It’s so easy to get consumed by everything that goes on around you. When that happens you can end up feeling really stressed, anxious and frustrated which takes you away from living in the moment. There were so many times that I felt consumed by so many different emotions and feelings that I wasn’t even aware of the things around me. Have you ever zoned out while someone else was talking to you? Yeah that’s happened to me many times.
Meditation is the practice of coming back to life. It helps train your mind to be more aware and take control of your emotions, thoughts and feelings. Especially in this fast-paced and hectic world we live in, meditation can help bring you back to earth and understand the space you’re in.
Meditation is a beautiful practice, which I urge a lot of people to practice. Why? Because there are a lot of benefits that come with it:
1. Improves self-awareness
Mindfulness is the “psychological process of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment”. This is known as being self-aware. Meditation can help you do just that. Through such practice, you can be aware of not only the present moment, but of your thoughts and emotions. Being mindful can increase your ability to take control of your emotions and allow you to redirect your thoughts to have a clearer mind.
2. Decreases anxiety
Do you feel anxious at work sometimes? Perhaps you feel anxious at home? In all cases, meditation can help decrease feelings of anxiety, whether socially or work related.
3. Reduces stress
We all experience stress during the day in some form or the other. Stress increases levels of cortisol, a stress hormone which can cause unwanted side effects. Meditation helps reduce stress and make you feel calm and peaceful throughout the day.
4. Increases focus
Because meditation improves self-awareness, it can help you stay more focused during any task at hand. Practicing meditation keeps you in control, which can improve your cognitive function at work, university or in any activity that you go about throughout the day.
The benefits of meditation are vast. These are just some of the things I’ve experienced myself and thought I’d share with you. Like anything else, meditation needs time and practice. Even if you start with 5 minutes of meditation per day, that’s good enough. With time, you can start increasing the duration as you get better and better at it.
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