Cultivating Calm: Enhancing Resilience in Nursing Students Through Guided Meditation.

A 40-minute guided meditation session for Doctor of Nursing Practice students, incorporating breath work, emotional grounding, and cognitive recentering, significantly reduced stress and increased relaxation. In a pre-posttest evaluation of 39 participants, stress dropped and relaxation rose, both with high statistical significance. Nearly all participants reported benefits to personal well-being and recommended integrating the practice into future programs. The findings suggest that experiential meditation can foster resilience and self-care, offering nurse educators a practical strategy to support student wellness, professional development, and workforce sustainability.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Doctoral nursing students experience high stress levels and mental health challenges, impacting resilience and professional readiness. Teaching wellness practices is essential to support student well-being and retention. High rates of stress and attrition among new nurses highlight the need for wellness-focused education, yet traditional teaching methods may not effectively promote self-care and stress reduction. Guided by Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials Domain 10, this practice improvement project involved evaluation of a 40-minute guided meditation for Doctor of Nursing Practice students. The intervention included breath work, emotional grounding, and cognitive recentering. Using a pre-posttest design, 39 participants reported significantly reduced stress ( P < .001) and increased relaxation ( P < .001). Nearly all endorsed benefits to personal well-being and recommended future integration. Findings suggest experiential meditation fostered resilience and self-care, offering nurse educators a practical strategy to enhance student wellness, professional development, and workforce sustainability.