Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

Thriving Together Series: How Spirituality and Religion Can Help Students Manage Academic Stress

Thriving Together Series spirituality religion

 

By: Manal Khalid, a Mason student majoring in Community Health

“So surely, with hardship comes ease.” – the Quran

Religion and spirituality are strong foundations that keep many George Mason students centered as we deal with the inevitable stress we sometimes encounter while pursuing our studies. Here is how spirituality and religion can help students manage academic stress by strengthening our well-being.

Rimshaw Hassan, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in Applied Information Technology, said her religion anchors her during her pursuit of knowledge. “My religion, Islam, teaches that even after we die, beneficial knowledge is one of the few deeds that continue to benefit us and serve as an ongoing reward, especially if we teach others,” she said. Not only does this speak to how religion and spirituality can relieve academic stress for students, but it also expresses how beneficial knowledge can become to help people find a purpose that is greater than themselves.

As busy students gather for a fleeting free period on the third floor of the Johnson Center, the melody of the Islamic call to prayer echoes through the building’s concrete walls. Similar to a weave’s intricate pattern that settles to combine an array of various patterns, this interfaith quiet meditation space creates a canvas for students to carry out their own particular religious and spiritual practices. Students from varying backgrounds weave together to practice their faiths in the same space where they all relieve stress and strengthen their well-being.

What Spiritual Well-Being Research Shows

Spiritual well-being is increasingly recognized as a vital component of overall health and well-being, since it offers many valuable resources to help people navigate life’s challenges. The connection between spiritual or religious engagement and stress reduction, in particular, has attracted significant attention. For people facing demanding environments like academia, incorporating practices rooted in spirituality or religion can provide effective coping mechanisms, mitigating the psychological and physiological toll of stress.

Research shows that practices like prayer, mindfulness, and gratitude journaling can reduce cortisol – the primary stress hormone – and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body relax. The impact of these practices extends to measurable physiological changes associated with stress modulation. Activities such as mindfulness meditation have been shown by research to influence the body’s stress response system. Studies indicate that mindfulness can lead to reductions in cortisol, the primary stress hormone released during the “fight-or-flight” response. Simultaneously, studies show that practices like mindfulness, deep breathing, and potentially prayer contribute to activating the parasympathetic nervous system – the body’s “rest-and-digest” system – which promotes relaxation and recovery.

For students managing with heavy academic workloads, deadlines, and performance pressures, research reveals that developing regular spiritual habits can lead to substantial well-being benefits for both mental health and academic success. Engaging consistently with spiritual or religious practices is associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression among university students, contributing to overall subjective well-being, according to research. Disciplines like mindfulness meditation are connected by research to cognitive advantages, including enhanced focus and attention, which are crucial for learning and academic success. Spirituality can also serve as a powerful source of meaning and hope, fostering resilience and effective coping strategies when facing setbacks or difficulties, research shows.

Spiritual Well-Being Practices to Try

You can integrate these practices into your busy student life through these key strategies:

  • Start your day with just a few minutes dedicated to deep breathing exercises (which research shows is a powerful relaxation technique) combined with a brief prayer or spiritual reflection, to go into the day ahead with peace of mind.
  • Join a campus faith group or spiritual organization for valuable social support.
  • Set aside dedicated time each week for deeper reflection, such as through reading your sacred scriptures, journaling about blessings in your life, and talking with other students about how faith helps you all strengthen your well-being in different ways.

Mason Students Appreciate Spiritual Spaces on Campus

While surveying various members of the Mason community who use the meditation spaces on campus here daily – including the recently established Spiritual and Interfaith Center – I discovered that students shared a sense of gratitude for them.

“It’s helped me a lot with anxiety and grounding myself,” said Amira Anwar, a student majoring in Neuroscience, while we were reflecting on the establishment of new spaces here on campus and the continuous use of pre-existing ones. For myself, I could not imagine Mason’s campus without a meditation or spiritual space. Countless other George Mason students of all faiths have found comfort and grounding within these spaces. But we have also found like-minded peers throughout these environments.

Zainab Khalid, a student majoring in Global Affairs, expressed her excitement about our university’s new Spiritual and Interfaith. “It is a vital space that fosters inclusivity and representation, not to mention, expressing the religious freedoms and rights of all the individuals here on campus,” she said.

Find Peace While Dealing with Stress

While it can be stressful to juggle rigorous academic responsibilities, a social life, fitness, and personal commitments, religious and spiritual practices bring a sense of calm before, during, and after the storms in our lives. Students from all faiths can find peace that strengthens our well-being while we manage academic stress. Spirituality and religion are important factors that weave us together into one strong community seeking knowledge together.

Additional Resources

Write one of these Thriving Together Series features! We’re looking for contributions on all topics related to well-being. Read other Thriving Together Series articles here and contact us at [email protected] for guidelines. Thank you for helping our Mason community thrive together online!