The many health and well-being benefits of daily meditation

The many benefits of meditation

Living in the era of information overload we are constantly affected by multiple distractions: social media notifications, app alerts, calendar reminders, messages, chats etc. All the apps, products or services compete for our attention and try to influence our behavior.

They get us hooked and we start experiencing the long-term effects. We often feel overwhelmed, confused, stressed, anxious and even less content with ourselves. 

We discuss more about maintaining health & well-being in the digital era in a recent article on our blog. 

Being aware that digital distractions have such an impact on our lives is the first step towards living a happier one. In an attempt to cure our body and mind many of us have started to meditate. Meditation is an age-old practice that engages with the mind, helps us to stay calm, releases unnecessary thoughts, improves our mood, relaxes the body and raises our spirits.

Many people don’t believe in the power of meditation and that’s OK. Some quit meditation as it makes them feel uncomfortable, others give it up after a few attempts. To experience all of the benefits of meditation one has to invest some time, learn a few simple techniques and practice it regularly. You will see how time spent on meditation will pay off.

Remember, the first time you try it, you might fail. Don’t give up.

We are so overwhelmed by the things going on around us that we often don’t have time to put all of the thoughts swirling around our minds in order. It can get quite chaotic in our heads. Meditation requires consistency in order to create calmness amongst your thoughts. If you try it day after day, week after week you should begin to notice some positive changes.

What does meditation do?

Calms down the endless stream of thoughts

When you start practicing meditation, you might not see the effects immediately. At some point though you will achieve the ability to truly sit quietly and not be overwhelmed by your thoughts. Our thoughts are the result of the processes happening in our mind and their influence on us is determined by how we direct our attention. We can discover the peace of mind that comes from the skillful guidance of attention by not giving importance to every thought but rather by focusing our attention.

Helps us achieve better results

When we are able to focus our attention we can prioritize more efficiently. When we’re learning to direct our thoughts to more important matters, we can experience a reduction in the effort it takes to achieve our goals. Through meditation we’re able to boost our effectiveness and raise the motivation levels required to perform well. Furthermore, clearing our minds through meditation creates more space for revolutionary thoughts, improves our decision-making process and relieves stress.

Improves physical health

Using meditation as a break from your everyday life works great too. Your eyes are resting from the monitor, your back is straight, your muscles relax and your brain activity improves through breathing exercises.

Improves relationships

Through meditating we can redefine our values and start noticing what is or is not really important. Regular practice helps you to become more caring person, closer to your loved ones.

Helps to fight addictive behaviors

Drinking less alcohol or quitting smoking can be aided by meditation. You can learn why you favors negative activities in order to improve your self-control skills. By learning how to control your willpower, you’re less likely to become addicted to external gauges.

Develops an inner self

We have some power to impact our circumstances but we cannot control all of the possible outcomes and some of them may leave a significant trace on us. Meditation helps us resist any external impacts on our mental health. We exist as a buoy on the open sea during the storm, floating above our problems, rather than as a stone, sinking beneath the waves.

Makes us realize we are responsible for our feelings

Whatever we feel is the result of a process inside of our minds. Our thoughts sometimes tell us that we are stressed, unhappy or suffering, or that we need to acquire something that will make us happier. All these negative emotions we feel are inside of us and ultimately we are the ones who make the decision about how we want to feel. By focusing our attention on something that grips us and causes us pain, and letting it go, we free ourselves from a self-imposed negative state.

Makes us realize that we are not alone

Other people struggle too, it’s easy to forget that we all react differently, some people don’t show their suffering to others, it might be hard to tell. Life isn’t easy, it creates challenges for everyone. Meditation teaches us how to start acting instead of complaining or feeling sorry for ourselves.

Develops an immunity to other people’s opinions

Many of us care a lot about what others think of us. We might set up a lot of limitations and often behave against our will due to the fear of looking bad in someone else’s eyes.

People are often afraid to hear something that might discourage or hurt them, without realizing many of us throw words around without deliberating properly. Practicing meditation helps to realize whose opinion is truly important, and whose you should just ignore. We should stay true to ourselves and try not to let others to play with our feelings.

Aids in the removal of inflated egos

Sometimes we slip into our egos and get possessed by our thoughts, obsessed by our talents, we think of ourselves as better than others or unintentionally upset others. Staying aware of how we affect others through our actions help us to deal with this.

Helps us realize the world won’t end without us

When you practice meditation sooner or later you realize that nothing will really change in this world if you were to disappear.

The Earth will not stop revolving on its axis and people you don’t know who inhabit our planet, will continue living their lives. We should live so that we stay satisfied with our lives. Do whatever your heart tells you to do, don’t be influenced by others.

Makes us understand we have no labels

Our religion, sexual orientation, gender, skin colour, nationality, all of these labels are irrelevant. People and personalities start having a bigger meaning, it’s the individual that matters.

To get something truly important you should always invest in something. Whether it is hard work, money, effort, time or other resources – nothing comes for free.

Achieving a desirable state of mind through meditation is hard work. Only through dedication and constant practice results can be achieved. Meditate regularly and you might discover new things about yourself, you will notice all of the astonishingly positive changes to your personality, your perception of the world and your relationships. If you haven’t meditated before, give it a try.

If you would like to read more about meditation, please read some additional articles which we have posted on our website:

• An Introduction to Meditation: Self-Awareness in Hard Times

• The Science Behind Mindfulness and Meditation