Shradhanjali Tripathi & Santosh Vishvakarma Nitesh Sharma
Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Pages:182-188
The increasing prevalence of psychological distress, including stress, anxiety,
depression, and emotional dysregulation, is a growing concern for young adults,
especially those students preparing for competitive exams and careers in today’s
competitive environment. Addressing these challenges in a timely manner is crucial
in order to maintain the mental well-being of the individuals. Among the available selfmanagement strategies yoga and meditation have been popularly used techniques since
ancient Indian times for alleviating distress and enhancing mindfulness. Meditation,
particularly mantra meditation, is widely practiced globally. Among the Vedic mantras, the
Gayatri mantra is one of the most popular hymns and has long been used to enhance
mental well-being and relieve distress. This study explores the effect of Gayatri Mantra
meditation (GMM), on Psychological distress and Mindfulness in young adults. This
study employed a longitudinal pre-post study design and used convenience sampling
to assess the effect of practicing GMM for 40 days on 101 young adult participants of
age group 22-28 years. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant
reduction in the stress, anxiety, and depression of the participants (all p<0.05) post
intervention. Additionally, there was significant improvement in Mindfulness among all
participants (p<0.05) post intervention. The findings from the study suggest the potential
of ancient Gayatri mantra-based meditation in relieving distress faced in modern times
and in the enhancement of mindfulness for well-being.