Edited By: Joy Jiang
If you’re reading this as a university student, you are probably no stranger to stress. If you are reading this as a UofT student, you have probably had more than a few nervous breakdowns, or have at least developed a serious ice-cream addiction. No matter what program you’re in, you likely face a very high workload, and a lot is expected of you. We all develop ways to deal with the pressure: exercise, whining, binge eating – undoubtedly, some strategies are healthier than others! However, I’d like to bring up a very undervalued coping mechanism: meditation.
Mindfulness provides you with a way to maintain some level of control in an essentially chaotic environment – even though you have no say in what goes on around you, you do control your mind, which can be invaluable. If that’s not enough of an incentive, there is a horde of scientific evidence demonstrating several reasons you should take up meditation.
1. Health Benefits
Research shows us meditation has the effect of enhancing our brain and immune function. A study done at the University of Wisconsin found that participants who underwent an 8-week clinical training program in mindfulness meditation had significantly increased activity in areas of the brain related to immunity. Moreover, another study reports that the action of meditating engages several brain mechanisms involved in altering the subjective experience of pain. It essentially increases your ability to fight sickness and tolerate pain – but that’s not all!
2. Emotional Benefits
Meditation has been proven to not only increase positive emotions but also decrease depression, stress and anxiety. Fredrickson et al. conducted a field experiment to study the effects of meditation on 136 working adults. They found an increased experience of daily positive emotions, which in turn led to increased mindfulness, purpose in life, social support as well as decreased illness symptoms. Participants reported feeling more satisfied with their lives, and less depressed. These results are supported by another study which found that meditation can actually be used therapeutically on patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Therefore, meditation can help you lead a happier as well as healthier life.
3. Benefits to Productivity
You may ask yourself, “How can I get better at doing more by literally doing nothing?” – but research has shown that meditation increases your focus and attention, improves your memory, and helps you multitask better. A study conducted at the University of Pennysylvania found that Mindfulness improved participants’ attention by enhancing the function of specific attentional subsystems such as alerting, orienting, and conflict monitoring. Another study investigating the effects of meditation on the multitasking ability of office personnel found that those who underwent a mindfulness program were able to stay focused on tasks for longer periods of time, and switch between tasks less than those who did not. The meditation group also reported feeling less stressed out while working.
So there you have it: meditation is an excellent way to deal with the pressure of being a university student. There are plenty of other scientifically validated reasons; you can read some more about it here if you like. If you don’t want to meditate alone, that’s okay – UofT’s got you covered! There are opportunities to engage in mindfulness in group settings every day of the week at various times and locations around campus. You can access the full schedule of meditation with Yoga and Tai-Chi sessions here.
Happy Meditating!