The Positive Effects of Meditation on Your Overall Mental Health

There was a time when people used to ignore the existence of mental conditions like stress, anxiety and depression, even though those were affecting the quality of life at the time as well. Thankfully, we have moved way past that, and enough people are now concerned about their mental health more than ever.

One cannot deny the fact that the issues like depression, anxiety and stress do make life more challenging than it already is. And the chances of treating these conditions with medication are quite low. However, the healthy lifestyle habits such as meditation have proven to be quite effective in reducing the symptoms of such conditions among adults.

In a study, published in the journal Psychiatry Research (2017), it was found that the mindfulness techniques used for meditation can reduce the symptom of stress on a cellular level. The study conducted on 70 randomized adult participants with generalized anxiety disorder segmented the group into two.

The first group received meditation training to cope with stress, while the other was not provided with any such routine. Researchers have found that there’s a significant reduction in the specific biomarker for stress in the bodies of those who engaged in meditation.

The practice of meditation is as ancient as the Vedas, but even after these many years, we haven’t found any better alternative to boost our mental abilities. Over the years, the exercise has helped millions of individuals improve their brain functions, reduce their sleep disturbances and manage the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.

A number of studies have proven the facts that the regular practice of meditation initiates beneficial changes in brain chemicals which are linked to increased blood flow, improved oxygen delivery and elevation of mood. Some other benefits such as the enhancement of immune response, reduction of blood pressure levels and fewer inflammations have been experienced among the people who practice meditation regularly.

You may agree to the fact that we live in a world filled with distractions and peace of mind is a luxury for most of us. While most of us are busy dealing with our stressful lives, we often miss some valuable things due to the lack of attention. Meditation allows you to declutter your mind while helping you improve your concentration. And if you are willing to learn more about the mental and psychological benefits of meditation, here’s what you can expect:

Reduced stress and anxiety:

As we discussed in the beginning, meditation helps you reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety to a great extent, and it has been established by the researchers a number of times. As a matter of fact, it’s even more effective than the strongest anti-depressants.

Psychological effects of meditation:

It has been observed by the researchers that meditation can offer a number of psychological benefits as well. As you practice it more, you may experience a boost in your creative skills. Also, the exercise is often linked with emotional stability, decreased irritability and improvement of overall productivity. In addition, meditation also helps with mood swings while boosting your awareness.

Self-actualization:

Meditation does help you clear your mind and allows you to look at life with a fresh perspective. It actually helps you dive deeper into your subconscious mind and lets you know yourself better. We often fail to discover ourselves as our original thoughts, and conscience gets buried under the layers of contemplation. Meditation allows you to shed those layers and discover your true self.

Living in the moment:

We often think too much about our past and live in a fear what the future holds for us while ignoring the present altogether. Meditation helps us focus on the present while helping us let go of the emotional baggage that we tend to carry with ourselves. Once you stop fretting over your future or quit reliving the painful past, you can actually enjoy the beautiful moments, which otherwise would have been missed.

Escape your ruinous thoughts:

There are times when we all encounter negative thoughts, which not only affect our own mind and soul but can also influence the lives of people around us. Meditation not only helps us tackle our mental disorders, but also allows us to fight our inner demons. Well, it may sound a bit dramatic. But meditation actually helps you escape those inhibitions and all the other aggravations that can potentially bring the worst in you.

Improved decision making ability:

Meditation not only improves your brain functionalities, but also helps you make better decisions in less time. The problem is that none of us is actually sure about what to do under a certain circumstance. With meditation, you can fix that issue and become a star in your professional life as well as personal life, given the opportunity. Also, when you start making quicker decisions, it automatically boosts your confidence.

Keeps you calm in all situations:

How a person reacts to adverse situations displays the character of the person. When you meditate regularly, you tend to have more control over a situation than before. The most common mistake people make while dealing with a certain situation is that they often lead the circumstances to guide their actions, not their own mind. When a person is calm and develops the ability to see things through, he or she can deal with even the most difficult situations without making a big issue out of it.

As mentioned before, meditation has a lot of mental and psychological benefits to offer. Most of these benefits not only help us maintain better mental health but also helps us build a stronger character by boosting our mind and soul. So practically, there’s a spiritual aspect of meditation that comes in to play. Well, you may not become a Yoga-guru all of a sudden when you practice meditation, but it does improve your quality of life.

Interestingly, the practice of meditation also has a number of physical health benefits to offer as well. In fact, meditation can offer more benefits to your body than working out with weights regularly. Since it does not require any kind of equipment or a particular kind of area to perform, you can practically do it anywhere you want.

You may be surprised to know that meditation can help you regulate your metabolism. In fact, some experienced meditators can accelerate or slow down their metabolism by 60%. Also, they are capable of increasing their body temperature by 8 degree Celsius. Well, this may sound fascinating, but it requires a lot of concentration, as mentioned on the website of The Conversation.

Also, when you engage in such practices, your body experiences some positive changes like lower heart rate and deeper and calmer breathing. It is also worth mentioning that people who practice meditation regularly have lower risks of heart attack.

If you are still not very convinced to try out meditation, you should know that it helps reduce the risks of age-related problems. As you may realize, mental conditions like stress, anxiety and depression takes a toll on your heart and brain which are absolutely essential for our body. When we maintain good mental health as well as a healthy heart, it automatically lowers the risks of diseases like Dementia.

Some of the aforementioned benefits of meditation have still not been established with concrete evidence. Researchers are currently investigating whether the genetics play a crucial role in the effects of meditation in people, but it is safe to say that it is one of the best options we got against the mental conditions like depression, anxiety and stress.

Author Bio: Nathan William works as an academic expert at My Assignment Help, where his primary duty is to help aspiring engineers prepare CDR for Engineers Australia. Ethan, himself is a qualified engineer. However, he always had a knack for writing.