By Amid the constant ebb and flow of university life, where academic pressures meet the complexities of personal growth, students often look for calm and balance. In this landscape, mindfulness has emerged as a transformative practice.
“The Greater Good Magazine“ by Emily Campbell highlights the profound impact of mindfulness on students and educators alike.
By fostering emotional regulation, mindfulness helps students navigate setbacks with resilience, reducing anxiety before exams and improving memory retention, decision-making and social skills.
Professors and administrators often carry the weight of mentorship, decision-making and institutional demands. By cultivating emotional resilience, patience and presence, it allows educators to engage more deeply with their students, fostering a richer, more supportive learning environment.
“Mindfulness isn’t about forcing the mind into a state of calm—it’s about learning to meet yourself where you are,” Long Beach State Communication Studies Professor Aaron Castelán Cargile said.
In a world where students are constantly navigating academic pressures, social expectations and personal challenges, Cargile said mindfulness offers more than just a fleeting sense of relief; it provides a foundation for long-term emotional resilience.
According to Cargile, engaging in mindfulness early can help rewire the brain, as research suggests that forming mental habits takes time.
Anxiety and depression are among the most common stressors students face, and while traditional approaches often focus on suppressing or reframing negative thoughts, mindfulness encourages individuals to turn toward them with curiosity rather than avoidance.
“It’s not about eliminating discomfort but learning to sit with it; only then can real emotional wholeness begin,” Cargile said.
With his hands near his knees, Communications Professor Aaron Cargile meditates near the trees across the Fine Arts buildings. Cargile is doing a sitting meditation which consists of keeping your back straight, hands near your side. Crossed legs are optional.. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
For students with packed schedules, even a minute-long exercise like the “STOP” meditation— stop, take a breath, observe and proceed can create moments of awareness amid the chaos of daily life.
While thousands of studies document the benefits of mindfulness, Cargile emphasized that the practice is often misunderstood.
“People think mindfulness should instantly bring peace, but that’s not its purpose,” Cargile said. “Just as physical exercise can cause muscle soreness at first, mindfulness initially reveals what’s already present, sometimes discomfort, sometimes anxiety. But with time, this awareness leads to greater emotional stability.”
The university provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in mindfulness through diverse approaches, one of which is the CSULB Music Meditation Club.
Meeting every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in HHS1-204, this club blends meditation with music, offering a serene space for students to relax, refocus and reconnect with themselves amidst their busy schedules.
Additionally, CSULB offers the Bliss @ the Beach program, a four-session mindfulness training program developed at Duke University through the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults.
The program also includes access to a mobile app for guided meditations and a community gratitude river.
Moreover, the CSULB Office of Wellness & Health Promotion provides health education and support to foster healthy lifestyles. They offer a wide array of programs and workshops designed to support students’ physical and mental well-being.
This semester, wellness initiatives such as Body Positive, Koru Mindfulness, Yoga for Healing, Stress Less Workshops and Nutrition Services will be available both in-person and through virtual outreach events on Zoom and Instagram Live.
In a world that demands so much from us, it is vital to pause, breathe and allow ourselves space to grow. Mindfulness empowers us to face challenges with clarity and resilience, transforming stress into strength and fostering a deeper connection to our true selves.
