Freshman year was the most exciting but also the most stressful year of my life. I’ve spent some time this summer reflecting on what worked and what didn’t, while also thinking about improvements for this upcoming year. One of the most beneficial practices that I learned this past year has been meditation.

I started practicing mindfulness meditation back in December, but it wasn’t until March during my alternative spring break trip to Trinidad and Tobago when I was profoundly changed by its effects. Trinidad and Tobago is home to some incredibly lush landscapes, and we were fortunate enough to hike through the rainforest, swim underneath a mountain waterfall and cruise on a boat through the Caroni Swamp. 

In all of these things, I really just had one objective: to be completely mindful of the scenes around me. I wanted to be completely aware of the sensation that sticking my head under a waterfall or drinking coffee on a veranda overseeing a flowery mountainside would provide. 

I decided not to use my phone or take pictures because I just wanted to be in the moment. Although sometimes I wish I could look back on my own pictures from the trip, I’m thankful that I didn’t use my phone during the week because I opened myself up to fully experience all those incredible sights, sounds and flavors.

So what exactly is mindfulness meditation? Psychology Today describes it as a practice that “teaches us how to be unconditionally present; that is, it helps us be present with whatever is happening, no matter what it is.” And for me, mindfulness is more a philosophy I take with me throughout the day that encourages me to live in the moment, not needing to worry about the past or future all the time. 

There are various forms of meditation for different purposes, but the kind I practice with the Headspace app essentially teaches me to take deep breaths, to acknowledge my surroundings and to contemplate a certain theme for the day such as appreciation or happiness.

During exam week, which is one of the most stressful times of the year for us all, I decided to meditate for twenty minutes each day to manage my anxieties. I was drinking more coffee than ever before, going through hundreds of slides each day, so I needed to step back a few times throughout the day to just process everything. 

When my mind drifted and I started worrying about looming deadlines and exams, I would just pause, take a moment and notice the world around me. I can remember several occasions at Jubala when I worried about my next exam; I would think about how the coffee tasted or what the music sounded like.

By being mindful, I was able to curb a lot of anxieties that used to plague me on a day-to-day basis. It’s not ignoring your problems; it’s saying to yourself that there is so much glory in everyday life that you don’t need to worry about theoretical scenarios all the time.

I think everyone at NC State should practice mindfulness meditation because it has genuinely made me a more happy, calm and grateful person. I started meditating because I’ve seriously struggled with anxiety my whole life, and I know a lot of people at NC State struggle with anxiety too.

The Counseling Center notes that, “49 percent of NC State students report overwhelming anxiety during the past year.” Meditation hasn’t stopped all my anxieties, but I have seen vast improvements in my mental health in the past six months.

There is also a lot of scientific research which backs up my experience. One article from the Harvard Business Review highlights the ability of mindfulness to decrease anxiety, boost emotional intelligence, promote creativity and strengthen your ability to focus.

I was sold when I discovered that mindfulness is a common practice for some of the most successful people in the world. From legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson, who makes the Knicks practice group meditations, to Kendrick Lamar, the greatest rapper alive who tries to take 30 minutes a day to step back and process everything, mindfulness is helping the best people in their fields become better at what they do.

If you wanted to try mindfulness, I highly recommend using the Counseling Center in this regard. I don’t think enough people utilize this incredible service; stats from the counseling center note that one in six people at NC State use it.

I started going to the Counseling Center in the fall because I needed help with anxiety, and mindfulness was one of the big themes my counselor and I talked about throughout the year. The Counseling Center hosts a variety of workshops on mindfulness and stress management, too.

I also use the Headspace app for at least ten minutes a day, which is a subscription-based meditation app with different packs for themes like appreciation, happiness, and managing anxiety. Who doesn’t want to be a more grateful, happy and relaxed person?

Oh, but you might say, “Jeremy, I just don’t have time to meditate every day.” Well, if we just took a little bit of the time we spend on the internet or on our phones and put it into meditation, the rest of our days would be much more enjoyable.

You also might be wondering whether mindfulness meditation is a strictly spiritual exercise, as this was one of my initial hesitations. I was worried that meditation would conflict with my Christian faith, but I would say it is a pretty neutral practice (at least the kind that I practice through Headspace).

You get out of meditation what you put into it, and I’ve actually incorporated mindfulness as a regular part of my spiritual discipline, even though it does not have to be.

So let’s be more mindful of the world around us. Let’s decide to be totally present, not pulled away by the allure of distraction or paralyzed by anxieties.

Fear will tell you to reach back into the past and think about something you can no longer change. Fear will cause you to worry about something in the future that may or may not happen. But mindfulness teaches you nothing is more important than the present moment, and it is this idea that has reduced magnitudes of anxiety for me in the past six months.

Sure, we should spend time reflecting on the past and planning for the future, but you cannot actually affect anything except in the present. I think Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda said it best: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”