Feeling Overwhelmed? Anxious? Let Your Stress Flow Out – Yogi Style

Forward: I originally wrote this blog post as an assignment for school; however, I would like to showcase it here as it's not only relevant and potentially helpful for others, but because I was immensely satisfied with the outcome - considering I do not have much experience in creative writing. I hope you enjoy this more formal (albeit mock) post.  

MindBodySuccess

The purpose of this blog is to inspire anyone who has experienced or is currently experiencing stress or a series of unforeseen changes in life. This message is primarily targeted to college students, especially those attempting to graciously adapt to the quarantine lifestyle and the changes that come along with it.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Anxious? Let Your Stress Flow Out – Yogi Style
By: Mark Bacon

Are you a college student currently experiencing stress? Do you struggle with any of the following: academic pressure to succeed from close friends and family; seemingly unfeasible expectations set by yourself; or mitigating financial concerns? Are you seeking a healthy balance in your life? Has your daily life drastically changed due to an ongoing pandemic? If any of these situations sound familiar, you are not alone. The American Institute of Stress (2019) reported nearly 80% of college students experience stress often.

It often feels like the stress just keeps piling on. The good news is that there are promising and effective ways to manage and even decrease stress. For example, Yüce and Muz (2020) were interested in how practicing yoga – a mind-body intervention (MBI), can influence perceived stress, anxiety, and quality of life (QOL) in college students living in Turkey. MBIs are used as a therapeutic approach to promote physical and mental functioning through integration of the body and the mind (Luter, 2020; Nugent, 2013). The participants (N = 89) were all between 18 and 25 years old, majority female (80 female, 9 male), healthy, and attended the same vocational school. Students in the yoga group (n = 44) had already been enrolled in a 4-week yoga class scheduled to practice 60 minutes once per week, while the control group (n = 45) did not enroll in the class. Any student with prior yoga experience or those currently involved in sports were unable to participate.

Prior to and following the experiment, the researchers utilized questionnaires to assess levels of perceived stress, state and trait anxiety, and QOL. State anxiety can be thought of as the negative feelings experienced when confronted with a threat (Hatfield, 2010). If you are afraid of public speaking, try recalling the first time you gave a presentation. The nervousness you felt in the moment is state anxiety – it is temporary condition, whereas trait anxiety is considered a relatively fixed aspect of one’s personality (Hatfield, 2010).

After just four weeks of practice, the yoga group experienced a significant reduction in perceived stress and state anxiety, with average levels of trait anxiety even decreasing slightly, whereas results of the control group remained unchanged. While average QOL scores did show significant improvements for either group, it is interesting to note that those who practiced yoga reported improved social relations.

Yüce and Muz (2020) were able to clearly demonstrate that practicing yoga does influence stress levels in college students. Yoga is wonderful in that it can be done anywhere, it is cost effective, and people of all skill levels can participate; all you need is enough space to perform the poses comfortably and safely. While there are countless resources online, I always recommend Yoga with Adriene’s YouTube channel for anyone looking to start. As Adriene likes to say, “Find what feels good” – yoga is not supposed to be intimidating or painful! So, the next time you feel overwhelmed, pull up your favorite video and feel the stress melt away.

References

Erdoğan Yüce, G., & Muz, G. (2020). Effect of yoga‐based physical activity on perceived stress,

anxiety, and quality of life in young adults. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 56(3), 697-704. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12484

Hatfield, R. (2010, March 28). Difference between state and trait anxiety. Livestrong.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/98672-differences-between-state-anxiety-/

Luter, Z. (2020, March 2). Mind-body interventions. Mesa Community College Libraries.

https://mesacc.libguides.com/c.php?g=255865&p=1707079

Mason, P. (2012, June). How to Start Doing Yoga at Home. DoYouYoga.

https://www.doyou.com/doing-yoga-at-home/

Nugent, P. (2013, April 7). Mind-body intervention. Psychology Dictionary.

https://psychologydictionary.org/mind-body-intervention/

The American Institute of Stress. (2019, September 6). Stress: An epidemic among college

students. https://www.stress.org/stress-an-epidemic-among-college-students