Personal caregiver for your mind full

Have you ever found yourself experiencing high levels of stress? If you are a college student, the answer is very likely to be yes [1-2]. In that case, researchers at US universities suggest mindfulness meditation via mobile apps such as Calm can be helpful to you. The current study found that people can heal their minds by meditating for 38 minutes/week. It means that this method only takes you around 5 minutes and 20 seconds per day on average.

This study tested whether Calm can help college students reduce stress after 8-week mindfulness meditation. The participants were eligible if they met specific criteria, such as perceiving some stress levels. In total, 88 participants were randomly divided into 2 groups, those who were asked to meditate using Calm at least 10 minutes per day and those who would do nothing.

After 8 weeks, most students who meditated reported that Calm was helpful to reduce stress. As a result, they would use Calm in the future and likely recommend it to other college students. In addition, data showed a significant decrease in stress, mindfulness, and self-compassion outcomes for students practicing mindfulness via Calm.

Despite some minor limitations, the researchers concluded that Calm effectively boosts mental health in stressed college students. So interested, the degree of improvement in response to a smartphone-based mindfulness app may be similar to programs that require in-person attendance. So, meditation via mobile apps such as Calm can be worth considering for our busy life.

References

1. Pierceall, E. A., & Keim, M. C. (2007). Stress and coping strategies among community college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 31(9), 703-712.

2. American College Health Association. (2009). American college health association-national college health assessment spring 2008 reference group data report (Abridged): the American college health association. Journal of American college health: J of ACH, 57(5), 477-488.

3. Huberty, J., Green, J., Glissmann, C., Larkey, L., Puzia, M., & Lee, C. (2019). Efficacy of the mindfulness meditation mobile app “calm” to reduce stress among college students: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7(6), e14273.