How meditation can change your life
Meditation. It sounds cheesy, doesn’t it? I thought the same thing until I tried it.
Meditation can and does have a significant impact on your mental health for the better. It can also help with your anxiety, depression and stress, and it can change your perspective on your day-to-day life.
I have to admit, as much as I am an optimistic person, I was always getting down in the dumps more often than I should have. I was beating myself up all the time and I was getting sucked into this vortex of negative thinking. I seemed to have no escape, until I started meditating.
According to Psychology Today, Rebecca Gladding M.D., said that the practice of meditation is important and will cause your brain and thought process to change in the future.
“I’m sure you’ve heard people extol the virtues of meditation. You may be skeptical of the claims that it helps with all aspects of life. But, the truth is, it does,” Gladding said. “Sitting every day, for at least 15-30 minutes, makes a huge difference in how you approach life, how personally you take things and how you interact with others. It enhances compassion, allows you to see things more clearly (including yourself) and creates a sense of calm and centeredness that is indescribable. There really is no substitute.”
I think the thought process of meditating can intimidate some, when in reality, that’s not its intention. It can feel nerve-wracking at first, and many people could be nervous because they feel like they can’t take time for themselves, or they feel like they have to get the meditation practice just right.
Gladding says meditating every day changes the lateral prefrontal cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex. These are parts of the brain that allow you to look at things from a new perspective and feel a sense of balance. This can also be explained as overthinking about the future, your reflections and the thought process of living in the past.
Simply put, without meditation, you are stuck on yourself, your thoughts and your emotions, and you go day-to-day ignoring the beautiful world around you. With meditation, you can clear your mind and appreciate the world around you. This is beneficial to your happiness and your relationships with others.
But a lot of people don’t know where to start meditating and might feel stuck. I use an app on the App Store called Insight Timer, which I have been using for the past year.
It’s beneficial because not only is it completely free, but you gain access to 15,000 meditations. What more can you ask for? There is also a timer option and numerous courses available. For starters, there is also a “Learn How to Meditate in Seven Days” course.
I’ve taken the courses “How to Stop Overthinking” and “Coming Home to Yourself” which are all a ten-day process, and I have learned so much from them that I carry into my daily life.
You could also become a premium member and for just $5 a month, you can gain access to all 10-day courses and the Daily Insight among others.
But why am I talking about this app? Simply because from my experience, it’s life-changing. I’m a happier person, I appreciate the wonderful lessons of good and bad that the universe offers and I just live surrendering myself to the universe and learning along the way.
It’s all about perspective and how you think about things. You can choose to be happy and live a healthier life. But in order to do that, you have to take the steps to believe in yourself and take time for yourself. By doing so, you come home to yourself and soon you can appreciate all the life around you.
Namaste.
