Should you Meditate?
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the practice of meditating, it is quite simply the habitual process of exercising and training you mind to focus and conscientiously redirect your thoughts. The popularity of meditation continues to increase with Americans as more people discover what meditation really is. The majority of people who meditate use the practice to help improve their overall health. Personally I have found meditation to be enthralling, and I have been regularly meditating everyday for some time now. Some benefits I have observed have been my overall increase in self-discipline and my sleep. In the last couple of months, I have found my sleep to be far more restorative, even though I am sleeping much less than I used to. Although I may not be able to attribute this significant change in my health solely to my practice of meditation, I do think that the documented benefits of meditation are too potent to ignore. The benefits of meditation obviously vary from person to person, so if the thought of getting better sleep doesn’t intrigue you, here are some scientific based benefits of meditation on your body.
1. Mediation may reduce your stress and help you control your anxiety.
Mental and physical stress typically cause elevated levels of the stress hormone in our body known as cortisol. Harmful effects of having an irregular amount of cortisol in our system include the release of inflammation-promoting chemicals called cytokines. The effects of too much distress on the body can disrupt our regular sleep pattern, encourage negative thoughts, and increase depression and anxiety. In an eight week study conducted with over 3,500 adults, a meditation style called “mindful meditation” greatly reduced the inflammatory response caused by an excess of stress. Simply put, less stress normally means less anxiety. In High School, we have a lot of pressure put on us from multiple different sources. We are often expected to maintain good grades from school, have a healthy social life, and contribute to our school in a multitude of ways. Sometimes these pressures and stressors can become overwhelming and cause significant depression. Meditation is a healthy way to try and introduce more control into your life.
2. May help you increase self-awareness
There are so many different types of meditation out there for you to try, and many of them may help you enhance your self-awareness and overall understanding of your mind, therefore helping you grow into the best possible version of yourself. Some forms specifically aim to teach you how to develop a greater understanding of yourself and how you interact with those around you. Other forms might air to teach you how to recognize harmful thoughts and steer them instead toward a more constructive mindset.
3. Lastly, Meditation may help you increase your attention span.
This makes a lot of sense. When you meditate it is essentially like weight lifting for your attention span. Every time you practice your focus, it helps increase the strength and endurance of your attention span. The best part about this benefit is it does not take long to observe an increase in your attention span. One study found that even just four days of continued practice was enough. An increase in attention span will help you focus on the more meaningful components of your life instead of mindlessly wandering day to day. If you desire to live a more productive and driven life, meditation might be able to help you.
In conclusion, meditation is a healthy way to spend your time. There are a variety of observed benefits that may improve your quality of life. I suggest you give it a try. Some platforms I have used that I would recommend include Headspace and Calm. Thanks for reading!
Wow, I feel like I’ve been relating to all of your recent blogs. I also meditate, and have been doing so for a large portion of my life. I definitely agree with the benefits you mentioned; the stress and anxiety relief has been one of the biggest advantages for me. The days that I don’t meditate, I see how it directly affects so many aspects of my life, like my mood, focus, and overall mindset. There are so many different techniques out there, and it’s beginning to be a lot more accessible with different apps, like Headspace. I haven’t personally used those, but they seem really helpful. I kept thinking to write a blog about meditation, but I’m glad you did; it’s something that I think everyone should at least try once.
I have always wanted to get into meditation, yet never knew quite where to start. I think this is the final push that I needed to find something that works for me when it comes to meditation. I enjoyed reading about the benefits of meditation, because it makes it seem more like a legitimate practice instead of a superstition. To be quite honest all three of those benefits are something I dearly need in my life. Thanks for the new information Zach.
Hey Zachary! I really liked reading your blog. I have actually been meditating more frequently recently due to certain stressors. I have found from my own experience that it helps to center me and focus on what is really important in my life. I would love some more specific tips! You should write another blog about how to get in the right mindset to meditate, where to go to do it, and other ideas. It would be great to hear your opinions on what works best for you. I agree from personal experience that meditation does reduce anxiety, and it was interesting to learn that it is because it’s taking away a lot of stress. I also really like the feeling of calm that I get after meditating, and it does make me feel like I have more control, which is great for me and what I feel like I need. My favorite meditation technique is to focus on deep breathing and then transition to breathing in calm and happy energy, while exhaling all the stressors and worry inside of me. Then, this particular meditation tape had me picture my most happy, confident, and successful self. I feel like that really helped me put my goals in perspective. What’s your favorite meditation tape or technique?
Hey Zachhhh! I am actually so glad that you brought this topic up. I know you are big into lifting and personally, I think so many people in the fitness industry in general neglect meditation. I personally don’t do it, but I know of very successful people within heavy lifting that specialize in yoga as it helps with flexibility, recovery, and stress in general. Those three are really the key when it comes to exercise, but lifting often doesn’t hit those aspects, so I am so glad that you pointing this out to everyone! Thanks for sharing!