Meditation seems to be continuously growing in popularity and there’s no wonder why – read on to learn about the amazing benefits of practicing mindfulness that you could be experiencing (or perhaps you already are!).
1. Reduces Stress
Practicing meditation could help reduce stress.1 We all know that being stressed doesn’t feel ideal, but more than that, stress can be really bad for our general health and wellbeing.
In fact, stress has been linked to high blood pressure, headaches, loss of sleep, weakened immune system, stomach aches, headaches and more!2
We know just as well as you do, that we can’t eliminate all stress from our lives and from time to time life can just be a bit stressful. What you can do, is practice meditation and hopefully equip yourself with some skills on how to handle it a bit better.
2. Meditation may help reduce anxiety
Beyond Blue state that practicing meditation may help individuals trying to manage their anxiety as it can encourage staying in the moment, thereby reducing negative thoughts of the future.3
Anxiety is a normal reaction that nearly everyone has experienced from time to time4 however sometimes anxiety can feel pretty overwhelming. If you are still feeling anxious, you may want to call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or email them here.
3. Improves attention span
I think we can all agree that there is nothing more frustrating than having your mind wonder off when you’re trying to concentrate. This could be at work, studying or even when you’re watching a movie.
If you’re experiencing this, practicing mindfulness meditation could help to improve your attention span.5
4. Improves attention span
Particular types of meditation such as ‘Metta’, focus on being kinder. This kindness is first directed towards yourself and then works on extending this kindness to others, learning how to forgive and accept.6
I’m sure you can agree that a little more kindness and compassion in the world wouldn’t go astray.
5. Improves cardiovascular health
Practicing regular meditation could also positively impact your overall cardiac health. High blood pressure can be caused by a multitude of things and can negatively impact your health. There are various things you can do to improve your blood pressure such as eat a healthy balanced diet, limit alcohol consumption, eliminate tobacco use and participate in regular exercise7 Meditation can help lower stress and we know that stress can lead to heart disease.8
If you are concerned about your health, seek advice from your health professional.
If you’re yet to try meditation and would like to, Headspace has a great (and free) beginners experience here. Alternatively the Wirecutter recommends these two apps to help beginners through meditation:
Headspace: Meditation & Sleep
This app has a 4.9 star rating on the Apple app store and is your guide to everyday mindfulness. With hundreds of guided meditations this app is perfect for people who are new to meditation. Headspace is free to download with ongoing or yearly subscription fees.
Calm
The Calm app has a 4.8 star rating on the Apple app store. This guided app is perfect for people who are new to meditation however also has hundreds of options for intermediate and advanced users.
Calm is free to download with ongoing or yearly subscription fees.