| By Tara Shekouri |
Over the years, meditation has become a commonly recognized practice for enhancing mental well-being and emotional stability. Its roots date back thousands of years to Taoist, Hindi, and Buddhist traditions, though it still holds relevance today for the multitude of benefits it offers. Though known primarily for its ability to alleviate stress and anxiety—it is a holistic practice that also promotes mental clarity, emotional awareness, and compassion. Practising mediation regularly can aid in improving sleep, boosting one’s mood and improving cognitive performance by teaching the mind to focus and refocus ideas. The practice of meditation is becoming increasingly popular as more people become aware of its advantages for improving both the body and the mind.
To start off, it is crucial to be aware of the role of meditation in reducing and controlling stress and anxiety. In today’s world, many are under constant stress and pressure, leading to high levels of cortisol, a hormone closely associated with stress. The practice helps to calm the mind, reduce stress makers, and regulate one’s heart rate. One way to achieve so is to begin the day with a few minutes of focused breathing meditation—during which one rests comfortably in a quiet space while concentrating on slow inhales and exhales. In terms of anxiety, regularly mediating can reduce symptoms of anxiety by helping individuals stay focused on the present. Other than focusing on breathing, one can also focus on their surrounding environment using the 5-4-3-2-1 technique—meaning to acknowledge five things one can see, four things one can feel, three things one can hear, two things one can smell, and a thing that one can taste.
Furthermore, meditation enhances self-awareness, helping one to develop a more profound understanding of themselves and their thought patterns. Through mediation, one can begin to identify and challenge negative or self-destructive attitudes and thoughts, which ultimately contribute to personal growth. A method of doing so is through engaging in self-inquiry. One can begin practising this by analyzing their inner dialogues and recognizing negative thoughts that continue to reoccur, and jotting them down; asking oneself if they are overreacting, overgeneralizing, imposing labels on themselves, or making harmful assumptions; and switching to rewording thoughts in a way that creates empowerment and motivation.
As well, meditation significantly improves attention span, memory, and concentration. For example, focused-attention mediation, which involves concentrating oneself on a sole sound, thought, or object, trains the mind to focus and refocus effectively. For example, one may choose to focus on a flower in the corner of their room or the blowing wind outside. Doing so allows the mind to stay in the present and hones the skill of discipline, which can be applied in many aspects of life, such as work or school. For another example, focusing a few minutes on one’s deep breathing before studying a subject for school allows them to minimize distractions and fully absorb the content. Combined with a study technique effective for the individual at hand, they can remember the material for a longer period of time.
Therefore, incorporating meditation into daily life provides a wide range of benefits in areas beyond mental health, from reducing stress and anxiety to enhancing self-awareness, focus, and memory. By beginning with simple techniques such as focused breathing, individuals can easily integrate meditation into their daily routines and begin to explore other methods and techniques they find are the best suitable and most effective for them.
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