SET YOUR MIND at ease

Giving your body and mind time to reflect and be aware of the moment is important for stress management. “Just like we take care of our body, [meditation] is an opportunity to take care of our mind,” Russell said.

Meditation is one method through which a person can practice mindfulness. Meditation is “creating space to just be — whatever that might be at that time,” Russell said.

Starting college in the middle of a global pandemic, Connor Schulz, a University of Oregon product design student, meditated in his backyard to relax from the stressors of COVID-19 and school.

Schulz would usually take 30 minutes to listen to the birds chirp and cars drive by and feel the grass beneath his legs. To help with his practice, Schulz also used a variety of mediation apps. For example, Down Dog provided him with guided meditations based on a topic and time frame of his choosing.

“If I can make the time in the morning, a sitting focused meditation is really, really helpful,” Schulz said.

When classes went back to in-person, Schulz no longer had time to commit to his meditation practice. However, he has found meditative moments all around him — everything from riding his bike in the morning to making pottery. While he is throwing on the wheel, he feels the clay in his hands, engages his core and forgets about the past and the future. To focus on the present is meditation.

Almost anywhere Schulz goes, he wears large, gray headphones. Listening to music helps him reduce the distractions around him and be fully mindful of his practice.

“That’s always really amazed me about music,” Schulz said. “How immediately and powerfully it can alter your mood or your emotional state.”

Meditative moments live all around you — if you are willing to find them. Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Allow yourself to feel the present moment and put your mind at peace. Learn to accept the fact that you cannot change the past and cannot control the future. It may help you live a happier and more fulfilling life.