MEDITATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

 I have just recently started practicing meditation and gotten expert advice from others who have been practicing much longer than me. It has helped my anxiety in so many ways and I want that for all people.  

Meditation has multiple physical, emotional, and mental benefits. It is about training the mind, beating bad mental habits, and developing positive qualities that are already present within us that will help us to lower the statistics of people struggling with mental illnesses. 

Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. Meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, and emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of things. By engaging with a particular meditation practice, you learn the patterns and habits of your mind, and the practice offers a means to cultivate new, more positive ways of being. 

People also use the practice to develop other beneficial habits and feelings, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns and even increased pain tolerance.  

In an 8-week study, a meditation style called “mindfulness meditation” reduced the inflammatory response caused by stress. Furthermore, research has shown that meditation may also improve symptoms of stress-related conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia. 

Research on the benefits of meditation and mental health is overwhelmingly positive. It’s nearly impossible to find a study saying meditation is negative for you. It isn’t even just the positive impact on your mental strength – studies have shown meditation to be beneficial for your physical health as well. Meditating can provide you with more energy, which is useful for your mental strength as well. When you have energy, you are more able to make good decisions and have the mental and physical strength to keep moving forward.