A WORKOUT FOR THE BRAIN: THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

What comes to your mind when you think of meditation? Maybe you get a picture of someone sitting with their legs crossed and their hands placed on their knees, eyes shut and still. Meditation, which has gained popularity over the years, is a way to increase your self-awareness. Moreover, it also helps you connect with your surroundings. Those who have tried it cannot help but beam at the results. But what are the proven benefits of this mental workout?

Less Stress

Life is full of stressors. It can be your work, family, health condition, financial wellbeing, or any other trigger that sets you off. When you are under stress, cortisol (stress hormone) levels increase, and soon enough, you start seeing the effects. You sleep worse, get more anxious, and become susceptible to depression and increased blood pressure. Meditating helps you clear your mind and be at ease by calming your thoughts.

Reduced Anxiety

Many people have anxiety over some issues in their lives but do not know how to deal with it. However, uncontrolled anxiety can overwhelm you and even send you into a psychiatric state. Learning how to deal with anxiety by embracing lifestyle changes and meditating is, therefore, essential. For example, people who practice mindfulness meditation with positive affirmations soon feel lighter. Plus, it improves your digestion.

Increased Self-Awareness

You may not be aware of some limiting beliefs you hold or how your actions impact you. By engaging in some form of meditation, you will find it easier to acknowledge the mental blocks in your life. Moreover, you begin to work on yourself from within, reducing your reliance on materialistic things. As a plus, you also become better at solving problems by dedicating time to understanding their causes.

Improved Concentration

Do you often have trouble concentrating on tasks? Many people who start meditation often state that they feel sleepy or drift away during the sessions. However, when they keep at it, the seconds soon start into minutes, then hours. This endurance translates to their work and social relationships. You become a better listener because your brain spends less time wandering and more time on the task at hand. Even fifteen minutes of meditation each day is enough to help you see positive results over time.

Better Memory Retention

Aging comes saddled with memory loss, which can be hard to grapple with for most people. However, meditation can slow the process and can even reverse some of the memory loss. By spending some time each day focusing on words and actions, you improve your cognitive performance. Such techniques have worked for people with dementia and age-related memory loss.

Did you know? Meditation also makes you kinder. How? By continuously generating positive feelings about yourself, you exude this positive energy to those around you. You find yourself sharing kind words and thoughts with strangers, and soon enough, you become a positive ball of energy.

Meditation works. However, you must find the best method for you based on what you would like to achieve. With options ranging from guided meditation to mindfulness, mantra, tai chi, transcendental, and qi gong meditation, you have many fantastic options. All the best!