Years ago, I worked with a couple of guys who would meditate together after work. They would invite me, but I always declined. I didn’t know anything about it and just thought it was a bit strange. Fast forward to today and I now faithfully do it 5 to 6 times a week. I try to do 5 – 15 minutes per day. I’ve been doing it so long that I don’t even remember when I started or why I started it. There were times where I would stop and would just feel different, ok, but just off, so I would start doing it again and feel better. It has really helped regain control of anxiety a few times. The first time was mid March in 2020. A family friend had just been killed, schools had just closed, I wasn’t feeling the greatest, wasn’t sleeping well because of the covid stress. I was working through a 10 Percent Happier meditation challenge. A guided Joe Goldstein meditation came up. I really focused on it and after 20 minutes the stress and anxiety seemed to just fall away. Another time I took an omega 3 algae vitamin with DHA and EPA. The ingredients all seemed to be clean, but it gave me a really bad case of anxiety and brain fog. I was able to use meditation to get most of the way out of it.
With all of the insanity going on around us, meditation is also a time to force yourself to just sit there, focus on your self, ignore everything going on and just be ok. You just allow yourself to shut out the world and sit there.
Studies have shown that meditation actually structurally and functionally changes areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex which is the part of the brain that handles functions such as problem solving and regulating emotions. Meditation increases the thickness of the cortex.
Studies have shown that some of the many benefits of regular meditation include improves sleep, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, lowers cortisol and blood sugar, helps reduce migraines, reduces anxiety, helps regulate emotions and improves focus.
There are a bunch of free meditation apps available. Some of the ones I use are Insight Timer, FitOn, Medito, MindFlow and Smiling Minds. Calm also has a few free meditations available. I also sometimes use 10 Percent Happier when they have free meditation challenges. They are all available in the Google Play app store.
Challenge:Download the FitOn app, create an account and head to the meditation section under Workouts. Each day for a week, choose a meditation and do it. At the end of the week, note how you feel and decide if you want to continue just sitting and focusing on yourself for a few minutes each day.
#ads
References:
https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-meditation/
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/harvard-researchers-study-how-mindfulness-may-change-the-brain-in-depressed-patients/