Meditation Helps Students Succeed

Kevin Baur | Writer

Students, and all people for that matter, experience stress throughout their lives. Whether from workload, relationships, or existential dread, many can certainly say that stress is a major problem in their life.

There are many ways individuals try to relieve that stress, including meditation. But how could simply taking a moment to breathe and reflect have any effect on one’s physiology and psychology?

A 2013 study from the Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand states, “Post-meditation serum cortisol levels were significantly lower…there is accumulating evidence that plasma and salivary cortisol can be reduced by mindfulness meditation.”

Additionally, a 2021 article from Mayo Clinic states that cortisol is a hormone that the body produces when one is under stress. Therefore, being able to reduce such a hormone through meditation is a clear indication of its stress-relieving effects.

Students at LCCC have employed meditation in order to reduce stress and promote a more relaxed lifestyle.

“Meditation has made an immense impact on my mental health,” said LCCC student Jayme Whitcomb.

She began meditating as a result of being diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder more than two years ago.

A 2021 article from Johns Hopkins Medicine states that “symptoms of this disorder include trouble falling asleep, an inability to relax, and poor concentration.”

Jayme is able to mitigate these symptoms through meditation, which presents meditation as a feasible approach to anxiety, issues with sleep, and more.

Meditation has a clear set of benefits that anyone has the opportunity to gain from beginning the practice. It has been shown to help with a plethora of issues that people from all walks of life experience ,and there is more than enough evidence to prove this point.