Meditation is the practice that helps you train your mind to focus on the things and put your thoughts in one direction. It is gaining popularity day by day as people are getting aware of its benefits for the mind and body.
People meditate for various reasons; for living a stress-free life, for keeping their concentration levels high and to treat their health problems. Except that it is also helpful in changing the overall mindset of the people. One who practices meditation would have a more positive outlook than others. Also, they have better sleeping patterns, are more disciplined, and have better tolerance power.
In this article, we are discussing some common benefits of meditation on our minds and body.
Proven benefits of meditation
Reduction in stress
Everyone deals with the stress in their life and it becomes the common reason that people choose the path of meditation. And meditation never disappoints people, it reduces stress to a great extent.
Stress is the result of an increase in the stress hormone in the body, named cortisol. It further contributes to producing many harmful chemicals in the body, for instance releasing inflammatory chemicals such as cytokines.
All this results in the disruption of sleep develop anxiety and depression in the body, raises the level of blood pressure, and so on. Practicing mindfulness meditation can help you reduce the hormones causing stress. It also reduces the other related symptoms of stress.
Boost emotional health
Meditation is not only beneficial for stress and anxiety, but it also helps in changing the perspective of people. People who meditate on a daily basis, have a better outlook on life. The happiness that comes from within helps improve their self-image and they start looking at things with a better outlook.
According to the studies, people who are in habit of meditating regularly, experience fewer negative thoughts and have a positive aspect. They are also better at dealing with emotional pain.
Increased self-awareness
Meditation comes in various forms and there are the forms of meditation that help in developing a strong understanding of an individual’s own personality. If practiced dedicatedly on daily basis, it helps the people to groom and shine in their best form.
You become able to identify the harmful thoughts that cross your mind and prove to be self-defeating. In other words, it means that you become aware of your thoughts and you get to choose which thought would be helpful in your personality development and avoid those which can turn otherwise.
Increased attention spans
People become more focused when they meditate daily and have better attention spans. Meditation is the reason some people have active and enduring attention.
According to the studies, people who are into the habit of listening to the meditation tapes, are better at completing their tasks and are more attentive to their work and study. Even the students who practice meditation score better than the students who don’t.
Also, you do not need to spend hours meditating, a small amount of time for instance 10 -12 minutes are enough to get into the habit of meditation. You will eventually see results in your memory and attention.
Makes you kind
Meditation increases the positivity and the ability to self-care. There is a form of meditation named Metta, it is famously known for the development of thoughts of kindness towards yourself and others.
People learn to be kind and forgiving when they meditate. It does not begin instantly, you first get kind towards your friends and family, and then the extended friends, and finally, towards the people, you do not like at all.
When you begin meditating Metta, you will start noticing the difference in your behavior and personality. You will forgive more and holding grudges would seem something alien to you.
Get rid of addictions
Meditation is the best way to increase your self-control and become aware of your addictive behaviors. You eventually get disciplined when you practice meditation daily and it helps you to break any sort of dependencies you have on the substances.
According to the research, people who meditate become experts at redirecting their focus and managing their impulses and emotions. Their thinking abilities get stronger and they are able to understand the things and reasons behind their occurrence.
Better sleep
We all suffer from poor sleeping patterns due to anxiety and work stress. Some people become insomniacs due to stress and struggle with sleep. Meditation relaxes the muscles of the mind and body and helps us improve our sleep patterns.
The difficulty in sleeping is the result of our thinking patterns that keep on going directionless. We tend to think about our past and future a lot which causes stress in our minds. Practicing meditation helps you redirect your thoughts and you get able to control what and how much to think at a certain point.
But with meditation, you reach a peaceful state and get rid of all the unnecessary stress and anxiety.
Author Bio
Prabhleen Gupta is a Certified Life Coach, NLP Trainer & Master Hypnotherapist who works with people from all walks of life and helps them deal with past traumas, insecurities, which in turn help them to live their best lives.
