WHY TO MEDITATE?

Meditation has been used in various cultures for thousands of years. It helps to connect with own mind and feel more centered—what is especially important these days. Moreover, it allows person to bring his/her full attention to something like a breath or mantra. At first, it seems hard to put full attention on one thing when so many different thoughts come into mind, but you do not need to stop your thoughts and just let them be.

What are the benefits of meditation?

• Meditation positively affects parasympathetic nervous system, which aids rest and digestion. Numerous research studies suggest that meditation decreases anxiety by improving resilience and performance under stress. Moreover, meditation practitioners perceive lower stress levels than those who do not. Therefore, it is a perfect tool for improvement of the mental health when trying to feel more relaxed and be gentle to others.
  
  
• Meditation advances emotional intelligence. Various research revealed that meditation helps to improveperson’s ability to regulate his/her People who regularly practice meditation more mindful to their inner self than those who do not. Moreover, they tend to be better at analyzing how and why their emotion was triggered and how it could be managed. In addition, meditation not only enhance the ability of person to regulate and control his/her emotions, but also, to detect and understand the emotions of others. Thus, person is able to understand how other people around them are feeling.
  
  
• Meditation boosts creativity. Research on creativity have shown that person comes up with his considerable insights and greatest breakthroughs when he/she comes through more meditative and relaxed state of mind. That is when person tend to have “eureka” moments. This happens because meditation improves divergent thinking (i.e. coming up with numerous possible solutions to a problem), that is a fundamental component of creativity.
  
  
• Meditation helps to focus. People minds tend to wander about 50% of the time. During the day person is being interrupted by text messages, phone calls, emails, somebody’s talks, and etc. Therefore, not a surprise that it is hard to stay focused. However, studies revealed that regular meditation practice helps to control our tendency for distraction, strengthening ability to stay focused and even improving memory.
  
  
• Meditations improves deep sleep. Research studies have shown, regular meditation practice helps to sleep better at night and avoid anxiety and depression attacks as it minimizes stress and encourages relaxation through quieting the mind and body, and enhancing inner peace. While practice meditation before bedtime, it could help to reduce insomnia and sleep troubles by encouraging calmness.

It is crucial for people to have a good mental health in order to live happily and to be more effective at work and daily life. Meditation might be an essential practice that people could use to help them improve their psychological well-being since meditation sharpens skills like attention, memory, and emotional intelligence.   What is more important, it helps to quiet the mind and body, and reach overall inner peace. Do not hate, meditate!

References:

Seppala, E. (2015). How Meditation Benefits CEOs. Harvard Business Review.

Charoensukmongol, P. (2014). Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation on Emotional Intelligence, General Self-Efficacy, and Perceived Stress. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, Vol. 16 p. 171–192.

Reimeil, E. (2021). Yes, everyone should try meditation. Girls' Life Vol. 28 (1).