Feeling a bit stressed and overwhelmed lately due to a hectic work routine or are you unable to maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Why not practice meditation to achieve a plethora of both mental and physical health benefits!

Psychologists conjure that regular meditation can have numerous health benefits, no matter what you're going through. In today’s world of mounting daily stress and anxiety compounded by rising expectations, it is natural to come under emotional pressure that takes a toll on our minds and mood.

Meditation is a great way to strengthen the bond with your soul, clear the mind from negativity, and bring creativity to your life.

How Meditation Leads to a Healthy Lifestyle

Below are a few scientifically-proven reasons why everyone should meditate regularly:

1. Reduces Stress

Meditation takes you to a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind where you focus and concentrate on exploring yourself. The sense of peace you get helps clear up the jumbled thoughts that might be crowding your mind and causing anxiety. Often, stress is a natural response to unforeseen consequences or perceived the turn of events that might have a negative impact on your life.

Practicing meditation triggers positive feelings and you start evaluating if any real issues are stressing you out or if it’s just over-thinking of confusing emotions. With regular meditation, you are guaranteed to sort out and address the core reasons why you get stressed out.

Modern brain studies show that medication is a natural stress stabilizer as it increases the level of cortisol and activates the Autonomic Nervous system. This system regulates the fight-or-flight responses and that’s how the ability and resilience of a person to cope with stress are heightened.

2. Better Focus

When done in the right way, meditation relaxes certain parts of your brain linked with peace of mind and relaxation. This helps people focus better on their tasks and sustain them – even while doing the most boring things. Mindful attention comes naturally when our mind is free from confused thoughts and is in complete harmony with itself.

Research shows that even laypeople manage to improve their concentration and focus with intensive meditation. Another aspect is the development of self-discipline and control that comes with regular meditation. Meditating for shorter periods regularly is always a better option than meditating once in a while for a longer duration.

3. Improves Cognitive Abilities

Researchers agree that practicing mindfulness meditation improves the ability of your brain to keep the information active – a function of the brain called “working memory.” Your brain consumes fewer “resources” to complete the regular tasks and also improves other cognitive abilities such as attention and executive functions.

With time, the person develops and fosters problem-solving and decision-making strategies that are bound to bring a positive change in your personal and professional life. No wonder, why successful people and forward-looking individuals make transcendent meditation practice a regular part of their lives.

4. Lowers blood pressure

Meditation is a proven way of improving blood pressure and reducing dependence on medication. The most important thing is choosing a relaxation technique – or meditation type - that suits your lifestyle and sticking to it regularly.

When your body and mind are relaxed and comfortable, it stimulates the release of chemicals that improve the blood flow and reduce blood pressure in the both short term and later stages of life. and yes, we didn’t need any study to conjure that controlling the blood pressure without medication saves you from a plethora of heart diseases.  

5. Leads to a Better Social Life

Research shows that meditation and contemplative practices reduce social stress and develop positive feelings for strangers. The annoyance and irritation that often hold you back from having pleasant conversations with others disappear slowly.

The deep state of flow induced by meditation invoke feelings of connectedness and compassion and makes you more affectionate as a person. As little as a few minutes of regular meditation can make you a better and more amicable person.

For people suffering from mood shifts or mood disorders, meditation can be a natural panacea. In a peaceful and relaxing environment, your mind presents a clear picture of the thoughts that trigger your emotions and actions at the moment. You start appreciating the positive qualities of your colleagues and friends – which makes you a better social person.  

6. Improves Sleep Patterns

We have empirical evidence suggesting that mindful meditation stimulates the natural melatonin levels, a hormone associated with restful sleep. This is particularly useful for people suffering from insomnia or having irregular sleep patterns. Today, many psychologists recommend patients practicing meditation to fight insomnia.

Even if don’t have any sleep issues, do practice meditation to improve the sleep quality in the long run to keep you fit and active all the time.

7. Relieves Pain

Meditation causes the mind to release hormones called ‘endorphins” that act as natural pain-relievers by elevating mood and evoking positive feelings. with that, the perception of overwhelming pain is altered for the better, leading to lower pain sensitivity. When your brain is in a tranquil state, you feel less pain.

No matter if you’re experiencing mild pain or chronic pain, meditation can help you develop the strength to cope with it in rather a healthy way as we know that how you perceive the pain influences its impacts on your life. with meditation, you’re more likely to come to terms with chronic pain and develop the ability to combat it positively.

Choose The Best Meditation Practice

Meditation can be just sitting quietly under a tree or on your lawn and focusing on your breath or it can be a relaxation technique or mantra. If you’re unsure how to get pursue a suitable meditation technique, seek recommendations from a professional or look for online classes or tutorials.   

But remember, don’t go hard on yourself at the start and gradually increase the amount of time you dedicate to meditation – no matter what type you choose.