With our constant bustle and screen time, staying focused on the present moment can feel like a tough job. However, this seemingly simple act can play a vital role, especially during stressful or anxious times in our lives. That’s where meditation comes in. It helps us stay ‘in the moment’ and offers some great benefits for our mental and physical wellbeing.
Here’s a look at some of these perks:
1. Kicking Stress to the Curb:
We often ignore stress, despite its potential to wreak havoc on our health. Persistent stress can mess up your sleep patterns, cause overeating, and even lead to hair loss. Over time, this can lead to severe complications like heart or stomach problems.
Meditation can help reverse stress damage. Stress increases a hormone called cortisol, which causes undesirable effects, including inflammation. Mindfulness meditation – a kind that brings our attention back to the now – can actually lower these inflammation levels. So, if you’re feeling the stress heat, try meditation for some cool relief.
2. Helping Manage Pain:
Over 50 million Americans battle with constant pain, making daily tasks an uphill climb. Given the potential addiction risk of opiate-based painkillers, many doctors now lean towards alternatives like therapies, acupuncture, and, yes, meditation.
Research shows that meditation can help bear acute pain better. Another study found that it could provide temporary relief for lower back pain sufferers. But remember, before adding meditation to your pain management plan, always check-in with your doctor.
3. Bringing Down Depression:
Depression can suck the joy out of life, making even once-loved activities feel meaningless. Meditation can fight anxiety and stress, both of which can trigger episodes of depression. When we get stuck in negative thinking or can’t see a better future, mindfulness meditation can help us refocus on the here and now.
4. Dialing Down Blood Pressure:
With heart disease being a major cause of early deaths worldwide, it’s time to pay more attention to our heart health. And one simple way is to lower our blood pressure.
High blood pressure can overwork our heart and narrow our arteries, risking heart attack or stroke. Thankfully, meditation (along with a healthy diet) can help. Studies suggest that forms like transcendental meditation or mindfulness can calm the brain. During this calm state, blood pressure drops, inflammation reduces, and arteries relax.
Try it Out:
Starting with meditation has never been easier. Check out some online tutorials, and in no time, you’ll have all the know-how to get going.
tags: advantages, meditation, mental health, physical health
