both their overall well-being and their academic performance (St. Martin et al., 2024). 

Practicing mindfulness does not need to involve long yoga retreats or expensive gear. Students can practice mindfulness by sitting comfortably and focusing on four core elements: 

1. Awareness: Becoming conscious of your ongoing experiences
2. Presence: Grounding yourself in the physical sensations and emotions of the current moment
3. Relaxed Ease: Learning to settle down and relax in the present
4. Spaciousness: Creating mental space between your breath, thoughts, and physiological reactions

Purdue Global provides an opportunity for students to join a university-wide mediation series every Monday. Students can drop in to join their peers, professors, and staff from across the university to read a positive affirmation together and practice mindful meditation for 15 minutes. Join us weekly to begin reaping the benefits of mindful meditation for your academic studies! 

Until next time, this is Dr. Linscott with another Learning for Success podcast. Happy Learning! 

References 

American College Health Association. (2020). National college health assessment: fall 2020 references group executive summary. https://www.acha.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NCHA-III_Fall_2020_Reference_Group_Executive_Summary.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2021 April). Stress relief is within reach. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress

Elias, H. Ping, W. S., Abdullah, M. C., (2011). Stress and academic achievement among undergraduate students in Universiti Putra Malaysia. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29, 646-655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.288

Hartley, M.T. (2012). Assessing and promoting resilience: an additional tool to address the increasing number of college students with psychological problems. Journal of College Counseling, 15(1), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1882.2012.00004.x

Mindful Staff (2025, May 15). What is mindfulness? Mindful. https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/

St. Martin, M. W., Vidic, Z., Oxhandler, R. (2024). Exploring the impact of a mindfulness meditation class on college student stress levels and quality of life. Journal of American College Health 72(8), 2829-2835. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2133962