By Joey Africano
Mental illness is a huge issue that many college students face every year. It does not need to be said that we, as Golden Bears, have gone through a lot this last year, some more than others. While dealing with all the stress of classes, homework, and other projects, we wonder what we can do to relieve some of that stress we face without breaking. The answer may be the Mindfulness Group run by Laura Bruco.
Bruco is getting her master’s in psychology and is having an internship here at WNE. She uses her time to have weekly Zoom meetings to log in and learn meditation through breathing. When I joined the Zoom call, there were only two other people present, one being Laura, and the other, a student like me. I was unsure what to expect since I knew I would be learning about meditation, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be.
Like most people, I pictured meditation as someone going criss-cross applesauce, putting our hands together, and humming until we find inner peace. Instead, I got something even better: Laura taught us that we need to sit in our chairs and take deep breaths. While that might sound simple and ineffective, let me tell you that it helped a lot. One of the techniques she taught us was to suck in air for five seconds, hold it in for five seconds, and let it out for five seconds. By doing that for half an hour, I saw my whole body shift into relaxation like I just woke up from a long night’s rest. It felt like a reboot to my entire system, and everything was clear.
When spending the rest of the time talking, Laura told us how we need to be more mindful of our feelings and learn to let go of the stress building inside of us. Since she knows that we are struggling to deal with the effects of this school year and how hard it is to see a counselor in person, by doing these breathing techniques and simply taking the time to clear your mind, you will be able to reboot your systems and feel new.
When talking to Laura about my experience and learning from the other student, we both had different images we saw when clearing our minds. For myself, I saw a bunch of locked doors open, and I was able to see myself go through and be free from the locks.
I am not saying that meditation will solve all your problems, but by joining the group, you can be a part of a circle that can express their feelings respectfully and kindly that makes you feel better about yourself. I highly suggest you take the time to go to the next Zoom meeting and try it out. If it helps you, then great! If it’s not for you, but might help someone else, recommend it to others.
Be sure to keep a lookout on your University Posts for the Find Your Happy Place: Mindfulness Group. It might just help you get through this crazy time in your life.
