Stress has the power to influence all areas of one’s life. According to the statistics from CDC, it was found that 11.3% of the US adult population suffer from unpleasant feelings of anxiety and worry. Moreover, 4.5% of the adult population struggle with depression on a regular basis. The statistics imply low productivity, poor clarity of mind, more sleep issues, social isolation, and a lack of inner peace.

Meditation exercises impact one mentally, physically, and emotionally. They are a great strategy to deal with daily life stressors. According to the research published in Science Direct, it was found that mindfulness meditation significantly reduced high stress and anxiety levels in college-going students. 

 

Why is Meditation Important?

Increases Self Awareness

Meditation exercises increase self-awareness, positive emotions, and emotional intelligence. Self-awareness gets a boost because the individual feels the courage to face their pleasant and unpleasant thoughts and feelings. 

Allows Goals To be Achieved

They get the time to reflect on their motivation, goals, values, and principles. If they find that their actions are not aligned with their short-term and long-term goals, they are able to adjust their behavior accordingly. 

Deal with Unpleasant Emotions

Practitioners are able to confront the tough feelings that they were avoiding initially. They might be avoiding internal fears, traumas, and some kind of abuse. Meditation practices help them tackle unpleasant emotions one by one. 

Nurtures Courage

In this way, meditation exercises nurture courage in people. Over time, it becomes easier for people to get out of their comfort zone. Furthermore, monitoring their emotions helps people notice the wide range of emotions that they experience on a daily basis. No doubt, it increases emotional intelligence that encourages empathy towards others. 

Improves Focus 

As per research, meditation exercises not only bring the above-mentioned benefits but also improve focus, memory, and physical health. 

Generates Compassion

It also enhances feelings of kindness and gratitude towards others and life in general. We know that gratitude is about being thankful for what one has in their life. It helps deal with feelings of insecurity associated with a lack of material things. The insecurity arises because the individual unconsciously starts to compare themselves with others. They forget that their life circumstances, personal values, strengths, and areas of improvement are different from others. Consequently, meditation is crucial for self-development and stress relief. 

Types of Meditation for Stress Relief

• Mindfulness Meditation: A type of meditation that became known in the Western culture recently. It is based on Buddhist tradition. It is a type of meditation that is vital in knowing the working of the mind. It facilitates self-awareness that is vital for life satisfaction, inner peace and experiencing more positive emotions. Some steps that can helpful in this regard are: 

• • Accepting your personal reality
  • Monitoring your inner thoughts and feelings without judgment
  • Gently bringing back your attention when it wanders away.
  • Staying in the present moment and savoring it to the best

• Yoga: It is an excellent way to relieve stress and create harmony within the self. There are different types of yoga that have different aims for the individual For example, Hatha yoga greatly supports stress relief. All yoga practices have some physical movements and breathing exercises. Other types of yoga that facilitate stress relief include Aashtanga, Bikram, Kundalini and Restorative.

 

Some Amazing Facts About Meditation

 

How Does Meditation Boost Memory?

Meditation influences memory positively. According to the research carried out by scientists at the Harvard Medical School, it was found that meditation exercises increase the size of the brain. It improves memory. There was another Harvard research that looked at the sizes of the brains of those who practiced meditation for 30 minutes on a regular basis compared to a control group. The control group did not participate in any such intervention. The meditation intervention lasted for 8 weeks and the brain scans showed growth in the hippocampus region. 

 

Meditation Has The Power To Stop The Progression of Brain Diseases

Meditation has the power to slow down the development of age-related brain diseases. As per the research conducted in a medical center in Boston, a significant positive impact on brain diseases was seen due to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention. For instance, slow development was monitored in Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The intervention only lasted for as long as eight weeks.

 

Meditation Improves The Flow of Blood Pressure

It is widely known that meditation exercises bring relaxation to the life of the practitioner. It is because nitric oxide gets produced in the brain that helps with lowering blood pressure. There was a research meta-analysis done that showed that transcendental meditation played an important role in lowering the blood pressure levels of respondents. 

 

Daily Meditation Practice Promotes Neuroplasticity

Research that was done by Dr. Davidson (at the University of Wisconsin) showed that regular meditation practitioners exhibited increased gamma level brain activity. High levels of gamma brain activity are linked with more self-control and neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity means the ability of the brain to change itself on structural and functional levels during the course of life. It facilitates adaptability. Benefits of adaptability and neuroplasticity include 

 

Meditation Promotes Sleep Quality: How?

Meditation is an excellent strategy to promote the quality of sleep and deal with insomnia. As per a meta analysis, it was found that mindfulness meditation significantly enhanced the quality of sleep in participants. The impact was seen in 1654 respondents. 

Another research was done on elderly population. The purpose of the study was to see the impact of mindfulness meditation on the quality of sleep of older adults. The subjects were asked to practice the intervention for six weeks. It was found that mindfulness meditation intervention improved sleep quality. 

Concluding Thoughts

Meditation has a transformative influence on life. Just like any other skills, it requires consistent practice to reap the benefits. Benefits of meditation include improvement in focus and concentration, physical and emotional health. So, it is great for dealing with elevated blood pressure, and chronic pain. It has the power to boost immunity levels. Furthermore, it promotes self-confidence, inner peace and life satisfaction for the long term. Courses offered by the platform of Meedyo are a great option for dealing with stress. 

 

Read More: 10 Meditation & Breathing Techniques To Avoid Your Next Panic Attack