Mindfulness meditation: A research-proven way to reduce stress
Mindfulness meditation can improve both mental and physical health.
Mindfulness has become a popular way to help people manage their stress and improve their overall well-being — and a wealth of research shows it’s effective. Psychologists have found that mindfulness meditation changes our brain and biology in positive ways, improving mental and physical health.
What is mindfulness meditation?
Meditation can be defined in many ways. But a simple way to think of it is training your attention to achieve a mental state of calm concentration and positive emotions.
Mindfulness is one of the most popular meditation techniques. It has two main parts: attention and acceptance.
The attention piece is about tuning into your experiences to focus on what's happening in the present moment. It typically involves directing your awareness to your breath, your thoughts, the physical sensations in your body and the feelings you are experiencing. The acceptance piece involves observing those feelings and sensations without judgment. Instead of responding or reacting to those thoughts or feelings, you aim to note them and let them go.
Mindfulness classes and therapies might include breathing exercises, yoga and guided lessons to help you become aware of your body sensations, thoughts and feelings.
Researchers reviewed more than 200 studies of mindfulness among healthy people and found mindfulness-based therapy was especially effective for reducing stress, angry outbursts, anxiety, depression, pain, smoking, addiction, fatigue, stress in chronic pain, as well as improving physical health. Other studies have that mindfulness might boost the immune system and help people recover more quickly from cold or flu.
How mindfulness works
How could simply tuning into your thoughts and feelings lead to so many positive outcomes throughout the body? Chronic stress can impair the body's immune system and make many other health problems worse. By lowering the stress response, mindfulness may have downstream effects throughout the body.
Psychological scientists have found that mindfulness influences two different stress pathways associated with attention and emotion regulation. Psychology researchers found strong evidence that people who practiced Mindfulness were less likely to react with negative thoughts or unhelpful emotional reactions in times of stress, better able to focus on the present and less likely to worry and to think about a negative thought or experience over and over.
Reference
Article abbreviated from the American Psychological Association, Online article 30/10/19 https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=apa-stress&utm_content=mindfulness-meditation
The Meeting of Meditative Disciplines and Western Psychology: A Mutually Enriching Dialogue Walsh, et. al., American Psychologist 2006
How to get started
Ready to give it a try? Mindfulness classes are available in yoga centers, athletic clubs, hospitals, clinics, smartphone apps and online. It can take a little while for mindfulness meditation to feel natural and to become a part of your regular routine but with practice, you may discover a powerful tool for relieving stress and improving well-being:
YouTube has many free videos on Mindfulness for adults and children. Search for “Guided Mindfulness Meditation” and chose one. Most people start with a brief one and build up in time. Try a few to find the ones you prefer.
Download meditations to play on your computer, tv or phone http://www.freemindfulness.org/download
Smartphone Apps - search your phone apps for “Guided Mindfulness Meditation”
See a psychologist to help learn Mindfulness and how to apply it to your situation.