Meditating is a way to reduce the pressure, stress and worries that we face on a daily basis. And it is that when we meditate, we provide ourselves with a space to restore our nature and inner calm.
In recent times, mental health is becoming very important, as another of the necessary pillars -along with physical health- to have greater well-being and quality of life. There are many gestures that are in our hands to take care of our mental health and one of them is to practice meditation.
Numerous studies have shown that meditating has many benefits both physically and mentally. In Healthy Home we tell you which are the most striking:
– Reduce stress and anxiety levels because they help to calm your mind, allowing you to face the day in a more relaxed way. According to research conducted by the University of California, cortisol levels (stress hormones) are lower in people who practice meditation.
– Relax muscle tension. During meditation, the body must be 100% focused on your emotional state, so the muscles tend to relax and, gradually, the tension accumulated in them decreases.
– Helps cultivate concentration. Increases the ability to decide what to focus on and the time in which you can complete a task without getting distracted.
– Improves memory, regular practice allows you to remember more things and helps the brain stay young. In fact, scientific studies show that the use of meditation is effective in treating memory problems and preventing diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
– Helps to elevate mood. Meditating makes you feel more positive about life, about your day to day life, accepting and facing what comes as part of the cycle of personal growth.
– Boost your creativity: A study carried out by researchers at the University of Leiden, in the Netherlands, revealed that meditating increases creativity, since the practices of relaxation, peace, concentration and calm are capable of promoting both creative thinking and creativity. divergent.
– Facilitates and improves the quality of sleep: Dedicating time to meditate before bed will make you fall asleep faster, rest better, and that will make you wake up the next day with more energy.
– Positively affects the immune system. A Harvard University study indicates that meditation not only weakens genes related to causing inflammation in the body, but can also stimulate genes related to DNA stability.
– It can help reduce blood pressure. Meditation helps to relax the nerves that work in coordination with the heart, thus protecting it from possible threats.
– Facilitates better digestion: by inducing calm, it can also improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and thus balance the microbiota (intestinal bacteria), which will allow you to better absorb nutrients.
– Helps with the perception of pain. Meditation is especially effective in changing the way we perceive and respond to pain.
Tips to get started in meditation
If you have never tried dedicating time to meditation, or if you have tried it on occasion and have felt bored or frustrated, there is no need to despair. It is a practice that takes time and dedication, but whose positive effects begin to be noticed in the short term.
– Choose comfortable clothes with which you feel comfortable.
– Find a quiet place and a time of day when you feel relaxed, without distractions.
– Posture is important. The most common is sitting on the meditation mat or cushion, with your shoulders and arms relaxed. However, there are other times when it is better to lie down or choose a place where we can support our backs.
– Be patient, with the pace of life so intense that we lead, stopping for a few minutes is always difficult. Improvements in this field are seen gradually.
– Find videos or audios that help you. It is always easier to start a guided meditation than by yourself.
– Focus on an object: one way to promote concentration and mental serenity is to focus on an object. This can be your breath coming and going, your own physical sensations, or a previously seen image.
– Make meditating part of your daily routine little by little.
It doesn’t matter when you start meditating or if it’s a short time, what matters is that you are constant, that you listen to your body and your mind, and that you dedicate some time to feel better and more relaxed.
Source: Healthy Housing