MUNCIE, Ind. (NewsLink) — With finals and deadlines quickly approaching, students may be feeling an increase of anxiety or stress. But, a new planetarium program has premiered that is aimed at helping students with mental health issues such as anxiety, stress and more.
Sunrise Meditation premiered at Ball State Tuesday, where students had the opportunity to destress. Students inside the Charles W. Brown Planetarium were transported to different places around the world while focusing on their mental state and breathing.
The program was created with the help of many different groups and organizations that came together to form the Meditation Partnership. The Meditation Partnership is a collaboration between Working Well, the Counseling Center, the Office of Health, Alcohol, and Drug Education, the Museum of Art, the Orchid Greenhouse, and the Brown Planetarium. These organizations came together to help with the rise of mental-health awareness and options.
While the Meditation Partnership and program originated on Ball State’s campus, their impact and reach have gone much further. From Africa to Argentina, over 60 different facilities across the world have downloaded the program. The program is universal and can be adapted for any language.
Dayna Thompson, planetarium director at the Charles W. Brown Planetarium, said she hopes the program will help others.
“The program gives a wonderful set of tools for students to take back to their rooms,” Thompson said.
These tools include different breathing techniques and a fresh mindset.
