Abstract
Maintaining efficient time management and learning how to balance different facets of life can be difficult for undergraduate students. Students can have difficulty with maintaining their schedules and academic responsibilities, which can disrupt daily living functionality. Mindfulness is an evidence-based practice that can help students establish a self-care routine. Additionally, establishing a mindfulness regimen can help to improve students' academic performance. With the inclusion of technology, mindfulness mobile applications have gained popularity over the past decade and have provided a convenient method for students to engage in guided meditations.
TopIntroduction
Incorporating Mindfulness Technology Into the College Environment
Attending college indicates that young adults have reached at least partial independence from their caretakers and are responsible for making crucial life decisions. Establishing a balance between attending classes, work, and other personal obligations can be challenging, but that balance is needed to have a successful college experience (Appleby, 2017). According to Appleby (2017), there are multiple components for succeeding in college, such as the soft skills of interpersonal and critical thinking competencies and a goal-orientated mind frame. Additionally, establishing a self-care routine is another helpful component that can help with student success. For example, Parmer (2017) mentioned that maintaining self-care practices can be difficult for college students, but it can be an outlet for stress reduction. Although there are multiple self-care routines for students to reduce stress and improve their academic performance, mindfulness is a technique that can be useful to improve mental clarity and help with the issues associated with stress and concentration levels.
Mental Health For College Students
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) (2019), stated that one in five adolescents ages 13-18 years have a severe mental illness and one in five adolescents have a learning disability. Additionally, 11% of adolescents have a mood disorder, 10% have a conduct disorder, and 8% have an anxiety disorder (NAMI, 2019). Sixty-four percent of college students who are no longer attending college classes have cited mental health issues as the primary reason for not continuing their courses (NAMI, 2019). According to prior research, students who are diagnosed with a mental health disorder or experiencing emotional distress may require additional support within the college setting (Alderson Broaddus University, n.d.; Braider et al., 2019; Mitchell et al., 2019). The American College Health Association (ACHA) is a research-based organization that focuses on advocacy, research, and education for undergraduate and graduate students (ACHA, n.d). The American College Health Association National College Assessment, administer by The ACHA, accesses the following domains:
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General Health of College Students,
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Disease and Injury Prevention,
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Academic Impacts,
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Violence, Abusive Relationships and Personal Safety,
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Tobacco, Alcohol, and Marijuana Use,
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Sexual Behavior,
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Nutrition and Exercise,
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Mental Health,
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Sleep.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Guided Meditation: When engaging in this type of meditation, an instructor leads the meditation exercises and participants responds the guidance provided throughout the practice.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MB-CBT): This type of counseling modality merges principles of cognitive behavioral therapy with meditation and is often used to treat a range of mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety issues.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhism and defined as being present in the moment. Additionally, the field of psychology adopted mindfulness as a coping mechanism practice. Also, there is a focus on being aware of feelings, the environment, physical state, and being open-minded.
Meditation: A set of mental and physical practices that are used to achieve a state of calmness, improve wellness, and enhance mental clarity.
Mobile Application: In defining this term, it is a type of software that is formatted for mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets and is commonly referred to as an “app”. Users are able to download an app from the either the Apple (iOS) or Android application stores.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): The American Psychological Association (APA) stated that this intervention occurs over 8 weeks and is usually conducted in a group format with components of mediation and yoga.
Ego Resilience: The ability of people to adapt to changes presented in different environments, self-regulate, and exercise self-control.