Meditation reduces stress, it helps you focus and improves your relation with yourself…
By closing your eyes, and for a moment turning your attention inwards to find stillness you gain a lot of benefits. But first, if you need some motivation and inspiration, read this. 11 benefits of meditation.
Meditation reduces stress
It might not be one of the latest news to tell that meditation reduces stress. This was actually scientific proven already 50 years ago, and still today researchers works to examine all the physiologic benefits and how the nervous system actually are affected by meditation. Meditation have strong effects on the autonomic nervous system, it decreases the sympathetic part of this system – the fight and flight mode, and enhances the parasympathetic part of the system – the relaxation mode. It is in this part of the nervous system recovery occurs. Digestion are stimulated, heart rate and breath are calmed down. Some stress is good for the system, but for optimal health, a balance between these systems is needed. Most of the time during the day, we are under influence of the sympathetic part of the nervous system. Meditation and relaxation are needed to balance this, and bring calmness and recovery to the mind and body.
Meditation reduces blood cortisol
One of the hormones released in the body when the body is influenced by the sympathetic nervous system is cortisol. Cortisol is a stress-hormone, and is absolutely needed for functioning, but in to high levels under to long time, this hormone is actually damaging the body. Too much cortisol affects the immune system in a bad way, it erodes the bones, affects the hormone system, the metabolism and is damaging the brain. Meditation, which improves relaxation, will decrease the levels of cortisol over time and save the body from these devastating effects. Meditation can also help you cope with stressful events in a better way.
Meditation promotes sleep
If you are under influence of stress, or you are one of the worrying kinds of people, you might experience difficulties with falling asleep, or problems with waking up too early in the morning. Again, meditation, which improves relaxation and decreases levels of cortisol (which again, effects sleep quality and the ability of falling asleep) will make you sleep better. By meditation, you can also be better at handling your thoughts, and turn of repeating and worrying thoughts when you are about to sleep. The ability to calm your self down and still your thoughts at the end of the night is better for your sleep than any sleeping pill in the world.
Meditation will make you a better listener
One of the greatest gifts meditation will give you is the ability to listen. One way meditation works is that it actually quiets your mind and detaches you from your thoughts so that you can see your thoughts as just thoughts and not an actual reality. After practicing meditation you may actually start listening to your own thoughts like you are listening to a conversation in your head. This will improve your relation you have with your self, and you will maybe understand your thoughts, habits and patterns in another way.
You will get to know yourself better and feel more grounded
Like said previously, meditation will help you listen and understand your inner voice. When you meditate more, and spend more time listening and learning from your inner core, you will get to know your self better. You will feel more secure about yourself, and you will feel more grounded. Choices will be easier to do, and you will feel more confident. When you learn how to turn inwards and listen, you will build up a trust for your own inner voice, your gut feeling. You will feel more grounded, and you will be less affected by other people’s behavior, acting, mood and lies.
You will be less dependent on other people for your own comfort
A grounded and secure person is less likely to be affected by other peoples acting, choices, mood and behavior. When you meditate, and you learn how to listen inward and trust your inner feeling, you can stay grounded even when people around you are not. You will see clearer through misunderstandings and situations you might before have been affected by. Meditation and inner trust keeps your head cool when you need to see clear.
Meditation will spread peace and good vibes around you
A grounded person that does not so easily get affected by other people’s storms and emotions are more likely to stays calm in stressed situations. A person who has the ability to stay grounded and not drawn away by ones own emotions radiates peace, calmness and trust, which are all good vibrations. Your good vibrations will affect people around, and you will be a living “feel-good-pill” for people around you.
Meditation will make you more loving and more loveable
Meditation improves compassion and empathy for other people including one self, and it is proven in a number of scientific studies that meditation boosts the ability to feel love. People who meditate seem to be more open for love, both giving and receiving. It is also true that couples who meditate together seem to built up a deeper connection to each other.
Meditation will make you more connected
A person who is in harmony with oneself and the surrounding will experience a sense of connection. When you meditate, you can build up this connection, not only to your own self, but also to the surrounding, to other people and to nature. Meditation has the ability to heal and to improve the sense of wholeness. In the daily life, we are constantly affected by influences. We are constanly distracted by merchandises, mails, social media, gossip and more and more… Almost all of us live with a smartphone in our hands, connecting to everything but our closest surrounding and ourselves. Meditation will help you focus, and help you stay connected to your own self and your closest surrounding.
Meditation will make you more focused, present and aware
Another benefit of meditation is that it takes you back to the present, and keeps you totally aware of the moment. Meditation will make you more mindful, not only by the time you meditate, but also for the rest of the day. A person who practices some meditation may find it easier to focus and concentrate, and keep distracting thoughts on a distance. Maybe you have experienced the phenomena that when you do something you use to do many times every day, suddenly you have a new sensation like you do this simple thing for the first time ever in your life. This might have been a sign of total awareness and presence while you were doing it. Awareness will make you experience the world again and again and again.
Meditation will make you more happy
Actually, meditation has been proven to both reduce stress, anxiety, depression and affect the mood in a positive manner. It might not be hard to understand. By practicing meditation, you will practice awareness and presence. You will be more present in interactions to others – the greatest gift you can ever give. Meditation will make you a better listener, a better listener to your own feelings, emotions and thoughts and a better listener for your friends and other people. You will be better to feel in to your self and to the world. You will be more confident and secure.
By closing your eyes and turn your focus inward for a moment, you will give yourself one of the greatest gifts you could ever give yourself. Meditation is a great tool to get to know you, to learn how to focus on your self, to learn how to listen to your inner voice, and maybe, by doing this, you will turn out being a happier, more loving, more confident super version of you!
