Entry #6 - The Benefits of Meditation: How It Can Improve Your Mental Health

Mental health awareness month is coming up and I wanted to mention that practicing meditation is the best way to improve your mental and physical health. 

The most known benefit of meditation is that it can help reduce stress and anxiety meditation. While Meditation helps calm the mind and is known for decreasing stress hormones. It also gives an overall state of well being it and has been proven to be an effective treatment for anxiety and depression disorders as well as other illnesses. Research study shows that meditating on a normal basis can bring about physical improvements in the mind including regions related to psychological regulation and reduced anxiety and also anxiousness. (hölzel, 2011).

Most of us have active routines and also way of lives that require you to multitask and be effective, so you can make use of meditation as a tool to enhance emphasis and memory. This is a great tip for students who are stressed about finals or exam season. Not only will you have better focus on your studies but your cognitive function will also improve over time by including meditation into your schedule. 

Another benefit is improving your sleep. According to Hölzel's research practicing a bit of meditation everyday can also improve sleep quality. As most of us recognize, insomnia is an unpleasant state that is brought on by an overactive mind that can either avoid you from resting or even just mess up the high quality of your rest cycle. Yet regarding 5 minutes of continuous meditation before going to bed could be all you need to obtain sleepy or give your brain the boost needed to rest trough all the sleeping phases of the cycle.

Lastly, meditation is beneficial to your sense of self. It can heal hurt emotions, increase self awareness and acceptance. It is important to remember to be kind to yourself and others and become more aware of daily thoughts and actions this upcoming month. Meditation can serve as a time of self reflection, goal setting or healing. As mentioned before meditation is a powerful tool that can benefit your mental health and personal growth. 

Do you meditate? ❤☺

Reference:

Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Evans, K. C., et al. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research, 191(1), 36-43. doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.08.006