Information about mindfulness practices for students

Many students find mindfulness a helpful way to deal with the day-to-day challenges of university life.  

Students have explained to Student Support staff that it makes a positive difference because: 

• they feel more resilient and more able to deal with pressure  
• they meet deadlines with less stress  
• they make difficult decisions more easily 
• anxieties and worries have less hold on them 
• they experience happier and calmer feelings
• life seems more enjoyable, satisfying and interesting. 

Mindfulness can be a challenge at first and may not significantly change how you are feeling. That is normal. 

Mindfulness is about practice and training your mind to think in a different way. Try starting with short sessions. The aim is not to be mindful or meditate for hours, but to engage in small practices throughout the day. 

Everyday mindfulness 

Being mindful means being aware. It's the opposite of forgetting or losing track of where you are or what you are doing.  

Being more aware can allow you to make considered and creative choices in your day. 

Here is one way you can practice mindful awareness in everyday life: 

1. Pause for a few moments in your chair or wherever you are. 
2. Notice what is around you. 
3. Listen to the many sounds around you, far and near, quiet or loud. 
4. Notice if you can smell anything. Perhaps you are in a café and can smell the coffee. 
5. Notice if you can taste anything. 
6. Feel how your body feels and moves in a kind way, without trying to change it: it is just how it is right now and that is okay. 
7. Sense into your feelings and emotions, without trying to solve or get lost in them. 
8. Gently acknowledge what you find and allow them to pass. 
9. As you go back to your usual activities, notice if you feel any different. 

How the University can help 

Student Services offer a range of help including specialist support and resources for your wellbeing and mental health.  

Other places to find help 

• The Centre for Clinical Interventions offers resources and workbooks for developing self-compassion.
• The Oxford Mindfulness Foundation has resources on mindfulness and guided audio sessions.
• The Headspace YouTube channel has videos on mindfulness and guided meditation exercises.