Previous research has demonstrated that physical activity is positively connected to mental well-being, with walking being reported as one of the most common physical activities among adults ( Bafageeh & Loux, 2022). Therefore, breath meditation was used in this pilot study, and heart rate was measured to help serve as an indicator of the mental effort required to complete the meditation practice. While there are different meditation practices available, breath meditation may require less perceived effort than other mindfulness practices (e.g., loving-kindness, observing-thoughts meditation) and may produce a lower heart rate compared to other meditation techniques ( Carter & Carter III, 2016 Lumma et al., 2015). More recently and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, research explored the use of online and app-based mindfulness practices and demonstrated decreased stress, anxiety, and depression among participants ( Lahtinen et al., 2023 Witarto et al., 2022). Lastly, graduate students, faculty, and staff who completed a 10-week yoga program experienced significantly reduced perceived stress ( Brems, 2015). Implementation of a two-day mind-body therapy intervention within a cohort of veterinary faculty and staff led to significant decreases in perceived stress and increased mindfulness ( Artemiou et al., 2018). Additionally, college professors who participated in a four-day seminar on mindfulness, and integrated mindfulness practices into their teaching, demonstrated an improved connection with their students, higher levels of engagement and expressed greater enthusiasm ( Brendel and Cornett-Murtada, 2019). Moreover, mindfulness practices can help facilitate focus and attention in college students, while also reducing stress, anxiety, and depression and improving well-being ( Bamber & Morpeth, 2019 Bamber & Schneider, 2016 Dark-Freudeman et al., 2021 Sass et al., 2019 Wingert et al., 2022 Yamada & Victor, 2012). Previous research has demonstrated that mindfulness can be used to reduce stress and is a skill that can be developed ( Kabat-Zinn, 2013). Mindfulness can be defined as “the awareness that arises by paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” and is a practice with origins in Buddhism ( Kabat-Zinn, 2013, p. For example, 70% of faculty reported feeling stressed in 2020, compared to 32% in 2019 ( Gewin, 2021). Additionally, faculty and staff reported increased levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout during the pandemic ( Gewin, 2021). Students also reported that having access to more mental health resources was important to them during the pandemic ( Active Minds, 2020). More specifically, 71.26% of students surveyed at Texas A&M University stated that their stress and anxiety levels had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Wang et al., 2020). There was an unprecedented increase in stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic ( Huckins et al., 2020 Gewin, 2021). In 2019–2020, 42% of college students sampled considered stress to be a concern and 63% indicated anxiety as a concern ( Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2020). Within higher education, there are many factors that contribute to faculty, staff, and student stress, which negatively impacts well-being ( Bamber & Schneider, 2016 Gewin, 2021). This pilot study lays the foundation for further research into mindfulness, physical activity, and mental health, which may have important implications for promoting mental well-being in college populations following the COVID-19 pandemic. Results demonstrated that the intervention was feasible, and that daily breathing meditation may help reduce anxiety and may lead to greater physical activity and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Surveys assessed feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, along with perceived anxiety, depression, well-being, worry, and mindfulness at baseline and after the two-week study. Amount of sleep and physical activity were measured with the Fitbit. All participants wore a Fitbit for two weeks and were assigned to a treatment group ( n = 17), who completed a daily five-minute breathing meditation during the second week, and a control group ( n = 17), who did not complete breathing meditation. College students, faculty, and staff ( n = 34) from a public university participated in the study during spring, summer, and fall 2021. This pilot study aimed to explore the intersection of mindfulness, physical activity, and mental well-being within higher education populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |