There is strength in stillness: Meditation can be a way to cope with the pressure to learn.
Photo: Mauritius
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Scientists at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences have initiated a research project that aims to help people cope better with stress through meditation and perception exercises. An approach that other universities are also pursuing.
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SMarcel, a business administration student, has been meditating for 20 minutes a day for around two years. “It feels like a fresh start,” says Marcel. He can concentrate better, perceive things more consciously and have the feeling of having more control over himself and his studies, he writes in his experience report. The twenty-three-year-old became aware of the topic of resilience and mindfulness when he was dissatisfied with his studies and about to make a change. At that time, the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences offered its students the first courses with mindfulness exercises to help against exam and study stress. “They were all fully booked straight away,” says Lars Rademacher, professor in the Media department. “And that was before Corona.” The pandemic, as many studies and experiences show, then increased stress and mental problems again.
Even during these first courses, contact was established with networks and universities, for example in Thuringia and Saarbrücken, which had been gaining experience with mindfulness training for years. That was the reason to become active myself. Together with his colleague Werner Stork, Rademacher started the research project “Achtsame Hochschule Darmstadt”. The professors were able to win over the AOK for the project, which is funding the project with 260,000 euros until 2023.
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