Mind–Body Practices for Mental Health in Higher Education: Breathing, Grounding, and Consistency Are Essential for Stress and Anxiety Management

Background and objectives: Mental health issues such as anxiety and stress are prevalent in educational settings, highlighting the need for individualized, scalable interventions. Mind–body approaches are promising for distress management, and this study explored which body-based strategies students found effective. Methods: A cross-sectional study assessed mental health and the use of body-based coping strategies among 152 primarily female students, age 21–52, in the Educational Program for Psychomotor Therapy, a group familiar with such strategies. An electronic survey assessed well-being (WHO-5), stress (PSS-10), anxiety (HADS-A), and use of 13 mind–body practices (e.g., breathing, grounding, muscle relaxation). Participants were grouped by mental health risk and a logistic regression explored associations with coping strategy use. Results: High-frequency use of more body-based strategies predicted lower odds of being in the high-risk group (p = 0.039), while sporadic use of more strategies predicted high mental health risk (p = 0.022). Breathing and grounding were the most frequently used and helpful practices, with minimal barriers. High-risk students cited capability concerns and time as barriers, while all participants mentioned forgetting to use the practices. Conclusions: High-risk students use a broader range of practices sporadically, whereas low-risk students adopt selected strategies more consistently. Proper integration of practices through education and training may be crucial for enhancing their efficacy.