meditationQuite awhile ago I added meditation to my stress therapy regime.  Life is full of ups and downs that can produce an overwhelming amount of stress.  We all need to learn how to manage our stress. How you handle stress can have a significant effect on your physical, as well as emotional and mental well-being.

It’s well known that meditation can reduce stress, but there are additional benefits to be had from practicing meditation regularly. According to the Mayo Clinic, research suggests that there are medical benefits as well.  Some conditions have symptoms that may be managed by regularly practicing meditation.

The benefits I noticed are not medical, they fall into the categories of emotional and mental well-being. One thing I should mention is that these benefits didn’t happen overnight, well, not exactly.  Of course, when you practice deep breathing exercises, which is an important part of meditation, you may find that your stress level reduces significantly rather quickly.

Other benefits may take a little while for you to notice, as they did for me. Meditation has become a part of my morning routine. It’s now a habit. One that I notice if I miss a day.  It seems to put me in the right state of mind to start my day.

Many people have the impression that you need to clear your mind in order to benefit from meditation.  I thought the same thing when I started, but that’s not the way the mind works. Thoughts continue to go through our minds even when we don’t want them to, and that’s ok.

What I’ve learned from using guided meditation, such as the app Insight Timer, is that when a thought comes through, acknowledge it, and then come back to what you were doing, such as listening to the instruction of the guide, or breathing.

The list below shows the benefits I came to realize after regularly practicing for a few months. I encourage you to try it and see if you realize these same benefits, or perhaps others.  If you have found other benefits, please share them in the comments section below.

  • No more over reacting to intense situations
  • Mindfulness
  • Increased focus
  • Mental clarity
  • Positive thinking
  • Increased memory