I only discovered meditation a few months ago and boy do I wish I had found it earlier, as someone who suffers with anxiety and stress (especially during exam season!) I felt I needed to get away from it all but found I couldn’t. Until I discovered meditation, after reading the book of joy written by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu I was fascinated to learn more. When I first started meditating I found it hard to stay focused as my mind would often wonder but I have since discovered the more you practice meditating the better you become at letting go of these distracting thoughts. So why should you meditate?
- Relieve stress- In a eight week study carried out it was found that meditation reduced the amount of cytokines released (secreted from the immune system, has effects on other cells)
- Reduced anxiety- Due to the reduced stress levels, I often find the breathing pattern when meditating often reduces/relieves my anxiety and taking a few good deep breaths in really helps!
- Increases self- awareness- Meditation helps to focus your mind on your body and the way it is feeling thus gaining a stronger understanding of yourself.
- Increases attention span- I mentioned this earlier in the post but I have found myself being able to concentrate on subjects a lot longer since meditating. When meditating I can often focus my mind without having distracting thoughts for a longer period from when I first started!
If these benefits don’t make you want to start meditating I don’t know what will! Just give it a try I promise you’ll love it!
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