By Arielle Harrison
Thirty-three thousand students, an extremely competitive university and a desire to succeed. Put it all together and what do you get? One stressed out student!
College students are displaying greater levels of stress than shall we say, ever before,” said Hal Miller, a professor of psychology here at the university.
Students are busy and overbooked. On top of their classwork they juggle bills, dates and work.
Miller says students are “highly motivated, over committed and stretched too thin.”
This sounds like a recipe for disaster, but BYU offers options right on campus to help students cope.
Dr. Pam Mayes has been studying meditation for more than 50 years and offers free sessions on campus.
“I’m very interested in people being able to relax and to be able to access the right hemisphere of their brain,' Mayes said.
A few other options available for students are free counseling sessions and workout classes like yoga.
“I have six kids and my husband watches them when I go to yoga, and he wants me to go to yoga because it is such a stress relief,” said Jennifer Boulton, a wife, mother and yoga student.
Instructors say that yoga is an outlet that helps the body and mind recuperate from the stress of everyday life.