Don’t sweat the exam: Another study confirms mindfulness reduces stress

Mindfulness lessens stress in students during exam periods, a study that appeared in the journal The Lancet Public Health showed.

The study also showed that Buddhist meditation boosts pupils’ overall well-being. This ancient form of meditation is recommended by the National Health Service to help people feel better.

University counseling rose by 50 percent from 2010 to 2015 in some areas of the United Kingdom, which could be because of students suffering more mental health issues or becoming less enduring.

“Students who had been practicing mindfulness and distress scores lower than their baseline levels even during exam time, which suggests that mindfulness helps build resilience against stress,” said lead author Dr. Julieta Galante.

As a matter of fact, positive effects can be detected within just an eight-week mindfulness course, the researchers said.

For his part, study author Peter Jones of the University of Cambridge added: “The evidence is mounting that mindfulness training can help people cope with accumulative stress. While these benefits may be similar to some other preventative methods, mindfulness can be a useful addition to the interventions already delivered by university counseling services.

In a related development, a study that was published in October 2017 showed that participating in mindfulness exercises relieves tension by as much as 51 percent, by improving regions of the brain that respond to attention, compassion, and function.

“As empathy, compassion, and perspective-taking are crucial competencies for successful social interactions, conflict resolution, and cooperation, these findings are highly relevant,” lead author Professor Tania Singer of the Max Planck Institute of Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany, said.

Earlier studies contribute to the conclusion that mindfulness reduces stress

A dozen scientific evidence from various universities – including the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Oxford – showed that mindfulness not only lessens incidents of stress but also establishes a sense of resilience so that future stressors barely dent physical well-being.

According to those studies, being mindful makes you think before you react to a situation, thereby preventing you from committing impulsive moves and allowing you the luxury of making informed choices. It also helps you have a better grasp at teaching your body how to relax and energize itself.

Being mindful can also help you become more sensitive to the needs of your body, helping you learn if there might be some inherent problem with your organs and helping you address them ahead of time, studies showed. (Related: Meditating for just a few minutes each day reduces stress while boosting feelings of happiness.)

For more stories regarding activities that can enhance the power of the mind, visit Mind.news today.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Mindful.org