Abstract

Individuals pursuing higher education face challenges that lead to greater levels of anxiety than that of the general US adult population. This disparity presents a need for higher education institutions to search for ways to address student anxiety and other mental health concerns. This mixed-methods study explored mindful nature walks as a low-cost and accessible way for college students to reduce levels of experienced anxiety. Using validated quantitative measures, this study examined the impact of three weekly consecutive thirty-minute mindful nature walks on state and general anxiety levels experienced by a sample of eleven students at a university in the southern United States. Follow-up interviews with five of these participants qualitatively investigated participants’ experiences with the intervention and their feedback for future integration. Quantitative results reveal a statistically significant reduction in state anxiety and a nonsignificant reduction in general anxiety. Qualitative results further strengthen these findings with participants’ positive experiences with this intervention and present their desire for future integration of mindful nature walks into university programs, educational efforts, and mental health services.