5 Benefits of Meditation That Might Surprise You
It’s probably not a surprise to you that meditation is beneficial for our health and wellbeing. It seems quite obvious to even say it because YES, we all KNOW meditation is good for us and we should do it more! But most people still shy away from setting up their meditation practice, probably because a) they think it’s boring and not for them b) they cannot sit still or “empty their thoughts” (which is not even needed but this myth sticks hard) or c) they think this kind of “non-doing” is only suitable for people who are serious about spiritual pursuits.
It’s not easy to set up a meditation or mindfulness practice that supports our wellbeing. But when we do manage to stay somewhat consistent with the practice, the results are visible, and they are many.
Here are 5 benefits of meditation that are not so obvious:
1) Meditation increases self-compassion
Meditation not only increases our compassion towards others but also towards ourselves. When we meditate, we learn to create space between our thoughts, emotions and our true selves. This can help to silence our inner critic and lessen the power of negative self-talk. Slowly we learn to develop more kindness and compassion towards ourselves and not believe every single (harmful) thought that enters our mind.
People who are more self-compassionate tend to have greater levels of happiness, life satisfaction and motivation, better relationships and physical health, and less anxiety and depression. They also have stronger resilience to cope with stressful life events such as death of loved ones, health crises and break-ups.
One study found that more frequent meditation was associated with greater mindfulness and self-compassion and lower shame-proneness.
The world needs more compassion and kindness to survive, and what better (and simpler) way is there to create more of it than through meditation?
2) Meditation changes your brain
In a good way, that is! Meditation has been proven to increase grey matter which is an essential type of tissue in your brain and spinal cord playing a significant role in mental functions, memory, emotions and movement.
Meditation also increases brain volume in areas related to emotion regulation, positive emotions, and self-control. It has an impact on immune functions and also increases cortical thickness in areas related to paying attention. This is the area of the brain for all our ''brainwork": cognition, mental imagery, processing of visual information, and the ability to produce and understand language.
One study found that brain regions associated with attention, interoception and sensory processing were thicker in meditation participants than matched controls.
Meditation literally has the power to alter our brain for the better and by doing so, it helps us in improving our memory, focus, attention and emotional regulation.
3) Meditation reduces stress and anxiety
Several studies have shown that meditation is effective in reducing anxiety and stress. Even if science hadn’t confirmed it, everyone who has meditated for some time could confirm that the benefits for anxiety control and stress release are real.
One study concluded that an intensive but time-limited group stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness meditation can have long-term beneficial effects in the treatment of people diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
In one study, 90 cancer patients completed a mindfulness-meditation programme. After the intervention, patients in the treatment group had significantly lower scores on Total Mood Disturbance and subscales of Depression, Anxiety, Anger, and Confusion and more Vigor than control subjects. They also had fewer overall stress symptoms; fewer cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms; less emotional irritability, depression, and fewer habitual patterns of stress. Their overall reduction in “Total Mood Disturbance” was 65%, with a 31% reduction in “Symptoms of Stress”.
Pretty impressive results, I’d say! I love that science is catching up with what ancient yogis have known for thousands of years.
4) Meditation increases emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is about is the capacity to recognize our own feelings and those of others and to manage emotions effectively in ourselves and our relationships. This also includes the ability to adjust our emotions and adapt quickly to different environments.
Psychologist and author Dr. Daniel Goleman, outlines 4 competencies of emotional intelligence:
Self-awareness
Self-management (self-control, adaptability, positive outlook, achievement orientation)
Social awareness (empathy, organizational awareness)
Relationship management (mentor, influencer, inspirational leadership, conflict management, teamwork)
Meditation is powerful in strengthening all 4 of these competencies.
Meditation also encourages greater ‘gut level’ intuition governed by the insula region of the brain. Together, a strengthened insula and prefrontal cortex (where logic and rational thought reside) help develop the ability to pause, reflect and evaluate how we think and feel on a daily basis.
Meditation’s effect on strengthening emotional intelligence can be beneficial in all organizational contexts in building better, more empathetic and human-oriented leadership.
Imagine how much better many work places would be if all the managers and leaders did a bit more meditation! I bet there would be significantly less sick days and general sadness and overwhelm at offices, and higher work place satisfaction and productivity for everyone.
5) Meditation increases your ability to regulate your emotions
Meditation helps us regulate emotions through two mechanisms: attentional control (by controlling what we give our attention to) and cognitive control (by exercising conscious control over our thoughts and feelings).
For me, meditation is not so much about “controlling” our thoughts and feelings. Rather, I see the benefit more in meditation’s ability to help us create a new kind of relationship with our thoughts, emotions and feelings, and a different way of relating to them.
This means that we are no longer controlled by our thoughts and we don’t completely identify with them. This reduces overthinking, rumination and negative self-talk, making it easier to get through difficult times and enjoy life more.
I also feel that the key to the benefits that meditation brings for emotional regulation lies in cultivating acceptance to what is. Learning to become more present in every moment, and letting every moment unfold as it does, without the need to constantly change or modify something, or to resist it.
The more we meditate, the better we become in finding presence within ourselves. Whatever difficult emotions arise within us, and whatever life throws our way, meditation supports us in anchoring into stillness and peace in the middle of the chaos.
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