Mindfulness and Meditation
This week I have had the unusual and rare sensation of being allowed to take the car to work. I have had to drive, on my own, into town and park up. Then I have to do it all the way back again. If I do say so myself, my parking is getting better!
Those of you who are regulars here will know that I only passed my test back in February. Just a month before the entire country went into lockdown. I then didn’t drive for over a month, although I have been making trips to the shops more recently.
Driving is quite stressful, as a new driver. I am no doubt a nightmare to be stuck behind, as I stick to the speed limit rigidly, and as I’m not really used to our car, I am possibly a bit over-cautious.
My Mum, who has been driving for almost 50 years, often states how much she dislikes driving. It is a sentiment I have heard shared by a number of women her age.
One of my friends is just waiting on her bus pass and is looking to give up her car for good. Despite being new to the wonderful world of driving, I can fully understand where they are coming from.
If I think too far ahead, maybe about if a road will be busy or if I will have to do a particularly tricky manoeuvre, I get stressed.
However, as I was on my way to work yesterday, it struck me that when I am driving, I think of nothing else.
I am focused on the road; on what is happening around me.
Driving has become almost meditative. This only works when I am driving alone though – chuck a passenger into the mix and I am back to stressed again!
One man’s stress is another man’s meditation
When I need to concentrate on work or writing, I like to listen to classical or calming music. If there are lyrics, I tend to want to sing along.
This, however, annoys my husband no end. He likes to listen to rock, or even metal, to relax. In a similar vein, he needs the TV on to fall asleep, whereas I love peace, quiet and very low lighting.
What this clearly highlights, is that what may work for one person may not necessarily work for another. We all need to find our own kind of meditation.
One thing that can be agreed upon though, are the benefits of introducing some form of medative practice into your daily routine.
Meditation is all about focusing your thoughts
Recently I have completed a number of courses on LinkedIn Learning about the benefits of mindfulness, meditation and being present in the moment. It involves being aware of what is around you and what you are feeling. There are a number of health benefits attributed to the practice, and I have certainly seen an upturn in my mood since introducing it into my routine.
With this in mind, here are 5 reasons why meditating might be for you
1. Mediation helps your self-esteem
Studies have claimed that introducing meditation into your daily routine can have a positive impact on depression. (I am not saying come off your meds! Meditate AND medicate if that is what you have been told to do).
It is thought that stress releases mood-altering chemicals, and meditation can actively reduce these. This reduction, in turn, has an impact on depression. Those who are willing to consider meditation are often keen to look into other areas of self-care and can give their positivity a boost.
If you then choose to make meditation part of your routine the habit could really help your wellbeing into the future.
2. Meditation can reduce your stress levels
Even if you do not feel depressed, we often all feel stressed. Do you remember in physics class when the teacher bent a piece of clear plastic and the areas of ‘stress’ changed colour?
Just my teacher then? Fair enough.
In that physics example, the plastic rod was being pushed to its limit, with the inevitable result being, if you didn’t stop bending, it would snap. Stress works on people in much the same way.
It is inevitable in life that there will be stressful situations. We can all learn to cope with small amounts, but once the burden becomes too much it can lead to loss of sleep and appetite, as well as become full-blown depression.
Any action that can reduce stress is worth a go, and research shows that meditation can have a beneficial impact.
3. Meditation can make you a nicer person
We have already written about the importance of being kind to others here at the pad. There was also a piece about the root of happiness being found in being nice to other people.
If meditation helps you feel more positive, it makes sense that this will reflect in your actions to others, who in turn will feel better. It’s a win-win!
Start by being kinder to yourself – come up with some positive mantras to use. I always give myself a ‘well done’ when I have completed a particulary impressive piece of parking!
Once you see how happy being kinder to yourself makes you feel, you will want to ‘share the love’.
There is actually a specific mediation technique called ‘Metta’, in which you start by working on loving yourself, with the aim being an increase in your positivity towards others. You can’t fill from an empty jug – de-stress yourself, and then spread the love to others.
4. Meditation can help your attention span
Studies have shown that those who practice mindfulness are able to stay focused for longer; by learning more about meditation you could actually increase your attention span.
Much like how I focus on nothing but the act of driving when I am driving when you meditate you are building up your attention span.
One study claimed that just a few days of practising mindful meditation was enough to see an improvement in your attention span.
If you start seeing results early on, you will be encouraged to continue, and the benefits will continue to accumulate.
5. Meditation can improve your sleep
It is said that 50% of us will have issues with sleeplessness at one time or another.
Often one of the causes of insomnia is overthinking; if you have tons of thoughts going through your head it can be hard to relax enough to get to sleep.
By learning to relax through meditation you bring yourself into a state where sleep is more likely.
Over to you
There are lots of reasons to consider introducing meditation into your daily routine, particularly if you are looking at improving your well-being.
What one small thing could you introduce today to make yourself feel a bit more relaxed? Is there a small change you can make to start yourself on a path to mindfulness? Let us know in the comments below.