With exams looming and a lot potentially riding on their future, many university students suffer from anxiety. This pressure can often create a cycle of worry that is difficult to break without the right tools. A new study published in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy reports that self-guided mental imagery can reduce anxiety levels in university students.
Anxiety disorders are a global health concern and are the most common mental health disorders, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Traditional treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy help people manage their symptoms and change their negative thought patterns. However, they require many hours of a practitioner’s time, and students, in particular, often lack the means to access them.
Multisensory approach to handling anxiety
So researchers at the University of Plymouth in the UK developed a new approach called Functional Imagery Training (FIT). Unlike traditional methods that focus on talking through problems, FIT encourages students to vividly imagine the sights, sounds and feelings of achieving their goals.
The way it works is that students identify a specific goal that anxiety usually prevents them from reaching. They then imagine completing the task successfully, using all their senses to make it feel as real as possible. To ensure this becomes a habit, they are encouraged to journal and link their imagery practice to daily cues, such as boiling a kettle or having a coffee.
Instead of visiting a therapist, students access a digital program called FIKA (Functional Imagery for Keeping Anxiety low), which uses pre-recorded videos and audio to coach students through their imagery exercises.
The researchers recruited a group of 60 students with at least mild anxiety. After screening, 48 participants took part in the full study. One group of 25 volunteers received the FIKA training while the other 23 remained on a waitlist as a control. The intervention group completed seven online modules over two weeks, while the control group carried on with their normal routine.
Reduced anxiety levels
At the end of the trial, participants from both groups completed the GAD-7 anxiety questionnaire, a standard tool for assessing anxiety levels.
The FIKA group showed a significant reduction in their symptoms compared to those on the waitlist. Many of these students shifted to a lower anxiety category.
“FIKA seems a promising digital intervention for anxiety that users found acceptable and helpful,” wrote the study authors in their paper. “The focus on gently building skills in self-motivation for engagement may encourage students experiencing anxiety to use it early to prevent anxiety becoming a chronic problem.”
The feedback from participants was equally positive, with one commenting: “That’s really impressive, three days of FIKA and I feel as chilled out as after six months of meditation.”
While these initial results are encouraging, the researchers say larger, longer-term studies are needed to determine how well the program works over several months.