Take Five - Calm your Mind
In today’s fast paced society, taking five minutes to calm your mind, focus and regroup can have a huge impact on maintaining physical and emotional wellbeing. Meditation has been shown to offer many benefits. Although it’s well known as a technique to reduce stress and anxiety, research shows that it may also help enhance your mood, promote healthy sleep patterns, and boost cognitive skills.
Relax with Meditation
Meditation is a very personal thing and may not be for everyone, but it is worth exploring. Meditation is all about finding your own rhythm and process that works for you and can involve any aspect of your life that brings calmness. If you’re just starting out or prefer a little help, there are plenty of information out there that can take you through a guided meditation, this includes some very helpful apps. Alternatively, look up mediation groups in your area can offer added benefits to the process. Groups are a great way to increase your social connection, which can introduce you to like-minded people and reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Its all about the Timing
It can be hard to find time to engage in mediation, but that’s okay. Some days you may only have five minutes to do it, other days you’ll have all the time in the world. Some weeks you may only manage a couple of sessions, other times you may do it every day.
The point here is there’s no right or wrong when it comes to meditation, you can make it work for you. Do it as often or as little as you like, and be flexible with it. You’ll be more likely to stick with it if you go easy and don’t put pressure on yourself. And if you slip up one week, you can start again afresh the next.
Practice makes perfect
Like almost everything in life, meditation gets easier the more you do it. It may seem challenging at first, but don’t be disheartened. Studies have shown that the more you mediate, the more you can benefit from it. The improved focus you can gain through regular meditation can boost your memory and mental clarity, think of it as an exercise for your brain.
The thing to remember is that your meditation journey is unique to you. There is no right or wrong way of doing it, but by incorporating it into your life, you can reap the benefits of improved mental wellbeing, less stress and a more balanced mind. Meditation is something everyone can do to improve their mental and emotional health. You can do it anywhere, without special equipment or memberships. Alternatively, meditation courses and support groups are widely available. Trying out or forming a style of meditation suited to your goals is a great way to improve your quality of life, even if you only have a few minutes to do it each day.
If you are interested in knowing more about the benefits of meditation, click of these links to view recent studies.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25673114/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5368208/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4153063/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24571182/
