Top Benefits Of Mindfulness Meditation
During my time in therapy I had the introduction into mindfulness meditation.
During my time in therapy I had the introduction into mindfulness meditation.
I didn’t know what it was, but after the session I felt inner peace and relaxed.
I wanted to learn more about it and if it could have an impact it could have on my mental health.
What is Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness definition:
State achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
A present centred awareness in allows each thought, feeling and sensation to be observed, acknowledged and accepted for what it is, without judgment.
I’ve used mindfulness meditation to help me try to focus on one thing at a time, and be in the present moment.
Mindfulness meditation allows me to direct my attention away from negative thoughts, and engage with the world around me.
When I engage in the practice I focus and listen to my breathing. Through practice I’ve corrected my breathing technique, breathing from the diaphragm, then bring awareness to the oxygen filling up the lungs.
What Mediation Does for the Brain:
This ancient benefitis just now being proven by scientific studies, that the practice of meditation can change the structures of the brain.
Our complex brain plays a role in how we control and process our emotions, this is found in the limbic system.
Controls The Monkey Mind:
If your struggle with excessive thoughts, or ruminate about the future or past, then the practice of meditation can reduce the activity in the brain’s “ Me Centre”. It decreases and quiets the activity in the default mode network, (DMN), the brain network responsible for the wandering mind.
Mindfulness is not a sit and do nothing practice, it is an active form of brain training.
Meditation Reduces Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety:
I’ve been practicing meditation on and off for some years now, and more frequently during the pandemic.
Is it an instant cure? No, but during a depressive episode, meditation helps me manage the symptoms more effectively.
Mindfulness meditation teaches you to pay attention to your thoughts without criticising them. You don’t push them away or pretend they’re not there, you acknowledge those thoughts, accept them, and then let them go. In this way meditation allows you to disrupt the cycle of negative thinking.
Being in the present moment helps me to notice an episode early on, and if I’m experiencing negative thought patterns, I’ll engage in a few minutes of deep breathing, guided meditation, (YouTube or Headspace).
Shortly after the session I’ll notice an increase in energy, and a shift in negative thought patterns. It’s a gentle reminder that I need to focus on self care to stop things from getting worse.
Don’t get me wrong, practicing meditation when you’re experiencing dark thoughts can be the last thing you want to do. But after a day or two of experiencing a depressive episode, I now realise just how much the practice has helped me to regulate my emotions, and most importantly regain emotional balance.
In Closure:
You’ve probably heard that exercise relives depressive, anxious symptoms, (research supports that finding). Evidence suggests that mediation has even more benefit for managing depression and anxiety.
According to research from the National Institute of Health mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was developed as a psychological intervention for individuals at risk of depressive relapse.
As I mentioned above, meditation probably won’t cure depression or anxiety?But I wanted to share with you, that by me consistently practicing mindfulness meditation, it’s been by far, the best solution I’ve integrated into my wellness routine.
I’m now able to use the practice to prevent myself of getting into a spiral of negative thoughts, depression and anxiety that could get worse.
Now that you have some knowledge on mindfulness meditation, I encourage you to give it a try the practice consistently for 6-8 weeks. Aim for a few minutes each day or as often as you can.
Let me know how you get on, I’ll guarantee you’ll enjoy your moments of serene bliss.