Mindfulness on the Edge: Practitioner Reflections on Student Wellbeing and Coping in Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56433/bp71yr39Keywords:
Mindfulness, practitioner-led research, higher education, student well-being, coping strategies.Abstract
This reflective practitioner article explores how mindfulness functions as a coping strategy for students navigating the emotional and cognitive challenges of higher education (HE). Drawing on early findings from a doctoral study involving qualitative interviews with undergraduates, and informed by my own experiences as a doctoral candidate and practitioner-researcher, the article examines how mindfulness is taken up, interpreted, and negotiated within HE settings. Using Braun and Clarke’s (2021) reflexive thematic analysis, and grounded in the critical literature on student wellbeing and mindfulness, this piece explores three emerging themes: mindfulness as a coping mechanism, the individualisation of wellbeing, and negotiating authenticity in practice. It also considers how insider-research and practitioner-led inquiry can inform more responsive and sustainable wellbeing interventions in further and higher education contexts.
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