IMPACT OF SMET MEDITATION TO REDUCE ANXIETY STRESS AND DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE GOING STUDENT

Background: College students frequently experience academic, social, and personal stressors that may contribute to depression, anxiety, and stress. Meditation-based interventions may provide a simple, non-invasive approach to improving psychological well-being. Self-Management of Excessive Tension (SMET) meditation is a structured relaxation technique intended to reduce excessive physical and psychological tension. Aim: To determine the impact of SMET meditation on depression, anxiety, and stress among college-going students. Methods: A single-group experimental pre-test–post-test design was conducted at Swasthya Kalyan Institute of Naturopathy & Yogic Sciences. Forty-two college-going students were included using convenience sampling. Participants underwent a structured SMET meditation intervention. Psychological distress was assessed before and after the intervention using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). Pre- and post-intervention scores were analyzed using a paired-samples t-test, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean pre-intervention DASS score was 35.67 ± 10.29, which decreased to 7.38 ± 6.64 after the intervention. The mean reduction was 28.29 ± 12.30 points. The paired-samples t-test demonstrated a highly statistically significant difference between pre- and post-intervention DASS scores (t(41) = 14.916, p < 0.001). The 95% confidence interval for the mean difference was 24.45–32.12, with a very large paired effect size (Cohen’s dz = 2.30). Conclusion: SMET meditation was associated with a significant reduction in overall DASS scores among college-going students. It may be a feasible, low-cost, and non-invasive complementary approach for managing psychological distress. Controlled studies with larger samples and separate analysis of depression, anxiety, and stress subscales are recommended. Keywords: SMET meditation, college students, depression, anxiety, stress, DASS, meditation, psychological distress.