Your College Students Are Stressed

 3 Reasons You Should Meditate With Your College Students

Your college students deal with a great amount of stressful situations in their young adulthood. A majority of them are struggling to pay for college, don't have enough financial aid, are trying to pay their rent, and pass their classes all at the same time. Many professors expect their students to be grown up because life is hard, but no one should have to endure that type of stress on their own. 

3 reasons:

1. Improved Grades:

According to the blog "The Benefits of Meditation for College Students", "meditation can help you improve concentration, memory, and learning" (Mcgivney, Jen, 2020). All professors strive for their students to make good grades in classes, however, they often forget that a numerous number of students have test anxiety or another stressor. Meditating a few minutes before class starts, or before your students start a test can help them focus better. Better focus will lead to improved grades. 

2. Improved Mental Health:

About 27% of college students have a diagnosable mental illness, and that isn't including the students who have mental illnesses that are undiagnosed. The most common illness's are anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Numerous studies show that about 1000 college students take their own lives each year. As a professor with hundreds of students, you can't tell who is depressed. This is why you should introduce meditating to all of your students. 

3. Improved Sleep:

It is proven that meditation can help your students sleep better at night. As stated by "Affordable Colleges Online", the practice of meditation decelerates their metabolic activity. Sleep deprivation is also linked to anxiety, which is reduced by meditation as well. Better sleep will lead to an improvement in mental health which will also lead to better grades. 

Articles on the benefits of meditation:

https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/meditation-for-college-students/#:~:text=%20The%20Benefits%20of%20Meditation%20for%20College%20Students,you%20improve%20concentration%2C%20memory%2C%20and%20learning%20More%20

Guide to Sleep for College Students & Older Teens | Affordable Colleges Online

Your Students Are Overwhelmed!

If you are a teacher, then you know that many students suffer from anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADD/ADHD, and many other disorders and disabilities. It is a fact that around 40% of students lay bare to some sort of traumatic stressor, and this is not counting the percentage of students who are not able to say anything, or are afraid. The majority of guardians are impoverished and cannot afford therapy for their child. Instead of letting your students suffer in silence, introduce them to daily (mindfulness) meditation techniques. 

Reasons Why You Should Use Meditation In Your Classroom

Many teachers fail to realize that most of their students are struggling mentally. A child can experience anxiety, and other emotions at an early age. The majority of children are born with mental illnesses, disorders, and disabilities that were passed through their genes. Some teachers think a student is misbehaving because they aren't being punished correctly, instead it could be their cry for help. Although this has nothing to do with the teacher, I feel like they should be more understanding of the fact that many children cannot control things that are happening to them mentally. 

At any age, school can be extremely stressful. Meditation should be used to help ease a child's mind, especially once they start taking state tests or tests in general. A great deal of teachers always speak to their students about test anxiety, but they never give good tips on how to stop it.  

Not only is mindfulness meditation good for students, it is a good technique for teachers to use as well. I have seen many instances where teachers tend to take out their stress on their students. For example, my family had a lot of issues with my brother's special education teachers throughout high school. Instead of learning about his triggers, and wanting to help him grow into an amazing young adult, they would send him home by 9:00 AM almost every morning. They were overwhelmed with their jobs, and most likely went into the wrong career. My brother learned more at home, than he did at school because the only thing he did was watch YouTube on the school's computer. Teaching them to meditate or explaining "calm time" when they're upset is a tough job, however, it might work if you get them on a daily routine. Attempting this would relieve stress for everyone, but some teachers rather take their stress out on children and teenagers who can't speak up for themselves.

If you want more information on why mindfulness meditation is good for you and your students, here are some amazing websites:

https://eocinstitute.org/meditation/meditation-and-teachers-benefits-for-educators-and-students/#:~:text=Meditation%20helps%20teachers%20resist%20stress%20and%20respond%20effectively,their%20jobs.%20Benefits%20of%20Meditation%20in%20the%20Classroom

https://www.learningliftoff.com/meditation-in-schools/