There are sooooo many benefits of meditation. Today we'll cover 3 benefits of meditation, some big ones.
Meditation is a practice where you train your mind to focus on a particular object like your breath, or on an activity like walking. If your mind runs wild, what meditators call Monkey Mind, no worries, there are ways to cope.
With time, you’ll learn to accept your thoughts, even the common mental chaos, and let it all go without judgment. Meditation has been rapidly gaining traction over the last 20 years, as many people discover its countless health benefits, and the science and medical community started taking notice and reporting their findings.
‘Mastering’ meditation can be a bit challenging for the novice or dabbler, and that’s why many people who try it end up quitting along the way. In reality, I’d say the reason most ‘fail’ and/or quit, is because they tried doing it on their own with an app or a book.
Meditating with a teacher, coach, monk or anyone more experienced can be highly beneficial to learning how to effectively set proper expectations and learn effective practices as well as including accountability.
Here are 3 great benefits as to why meditation is a worthwhile practice…
1. Enhances Self-Awareness
Meditation forms such as self-inquiry meditation can help you develop a greater understanding of how you relate with others and with yourself. You also get to learn how to recognize and distance yourself from harmful or self-defeating thoughts.
Here, the idea is to gain awareness of your thoughts and steer them to more productive patterns. Even more advanced practices teach you to accept the thoughts you are having and sit with them to reflect and seek deeper understanding of your emotions.
Using mindful meditation apps comes in handy since they can reduce feelings of loneliness and increase social contact as well as keeping guided meditations in your pocket anywhere you go. Look me up and connect with me on Insight Timer if you want to try this app out.
2. Live a Stress-Free Life
Most people are into meditation because of its promising impact more so in stress reduction. And it sure lives up to it. Typically, physical and mental stress increases the level of cortisol, a stress hormone.
This leads to the release of inflammatory chemicals known as cytokines that can promote depression, increase blood pressure, and disrupt sleep.
According to an 8-week study conducted in 2013, mindfulness meditation can reduce responses caused by stress. What’s more, the research indicates that meditation can help you deal with stress-related conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome.
3. Controls Anxiety
Besides reducing stress levels, meditation leads to less anxiety. A meta-analysis that included approximately 1,300 adults proved that meditation could decrease anxiety. Inherently, this effect was most potent in people with the highest anxiety levels.
Another study showed that 8 weeks of meditation reduced anxiety symptoms in individuals with a generalized anxiety disorder. Additionally, it improved stress reactivity and coping plus increased positive self-statements.
Equally, mindfulness and meditation exercises can reduce anxiety levels. For instance, yoga brings more to the table than just keeping you fit. It plays a role in helping people reduce anxiety. Employees have a reason to smile, too, as meditation can help control job-related stress.
Give It a Try
After looking back on challenges of the previous year, 2021 promises to bring hope. Now’s the time to reflect on what you can work on to better protect your most valuable asset—your health.
Meditation is a practice that can help improve both your mental and emotional health. Try it out today for a happier and healthier life.
Want to try adding mindfulness and meditation to your self-care routine? Click below to get details about this introduction to mindfulness and meditation mini-course.
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