Meditation has long been touted as one of the cornerstone habits of the highly successful because it has the ability to center, soothe stress and refresh the body in ways that very few other activities can. From Rupert Murdoch to Katy Perry, meditation has been embraced by top performers and achievers, but you don’t need a celebrity bank account to be able to meditate properly. Anyone can do it.
There are countless meditative exercises available online and through smartphone apps like Headspace, which guide the user through various exercises designed to work through specific problems or challenges.
Meditation has deep roots in Eastern religions, specifically Buddhism and Hinduism. It is also tied to the practice of yoga, which also has very profound effects on your personal and spiritual health. For centuries, people have understood the intrinsic link between enhanced mental well-being and regular meditative practices. Let’s explore the benefits!
1. Meditation Increases Patience And Tolerance
There is an epidemic of selfishness and the need for instant gratification in today’s world. With information available at our fingertips and any type of entertainment readily available, we have lost the ability to enjoy the fruits of delayed gratification, and this is where a daily meditative practice can be very beneficial.
Not only will you enjoy greater patience and tolerance for others, which will lead to a kinder and more spiritually fruitful life, you will also find that you are at more peace in your life. No longer will you need to constantly seek distractions in order to win instant happiness. You will be able to be more patient and flexible with your actions, behaving in a more kind and deliberate fashion. You will also be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes, actively empathizing with them and making other people around you happier. Since you will be less quick to anger, you will be more at peace with yourself and be able to reflect back on your day with a sense of accomplishment and peace.
Through daily meditative practice, you will be a more positive person to be around and inspire others to follow your lead of patience and tolerance.
2. Meditation Helps With Stress Management
Stress is a big factor in human life, and we can’t escape or control all of the stressors we might encounter. Since we can’t stop stress, we need to manage our reaction to it, and this is where a daily meditative practice comes in. Through meditating, you will be able to completely master your relationship with stress and deal with it in a healthy way.
In times of extreme stress, people often turn to unhealthy distractions or coping mechanisms which generally just make the problem worse. Make your relationship with stress a healthy one through daily meditative practice.
3. Meditation Leads To Increased Self Awareness
When you meditate, you are taking a long, gentle look at yourself in the mirror. By sitting alone, with yourself, away from any distractions or influences you are free to learn more about who you are and who you want to be. Self awareness is one of the most desirable qualities in people because self aware people are accountable, gentle and strong in their convictions. By allowing your mind to meditate in an unpolluted environment, you are really getting to know the wonderful person that is you! You will embrace and learn to love yourself, as well as strive to be a better person day by day.
4. Meditation Helps With Focusing On The Present
One of the biggest causes of depression and sadness is living in the past. It is a cruel waste of time because we can’t change what has already happened, so wallowing on what was is unproductive and often leads to negativity. Similarly, some people stress out about what may happen in the future and spend all of their time worrying about things they can’t control. A daily meditative practice will help you let go of the past and stop obsessing about the future. You will be able to enjoy living in the present and loving each moment. Living in the present has been linked to a happier life and a more balanced existence and perspective. By staying mindful and aware, you will reap the benefits of living in the now.
5. Meditation Aids In Reducing Negative Emotions
Just as a daily meditative practice can allow you to live in the present, it can also help reduce or eliminate your negative emotions. When you find yourself in a negative thought spiral, it can be highly unpleasant and lead to all sorts of problems like irritability, sadness or anger. When you let negative emotions govern your life, you are much more likely to view the world through a hostile lens.
Negative emotions could also cause you to wallow in unproductive thought patterns or even take things out on the people you love, even if you do not intend to.
6. Meditation Increases Your Imagination And Creativity
Some of the most creative people make meditation a big part of their daily life. Why? Because it opens up all sorts of doors for creative thought and expression. Simply by allowing your mind to be blank and silent, you eliminate distractions and open yourself up to brand new patterns of thought and expression. You start to think outside the box, even from your first meditative session. The benefits that you reap from meditation will manifest themselves when you are trying to accomplish your creative work.
If you find yourself in a creative rut, the best thing you can do is incorporate a daily meditative practice into your regular routine.
7. Meditation Gives You A New Perspective
We touched on this slightly earlier with the section on how meditation tackles negative emotions, but the benefits of meditation on your overall perception can’t be understated. Your entire worldview will change for the better once you start meditating regularly. Since you will reap all of the fringe benefits of daily meditative practice, like increased patience and tolerance plus more positive overall emotions, your worldview will naturally shift to be healthier and more positive.
As you practice meditating more, your good perspective will only become stronger and more effortless to maintain. Looking at the world through a positive and friendly lens will become second nature, leading to a better quality of life.
8. Medication Can Help With Certain Medical Conditions
Although your daily meditative practice will not magically heal broken bones, it can absolutely help with certain long-term conditions that are exacerbated by things like stress, poor diet or substance abuse. Stress has been proven to have disastrous effects on your health, and since meditative practices help eliminate or reduce stress, your overall health will improve dramatically.
If you meditate regularly you can even soothe chronic pain. This is largely tied to mindfulness and the ability of the body to understand and process pain. If you suffer from anxiety or depression, you will also benefit from a daily meditative practice.
9. Meditation Can Increase Brain Activity
A daily meditative practice is not just good for your body, it can also stimulate mental thought and aid in stimulating the synapses that help our brains function. The cognitive benefits of regularly meditating have been well documented, which is probably why so many entrepreneurs and business leaders swear that meditating helps them balance their busy days and stay creative enough to be on the cutting edge of their industries. Tim Ferriss, Jerry Seinfeld, and Oprah Winfrey swear by regular meditative practices. No matter how busy their schedules get, they always make time to get in a good session because it is that important.
10. Meditation Will Reduce Social Anxiety
One of the major advantages of daily meditative practice is that you will be able to navigate social situations with reduced anxiety and more confidence. Social anxiety can be crippling and lead us to indulge in social crutches like excessive drinking in order to be more comfortable around our peers. The self awareness you get from meditation will help you be more comfortable in social situations, making you more likable, interesting and confident. Daily meditative practice helps soothe anxiety in general, so it really is no surprise that people who meditate regularly experience greater fulfillment in any and all social situations.
Get started meditating today and reap the benefits.
