I’m constantly saying that everyone needs to study differently and what works for one person might not work for another – but sometimes there are things so interesting that I need to at least suggest everyone should try it.

Mindfulness might well be one of those things.

There was a recent study which looked at the mental health of PhD students and they introduced mindfulness classes which made a real improvement but there’s also a potential edge in studying performance so it’s a win-win.

A survey of more than 2,000 graduate research students from 26 countries published this year found they were six times as likely to experience depression or anxiety as the general population. And 84% of them didn’t seek help from the university.

Studies provide evidence that practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress, improve levels of depression and anxiety, and enhance feelings of hope, optimism, resilience and self-efficacy about completing a PhD.

For some candidates, mindfulness practice provided a period of peace and calm which gave them a time to relax, regroup, and recharge their batteries. For others, it provided an opportunity to deal with negative feelings and then shake them off. Some said the practice gave them more clarity and focus, new ways to deal with challenges, or enabled more productive work.

Mental health is a constantly overlooked part of a students study schedule – but there’s also a strong argument that practicing meditation and mindfulness can lead to some significant improvements to a studying schedule.

That’s why I’m such a fan of proper studying trackers like this one (which you can download for free): The Ultimate Student Organizer Pack.

Meditation and Mindfulness Boosting Studying Productivity

Meditation is a great thing for students. If you incorporate this beautiful activity in your daily routine, your life can change miraculously.

The first thing that meditation does is increase your concentration.

This is the basic thing that you need for studying.

This will help you a lot, as you can complete more in less time. When you study with concentration, you remember better and can finish off more chapters in one hour than before. A wandering mind becomes a nuisance for studies.

Concentration also helps for students who live in joint families and may not always get a quiet place to study. You can easily study in spite of family members talking or roaming around.

The second thing that meditation does is calm your mind.

Again, this is important for thorough understanding of your subjects and writing good answers in examination.

If you meditate regularly, you will not become frustrated when you have to study a lot. Most students are not able to cope up with the pressure of studies and parents’ expectations. When you have a calm mind, you can cope with both.

Only meditation can give you a calm mind. If you think you can listen to music and calm your mind, you are wrong. This is because music will only give you pleasure for the limited time when the songs are playing. After that, you are back to your frustrated self.

The beauty of meditation is that its effects are long-lasting. If you meditate regularly, the effects kind of get ingrained in your system. This changes you. You will notice you, no longer, get perturbed easily and can maintain your calm even in annoying circumstances.

Some of you may think that you don’t have to meditate, as you have to study. Just spare 5-10 minutes daily, preferably in the morning. Just 5 or 10 minutes of meditation can do a lot.

References:

https://theconversation.com/mindfulness-can-help-phd-students-shift-from-surviving-to-thriving-106608

https://www.quora.com/Does-meditation-help-in-studying