Meditation in Mental Wellbeing: Explore 6 Benefits
Meditation is a mental practice where an individual exercises their mind to have a state of focus, to train attention and to create self awareness. Explore some of its benefits.
Meditation is a mental practice where an individual exercises their mind to have a state of focus, to train attention and to create self awareness. Meditation has been shown to have numerous benefits for mental health.
Regular meditation practice can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by promoting relaxation and mindfulness. It helps individuals to develop a greater sense of self-awareness and emotional regulation, allowing them to cope better with challenging situations.
Additionally, meditation can improve concentration, enhance overall well-being and foster a sense of inner peace and contentment. It’s a powerful tool that can complement traditional mental health treatments and promote long-term resilience and psychological health. Meditation practices mainly change functions through autonomous nervous system, which links brain and body.
The following benefits of meditation are as:
1.
Meditation soothes the nerves. It is the sympathic nervous system that is affected the most by anxiety, tension, fatigue and depression. Meditation has shown remarkable efficacy in managing depression.
Research has demonstrated that meditation can modulate neural pathways associated with mood regulation leading to reduction in depressive symptoms.
2.
Meditation creates a complexity of responses that mark a highly relaxed state: Meditation enhances breathing, increases oxygen uptake, improve nutrient flow and improves circulation.
When we are stressed, tense and anxious our blood’s lactate level increases, which can lead to an array of problems. These levels are greatly reduced during meditation much more quickly and effectively than with medicine or other method.
3.
Meditation boosts GABA: Best known for making us feel calm, GABA (gamma amonobutyric acid) is one of the major inhibitory neuro-transmitter in our CNS.
If we are struggling with a bad habit then it is virtually guaranteed that our GABA is depleted and which can create an array of problems including anxiety, nervousness, sleeplessness etc.
It has been found that 27% increase in GABA levels after only 60 minutes of mindful exercises-proven even more effective than physical exercises.
4.
Meditation boosts Melatonin (sleep molecule): As modern humans are collectively becoming a 24 hour-a-day, hyper-productive society our nights have become even shorter and shorter. This unbalancing act is taking a heavy biological toll on us all especially our natural sleep patterns.
So, meditation is a highly effective natural way to increase the Melatonin which boosts mood, slows cancer, strengthens immunity, increases longevity etc.
5.
Meditation skills help improve social contact with people and decrease loneliness which might help improve overall mental health.
6.
Meditation has been helpful in various mental disorders like PTSD, AD, Obsessive-compulsive behaviors etc.
In conclusion, meditation acts as a potent antidote to stress, stands as a powerful tool for promoting mental health and well-being in an increasingly complex and demanding world. By cultivating mindfulness, resilience and emotional intelligence, meditation empowers individuals to navigate life’s challenges with grace and equanimity.
[The writer, Dr. Uzma Jan is PG Scholar at Department of Ilmul Advia, Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine, University of Kashmir, Srinagar.]
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