I feel like lately the idea of being mindful, or aware, in everything you do has become more and more popular. There is good reason for that.
Merriam-Webster defines mindfulness as “the quality of state of being mindful” or “the practice of maintaining a non judgemental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.”
Being mindful has numerous benefits such as self-control, objectivity, affect tolerance, enhanced flexibility, equanimity, improved concentration, mental clarity, emotional intelligence, and the ability to relate to others as well as one’s self with kindness and acceptance, according to the American Psychological Association.
Well, one of the best ways to practice mindfulness is through meditation. Meditation also has additional benefits of its own outside of enhancing mindfulness.
Meditation can be used to alleviate various health conditions, especially psychological conditions.
“Since the 1970s, clinical psychology and psychiatry have developed meditation techniques for numerous psychological conditions,” provides Wikipedia. “Studies demonstrate that meditation has a moderate effect to reduce pain.” Research on other benefits like mood, attention, and various lifestyle habits is insufficient at this time but looks promising.
Matthew Thorpe, MD, PhD claims the following are science-based benefits of meditation:
- Reduced stress
- Less anxiety
- Better emotional health
- Stronger self-awareness
- Longer attention span
- Less age-related memory loss
- Increased kindness
- Increased self-control and awareness of triggers for addictive behaviors
- Better sleep
- Decreased pain
- Lower blood pressure
- Convenient (you can do it anywhere without any special equipment)
Despite all this, meditation could have potential adverse effects as well. Wikipedia says meditation has been correlated with unpleasant experiences in some people. So, like most things, meditation isn’t a one size fits all type of experience– every individual is different and unique after all.
Headspace says that meditation is “about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective” and that “learning to meditate is like learning any other skill.”
If you’re new to meditation, meditating might take some practice at first but there are many resources out there to help you. You can turn to videos, articles, friends, or rely on a teacher to learn.
Here are some basics on how to meditate from Mindful:
- Get comfy– you’ll be sitting still for a few minutes
- Focus– simply focus on your breath, how you inhale and exhale
- Follow your breath– for two minutes, deeply inhale air into your belly and then exhale slowly as your belly contracts
These don’t have to be super long sessions either, you can start out at just five or 10 minutes. It’s also important to notice when your mind wanders during meditation and not get discouraged over it. All you need to do is return your attention to the breath and come back eventually. To close, it’s best to “close with kindness.” Just be in the moment as you come out of meditating, observe your environment, and observe how you feel.
Meditation is a great way to practice mindfulness while also improving your mental and emotional well-being. By connecting with yourself, you can become more aware of your feelings and connect more effectively with others in all aspects of life. This can greatly improve your overall quality of life. So relax, focus, breathe, and start your journey to achieving mindfulness with meditation.
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