In this day and age, there are so many things bombarding us on a daily basis from all types of media – TV, radio, the Internet – people sharing their opinions about things. There are so many stressors out there coming at us from all directions across all walks of life, that is why meditation is very important to learn.

These stress-inducing factors come into our subconscious and it’s up to us if we allow them to stay in our heads. This is why meditation is so important as it helps us to focus on what truly matters.

What Is Meditation?

Meditation is a habitual process that trains your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. Meditation can help you increase awareness of yourself, as well as the people, environment, or things around you. It develops concentration and lowers stress.

People also use meditation to create other positive habits and feelings, such as a positive outlook or mood, healthy sleep patterns, self-discipline, self-control and even increase tolerance of pain.

Meditation helps change your perspective through a paradigm shift in your consciousness. It enables you to learn to observe your thoughts or feelings without any judgement.

Meditation training enhances a vast array of willpower skills, including attention, stress management, focus, self-awareness and impulse control. It changes the structure and function of the human brain to support self-control. It has been observed that people who meditate regularly have more grey matter in the prefrontal cortex.

Here are 5 Meditation Benefits You Should Know 

1. Stress Reduction
This is one of the major reasons why people meditate. Normally, physical and mental stress lead to increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. This releases inflammation-promoting chemicals named cytokines – one of the many harmful effects of stress. These effects can cause sleep problems, trigger depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure, and may result in fatigue and cloudy thinking.

2. Anxiety Control
Less stress means less anxiety. Meditation also lowers symptoms of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, phobias, paranoid thoughts, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive behaviours. Meditation also reduces work-related anxiety in high-pressure job environments.

3. Emotional Health Improvement
Certain types of meditation can help with depression and create a more positive life outlook for you. Research reveals that regular meditation will help you achieve these benefits in the long term.

4. Prevents Memory Loss for Aging People
Meditation improves attention and promotes clear thinking that help keeps your mind young. Regular meditation improves focus, which may enhance memory and mental clarity. These benefits help prevent age-related dementia and memory loss.

5. Help Fight Addictions
Meditation develops willpower and mental discipline, which can help you avoid triggers for addiction and other unwanted impulses. This can help you overcome addiction, lose weight, and change other unwanted habits.

There are other benefits to meditation. It improves sleep, helps in controlling pain, lowers high blood pressure, promotes long attention span, develops self-awareness, and increases positive feelings of love and kindness, among others. If you want to know more about meditation and the benefits it offers, book a chat with Linda today! Learn about the BENN Method she uses for your overall health and wellness.