There are numbers of reasons to get anxious every day, but there are thousands of reasons to feel happy all the time.
Everyone deserves to be calm, at peace, and happy; however, with so much going on today, everyone gets mad so fast and frustrated so quickly. Fortunately, there are still ways to keep composed even during critical times – through meditation.
Meditation is one of the best practices today that trains your mind to focus and helps redirect your thoughts from negative to positive.
Here are the top 5 science-based reasons why you should start meditating daily.
#1: It helps reduce unnecessary stress
Stress is unavoidable; it is a necessary stimulus. It is an automatic response of the body to challenges and uncertainties – psychologically known as “fight-or-flight” response. However, the inability to manage stress can become a threat to both mind and body.
One of the best ways to reduce unnecessary stress is to meditate. Meditations help reverse the body’s stress response and let you feel relaxed. It helps clear the mind and refocus. Through meditation, you can decide what to do when facing critical problems.
#2: It helps you become more mindful
Mindfulness is described as maintaining awareness of thoughts, body sensations, feelings, and even the surroundings. When you practice daily meditation, you are boosting the sense of mindfulness, where you become aware of your actions, you become more attentive and capable of eliminating negative feelings.
#3: It helps boost your memory
Over the years, several studies have proven that meditation can help improve memory. Mindful meditation teaches your mind to focus and with better focus, it helps solidify short-term memory. All you need to do is spare 10 minutes in the morning, afternoon, and evening to meditate.
#4: It helps you get better sleep
For some, good sleep is a privilege.
If you are one of many individuals who are currently having a hard time sleeping, you should try practicing meditation. Several studies have already proven that meditation can help enhance REM sleep, as well as, boost melatonin production (a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle). When melatonin is high, your body is placed into quiet wakefulness, which helps promote sleep.
#5: It helps you manage pain
Since ancient times, meditation has been used to manage pain. It is found out that through meditation it helps alter the sensory, therefore, reducing the pain. For this reason, some medical experts recommend their patients who have undergone surgery to take enough rest and meditate since it helps reduce pain.
How to meditate?
If you are planning to include meditation as part of your healthy lifestyle activities, here are some simple meditation tips for beginners:
- Look for a comfortable place to meditate.
- Find the perfect position; you may sit or lie comfortably.
- Close your eyes.
- Try to relax.
- Breathe naturally; do no force yourself to breathe in and out.
- Focus on your breathing while you exhale and inhale.
- Practice meditation for at least 2 – 3 minutes a day if you are a beginner and you may extend when you are ready to do so.