Mental health and wellbeing are essential for thriving in higher education and healthcare, yet students, faculty, and staff continue to face rising levels of stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue. This interactive 10-minute Lightning Talk introduces a practical, evidence-informed mindfulness strategy grounded in the five principles of Reiki—addressing anger, worry, gratitude, presence, and kindness—as a tool to support emotional regulation, resilience, and collective wellbeing across campus and clinical communities.
Rooted in current research from neuroscience and higher education, this session guides participants through simple, accessible mindfulness techniques that can be integrated into daily academic and professional routines. Participants will engage in guided practice and personal reflection, gaining practical tools to enhance focus, self-awareness, and emotional balance. These strategies are designed to be easily shared with students, colleagues, and interprofessional teams, promoting a culture of compassion and presence in learning and care environments.
This session directly supports the NEXUS Summit 2025 theme—Transforming Practice Together: Partnership, Equity, and Action—by offering a low-barrier, inclusive approach to mental wellness that can be adopted across disciplines and roles. It contributes to better care (through improved provider presence and empathy), better value (as a no-cost, scalable intervention), and better education (by modeling and teaching sustainable self-care practices).
By addressing the priority area of workforce wellbeing and resilience, this talk empowers participants to reconnect with their inner resources and foster a more compassionate, joyful, and mindful culture in both academic and clinical settings. Whether new to mindfulness or seeking to deepen an existing practice, attendees will leave with actionable strategies to model and share mindfulness within classrooms, teams, and campus-wide initiatives.