����APP

Students are busy beings, in fact, the found that teens report higher levels of stress than adults. In our fast paced world, students often find themselves juggling assignments, exams, extra-curricular activities and social lives. The constant pressure can be overwhelming and heighten stress levels and with schedules tighter than a sardine can, many students barely find a moment to breathe, let alone to take care of themselves.

For many students, even if they do find the time, the question becomes how? While social media is brimming with tips and advise, it often does more harm than good. With an endless stream of wellness hacks and self-improvement ideas from influencers and non-professionals, students can become overwhelmed by conflicting material that lacks legitimacy and the personalised approach of expert assistance. The flow of well-meaning but unsubstantiated advice can increase confusion and make it difficult for students to successfully manage their own well-being.

We know this is the case, hence we have compiled this list of tips on how you can improve your general well-being by incorporating mindfulness in your daily routine. I learnt about most of these tips during my time at ����APP, and I’ve never looked back.

Prior to my time at ����APP I was already aware of mindfulness techniques, but never bothered to do any further research or to implement any of them in my life. Through the flourishing curriculum, I gained a deeper understanding to stress and how it impacts the student body as well as the different ways we can manage stress as students. I was introduced to meditation and deep breathing which is how I started my mindfulness journey. During my time with the curriculum, I started incorporating meditation and deep breathing into my daily routine, and setting aside specific times that I could dedicate to these practices. By the end of the program I had already done further research into other techniques and I began branching out into yoga, journaling and gratitude.

Beginning my mindfulness journey helped me learn how to thrive in my academic and personal life without sacrificing my well-being. Through practising these techniques, I was able to understand myself, my values, ambitions and observe how I react in different situations. I’ve seen and felt changes in my health and overall being and I’m confident that once you implement these tips in your life, you will observe significant changes as well.

Why is it essential to take care of your well-being? Why mindfulness routines?

Several studies have been conducted on the impact of mindfulness routines on improving our general well-being, all of which have come to the same results — Incorporating mindfulness routines into one’s daily routine left a positive impact in all aspects of life, personally, academically and professionally. Specifically, ) “collected data from participants between 4 and 18 years of age and found significant improvements across outcomes in academic performance, emotional & behavioural regulation as well as cognitive flexibility.”

Similarly Kasandra J. Parrish (2020) completed a research thesis specifically focused on “The Effects of Mindfulness on Students Academic Performance and Behaviors” and found that after regularly practising mindfulness techniques, students showed improvements in their academic performance and developed more peaceful and understanding perspectives.

Taking care of your well-being is crucial for maintaining your physical and emotional health, especially in the demanding life of a student. Incorporating mindfulness techniques into your regular routine is one of the best ways to help you manage stress and enhance your overall well-being.

You don’t have to make any major or drastic changes in order to improve your general well-being, you can start with something as simple as deep breathing and by just incorporating that simple act into your daily routine, you can improve your focus, feel less anxious and centre your thoughts.

Mindfulness offers several long-term benefits that extend beyond immediate stress relief. These include, reduced stress and anxiety leading to a more balanced emotional state; improved focus and concentration; higher resilience, making it easier to cope with life’s setbacks and challenges; lower risk of burnout; deepened self-understanding and awareness as well as better sleep quality.

Mindfulness can enhance overall quality of life making it a valuable practice for long-lasting health and happiness.

How can you get started?

Now that you understand why it is important to take care of your well-being, especially as a student as well as the pivotal role mindfulness can play in this journey, let’s delve into how you can get started.

1. Do your research

Understand mindfulness

You can’t implement a practice if you don’t understand it. Do some research. It’s recommended that you use various mediums for this so that you can get an expanded insight into the topic. provides a very useful and accessible step by step guide on how to properly research, including search tools to help you find various sources. Explore mindfulness online, looks for various sources, books, articles, journals, etc. Before you invest time into reading and analysing information, ensure that it’s from a reputable and reliable resource, for example, the National Institute of Health or the Wellness Society. I would recommend starting with and the articles on mindfulness and expanding from there.

From my understanding, mindfulness boils down to one essential act — paying full attention to the present moment and your current experiences without reacting or judging them. It involves being aware of your thoughts, feelings and surroundings and observing them with an open mind. However we all understand concepts in our own unique ways hence it is important for you to do your own research and establish your own definition of mindfulness.

Read books about mindfulness and its impact on well-being, talk to professionals and get their intake on the topic and talk to your friends. Chances are one of your friends has explored mindfulness and is already incorporating some practices into their life. It might be useful to get insight from them, hear what has worked for them and what hasn’t. This can all be beneficial in helping you know where to start.

Self-introspect and analyse

Spend some time reflecting about yourself and your life. Try to pinpoint what you’re currently struggling with and where you believe you need to improve. This is a continuing process and should not be rushed. You will need to spend a significant amount of time focusing on your behaviours and how you feel, finding areas for improvement, stressors, attributes you may want to change, such as being more patient and less quick to react, and so on. This gives you an idea of what you need to work on to improve your general well-being, and from there, you can start looking for practical ways to improve.

This only works if you give yourself the time to reflect on your actions and behaviour. provides a comprehensive guide on self-introspection, including questions to get you started and self-reflection exercises and techniques you can try out. I’d recommend you give it a read if you struggle with this process.

Research practical ways to get started

Now that you know what you need and have identified areas of your life where you want to improve, you can start doing some research on how you can improve. This includes how to get started, where you can get help, how to get help and the kind of help you actually need to improve. Here you need to start researching which practices would be best to implement in your life according to what you want to achieve and what you identified as areas of improvement.

2. Establish a mindful routine

Start simple

Working to improve your general health and well-being does not mean you need to make drastic changes in your life. It’s a process that should be approached gradually to have the most effect. Begin by incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine, such as breathing exercises, mindful study sessions, and mindful eating. Listen to calming noises before sleeping and while studying, go on walks to clear your mind, and take deep breaths anytime you feel overwhelmed or panicked. These are all modest changes you may make to your daily routine that will make a big difference. Once you’ve started making and practising these tiny modifications on a regular basis, you can consider introducing new techniques that you believe will work for you.

Introduce new techniques

You can introduce new strategies into your routine, such as meditation, mindful art, gratitude, and mindful movement (e.g., exercise, yoga, and Pilates). Self-introspection, reflection, and research should help you determine which techniques to implement and which ones will work best for you. Remember that this is a journey that will be primarily based on experimentation and analysis. You’re trying out new things, and not everything will work out for you, so don’t be scared to try new things and drop or switch tactics if you believe one works better than the other.

The key is to integrate mindfulness into your daily routine and life to a point where it all feels natural and ultimately, you can use mindfulness during stressful situations & cultivate a positive mindset.

3. Use the resources available to you

Use Apps and Online Resources

There are several mindfulness apps that can help you improve your practice. These apps provide guided meditations, mindful exercises, calming sounds, and some even include a progress monitoring option to help you incorporate mindfulness into your everyday routine. Apps can be customised to meet your specific needs and goals, and what makes them great is that most of them are free to use. Puregym has compiled a list of that you can use. I’d personally recommend Headspace, Calm or Insight Timer. These are apps that I have personally used and have had the best experience with.

You can also explore podcasts and YouTube channels dedicated to mindfulness and meditation. Many experts share practical advice, guided practices, and discussions on these platforms, and you may benefit from their insight.

Use Books and Audio-books

Read or listen to audio-books about mindfulness and meditation. These resources provide you with valuable insight and practical techniques from qualified professionals. As a starting point I’d recommend Thich Nhat Hanh’s “The Miracle of Mindfulness” or by Jon Kabat-Zinn’s “Wherever You Go, There You Are.”

Attend Workshops and Classes

Attend mindfulness workshops, courses, and seminars hosted by local community centres, schools, universities, or online platforms. These structured programs can provide in-depth knowledge, instruction and community support.

Join a mindfulness community

Join mindfulness or meditation groups, either in person or online. Connecting with others who share your aspirations can provide motivation, encouragement, and shared experiences. It’s also a good idea to use the resources you have: talk to your friends, mentors, counsellors, and parents, and ask for aid and guidance. You never know what you will find if you ask for a little assistance.

Special Mention: School/College Resources

Take advantage of any mindfulness resources available through your educational institution. Many schools and universities provide counselling, mindfulness programs, and stress management classes. Attend them to gather as much information and support as possible.

Overall, incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine can significantly enhance your well-being as a student. By doing your research and going into this process prepared, as well as adopting practices such as deep breathing, mindful studying and regular self-reflection, you can manage stress more effectively, improve focus and create a greater sense of balance. Remember, mindfulness is not a one-size fits all approach, experiment with different practices until you find what works best for you.

As you cultivate and develop these habits, you’ll find that both your academic and overall quality of life will improve. Embrace mindfulness as a vital tool in your journey towards school and beyond!