The increased number of students experiencing stress is prompting college campuses to create classes and resources for students to refer to in order to cope.
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course is one way Ramapo College is trying to help its students. The course is an 8-week program dedicated toward giving students coping mechanisms using the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques.
“The course is based on practice. There are four foundational formal practices that we develop throughout the course: sitting meditation, yoga, body scans, walking meditation. Our practices are very body connected and grounding,” said Professor Carol Bowman, who leads the course.
The issue of mental health on college campuses has only continued to grow as a pressing matter and college campuses have increased their tactics to help with these crippling issues.
An estimated 45 percent of college students say they’ve experienced stress and 61 percent say they they’ve experienced anxiety, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2017 report.
What is MSBR?
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction was first created in 1979 by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn.
The main aspect of the program is to train the mind through meditation and then focus on how to implement meditation within your daily life to help you cope with stress.
The University of Massachusetts’ Medical School has conducted research of over 35 years that shows just how legitimate and reliable this type of training is. The 8-week course is designed to give you some sort of “intervention” and give you ways to maintain this level of awareness.
The university has seen increases in important adulthood traits like “enhanced psychological hardiness,” and “a greater sense of coherence.” If involved in the program you will most likely gain higher levels of sense of self, clarity, and ability to troubleshoot stress.
The so called principles of MSBR, according to the university, are equally involved with science and medicine, but also with a historic Buddhist practice known as Dharma. Dharma is frequently used in Buddhist religions and Indian religions.
It requires a fair amount of studying to truly understand what Dharma is about, but at the core it consists of teachings that deeply rely on meditation and mindfulness.
What is Ramapo’s program like?
Ramapo College has regularly encouraged it’s students to pursue some knowledge when it comes to stress reduction and mindfulness. This tweet from 2017 is just one example of that.
Curious about mindfulness or meditation? Learn how they can help with stress reduction, anxiety, focus & more. 12:30-1pm | Sept 18 | ASB-420 pic.twitter.com/ug4oXO3s83
— Ramapo College (@RamapoCollegeNJ) September 12, 2017
Bowman says that the course, CNST 240: Mindfulness Based Stress Reductions, is based off of John-Kabat-Zinn’s course at University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The course involves carefully sequenced training in mindfulness practices like breathing, body movement, and learning how to impart those tools in everyday life.
“We also begin to introduce mindful moments and breaths throughout our day. The course looks at the effects of the flight or fight response to our health and our relationships, with a focus on developing coping strategies and insights that allow us to better navigate our difficult moments,” she added.
“How do we consciously respond rather than simply react on the basis of our physiological and emotional reactions? We develop strategies for self-compassion, mindful communication with others, and mindful action. The course also includes a full day of mindfulness silence, where we go deeper into the practices,” she explained.
As a requirement for a Contemplative Studies Minor, some students are placed into the course with no option, however the tools that can be taken away prove that perhaps every college student should take the class.
According to Bowman, when students take the course, they often develop a stronger ability to see things more clearly, accept themselves for who they are, react to situations better, understand that their thoughts are not always deemed facts, become more sensitive to other people’s perspectives, develop the ability to overcome periods of mental equilibrium, and balance relationships, situations, and personal health.
Students should take a course like this because, based on facts, statistics, and Bowman’s experience, stress and anxiety are no stranger to college campuses.
Gabby Burkart, a sophomore at Ramapo, agrees with the amount of stress students feel.
“I think definitely there’s a lot of issues with the amount of stress college students go through. There’s so much on your plate between your classes and then you’re usually expected to work some sort of like, part-time job on top of that. And then, extracurriculars and all that, there’s like no time to really sit back and relax, you feel like you’re always needing to be doing something so I think it’ definitely, like, an issue a lot of college students are facing. I know I felt that. That stressed out feeling.”
When she found out this was an available course at Ramapo, she felt like it would be a course she’d be very interested to take to help her and other students.
“I would definitely be interested in something like that. I think it’s always good and it gives you a structure where you have to then set aside time during your day to like de-stress. So by having structure I think students would really benefit from that, and it gives you the chance to also, like, be in class so you feel productive and what not.”
Professor Bowman feels that her ability to share these practices to other students are important, especially since they have helped her so much in her own life.
“I believe that students go through 16 years of school and spend their time learning about everything but themselves. We need to help young people develop these powerful tools to deal with a stressful, distracting and challenging world. This course is an introduction to a way of living that is more compassionate,” she states. “As Gandhi said “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” I believe that the greatest potential for a more just and compassionate world is the inner changes that each person makes that then inform all their actions and speech.”
For more information on the course, like pricing, future courses, enrollment, etc. click on this page.
The course happening right now, on Saturdays from Feb. 26 through March 16, is in the Krame Center in room ASB-420.
The Krame Center also hosts various other meditation classes, yoga studies, and other mindfulness programs.
This story indeed has the full package. The emotion included within the audio drives home the point of the article, as the speaker even sounds stressed, and there are a multitude of different links. All information is well sourced and intriguing, and those interested in further research can easily do it. The topic is also very relevant.