Strategies for Student Success: Mindfulness

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in collective stress and anxiety levels not likely seen since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. In a March 2021 survey conducted by the APA, 80% of adults indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic was a significant source of stress in their lives. Sixty-one percent of adults reported undesired weight gain, 67% reported sleep disturbances, and nearly a quarter reported drinking more. Parents with children were particularly hard hit: 47% of mothers with children home for remote learning reported deteriorating mental health and almost half of all teachers who voluntarily stopped teaching in public schools after March 2020 (before scheduled retirement) cited stress resulting from the COVID 19 pandemic as the primary reason (APA, 2021; Steiner & Woo, 2021). Further, children worldwide reported stress levels significantly above baseline, with symptoms of anxiety and depression ranging from a quarter to nearly half of all children (Wagner, 2020). Now more than ever — and especially as schools return to in-person instruction — parents, teachers, and students need mental health support to cope with the continuing impacts and potential long-term trauma resulting from the pandemic.