HEALTH TIP: BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

Jul 8

1. Better focus and concentration

Mindfulness meditation helps you focus on the present, which can improve your concentration on other tasks in daily life.

A 2011 study from the Harvard Medical School examined the effects of mindfulness meditation on the brain and found a connection between mindfulness and processing new information.

2. Improve self-esteem and self-awareness

Mindfulness meditation encourages you to slow down, allows for deeper self-reflection, and can help you discover positive attributes about yourself.

3. Reduce stress

Mindfulness meditation can also lower the levels of cortisol — the stress hormone —which helps you feel more relaxed.

In a 2013 review, researchers analyzed more than 200 studies of mindfulness meditation among healthy people and found meditation to be an effective way to reduce stress.

4. Manage anxiety or depression

Mindfulness meditation helps train your mind to focus on the present, making you less likely to ruminate on anxious thoughts that can fuel depression.

A 2014 research analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that mindful meditation can help ease anxiety and depression, and could be part of a comprehensive mental health treatment plan.

5. Fight addiction

Meditation can alter the brain receptors associated with drug and alcohol addiction, which may reduce cravings for these substances, Davidson says. Additionally, mindfulness meditation can increase your awareness of cravings and allow you to better manage them.

6. Control pain

Many doctors recommend mindful meditation practices as part of a comprehensive pain management plan, Davidson says.

For example, a 2020 study of more than 6,400 participants across 60 trials found that meditation could reduce pain in those who suffered from post-surgical, acute, or chronic pain.

7. Make you more kind or loving

Loving kindness meditation can foster compassion for yourself and others. It strengthens circuits in the brain that pick up on other people's emotions, promotes altruistic behavior, and decreases the implicit or unconscious bias responsible for perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

To start a loving kindness meditation, you might envision a loved one in your mind and wish them happiness. You can then extend that love to yourself and other people in your life.