So many of us begin our day with a cup of chai or coffee and breaking news, where the news is mostly always bad. With so much happening around the world – the dreadful earthquake, the inhuman terror attack, and the nerve-chilling economy fluctuations – this all affects our subconscious. All these mishaps, plus the added stress of the pandemic. Without us realising, all this causes us stress, makes us anxious, and hampers our day to day activities. The solution? Meditation. Here’s what merely 20 minutes of meditation can do to you.
Helps in reducing stressThe most common feeling that most of us have to deal with today is ‘stress’. Caused by many external factors, many of us are vulnerable to burnout and tension. Unexpected situations and ordeals, or even daily life situations only augment stress. Meditation works as a wonderful coping mechanism to deal with our day-to-day life stress and helps us deal with such pressure efficiently without blowing the lid or suffering from panic.
Helps deal with social anxiety Anyone suffering from anxiety disorders benefits by meditating for 20 minutes daily. Science has shown that mindfulness meditation (the state of being present completely in the moment) greatly reduces stress hormones and infuriating responses to exasperating, or even provoking situations.
More tolerance to pain Meditation reduces sensations of pain that results in more tolerance towards it. Studies have shown that those who meditate regularly have decreased anxiety and hence a higher threshold of tolerance to pain. It may even reduce the need for painkillers greatly.
Enhances kindness & compassion It might seem a bit far-fetched but it’s true. Meditating daily raises your positive feelings as the neural connections are fired to the brain. So, it helps in building social connectedness making us kinder, compassionate and empathic towards everyone. We develop kinder and loving thoughts towards others as well as ourselves.
Helps sleep better Meditation helps in aiding a sounder sleep. Those having trouble sleeping, sleep better if they meditate as it relaxes your body and releases tension. So, all those thoughts hopping around in your head are controlled and you take lesser time to fall asleep, while also improving the quality of your sleep.
