Hormones & Anxiety: The "15 Days of Mindfulness" EXPERIMENT

Reality check: hormones impact our behavior and feelings. It is also true, however, that our behavior impacts our hormones. So how can we utilize this knowledge to improve our quality of life?

In my Psychology class, we're learning about the Biological Bases of Behavior and are currently studying hormones. I wanted to get the students outside, so I found an article from Everlywell (which focuses on women's health) on the correlation between hormones and anxiety. Perfect for the youth. I edited the article so it would benefit all students (link here) and then noticed there was a 15 Day Mindfulness Challenge at the end of the article.

With this, I decided to connect what we're learning in class to our lives. We will be doing an experiment on behavior and anxiety and YOU are welcome to join! Here's how it works:

Step #1: Anxiety Pre-Test

Step #2: Complete Everlywell's "15 Day Mindfulness Challenge"

Step #3: Anxiety Post-Test

Step #4: The Journey Doesn't End Here

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Step #1: Anxiety Pre-Test

In order for this to be an experiment, we need to establish the operational definitions. How will we measure impact?

Download (and ideally print) the "Self-Test for Anxiety" doc (from Healthwise) and complete the test.

BE HONEST. If you experience anxiety, which we all do, that does not mean you have an Anxiety Disorder. There is a spectrum.

Establish your current (generally speaking) levels of anxiety and find your total score.

Step #2: Complete Everlywell's "15 Day Mindfulness Challenge"

Consciously and proactively complete behaviors that are proven to reduce levels of anxiety.

Download (and ideally print) Everlywell's "15 Day Mindfulness Challenge" document (link here). You do not need to go in the order in which it is laid out. Curate what works for you and just be consistent. Don't miss a day! If you're busy, do something that does not take a lot of time.

You do not need to track any data while you are completing the challenge. Just mark each activity you have done and plan ahead. Enjoy the process!

Step #3: Anxiety Post-Test

"Success" comes in many forms, but we're also interested in the data.

Download (and ideally print) another copy of the "Self-Test for Anxiety," and complete the test. Reflect on the following:

1. Overall, have your perceived levels of anxiety reduced?

2. Are there any specific aspects (feeling nervous, trouble relaxing, becoming easily annoyed, etc.) that have reduced?

3. Were there any challenges from the "15 Day Mindfulness Challenge" that you enjoyed and would like to continue?

Step #4: The Journey Doesn't End Here

Life is long. Can we take aspects of the Mindfulness Challenge and implement them into regular, routine habits in our lives?

What were challenges that you enjoyed and perceive had a positive impact on your mental health and anxiety? Can you continue this behavior? Hint: the answer is yes.

You can systematically implement positive behaviors into your daily or weekly life that will impact your overall well-being. This experiment was just the beginning to the journey of mindfulness and consciously working on your mental health!