Does meditation Improve your health? People have been meditating for centuries as a form of spiritual and religious practice. One of the most significant contributors to our health issues is stress. Meditation and mindfulness have been known to be helpful with stress anxiety but does that have a relationship with our long-term health? In our current society, we have many different forms of coping mechanisms. Some of these may not be the best for our health and may even be considered harmful.
A recent meta-analysis in rodents shows that depression and stress are among the five leading causes of disease (Antoniuk et al., 2018). This article is fascinating because of where we currently are in the world today. We all have stress to some degree; however, after covid, the social-political divide, and inflation, this is a new level of stress for all to manage. While connecting with clients, I hear and feel it.
Self-love can feel uncomfortable and challenging to practice daily. Often I hear from my clients how incomplete their life is and how difficult it is to find balance. I can relate. I realized that my digestive issue had a lot to do with my inability to slow down and take time for my health. I am not talking about the doing or the going. It was the self-love and slowing down part that was formidable. I had to create a space; to listen, think, and meditate while putting time and love into my food. It was spending time in the dirt with nature where the actual microbes are—ultimately getting to know me and building a healthier version of myself. These things didn't come easy; It was a sacrifice. I had to let go of a lifestyle I once had to create a new one.
Today there is a lot of literature on mindfulness and meditation. Another meta-analysis by González-Valero et al. in 2019 reported improved quality of life and effectiveness and reduced problems of stress, anxiety, and depression among school children. When practicing meditation, there are significant health benefits in one's life. (Ranasinghe et al. 2014).
Mediation is simple, but it takes work, especially in a world of instant gratification and distraction. We are not one for delayed gratification; we like results now! I am curious about the behaviors associated with this and how it affects our culture; I greatly value anything I have worked hard to accomplish.
Meditation may seem intimidating, so I'll give you a few suggestions. Most people are afraid to sit with themselves. It's not that scary, try it, and you may like it. These are available and helpful tools to get started: Pandora has a meditation station. Insight Timer is a free app providing guided meditations for beginners to advanced levels and music with nature sounds. Calm also is an app, and they have a free version. Begin with 10 mins to start. The light bulb moment I had early on was I thought I was not supposed to have thoughts while in meditation. The truth is, we have them and will while meditating. I still have days I get distracted and have a wandering mind during meditation. I am human. The key is to refocus on the breath, which will bring you back to being present. That is why in Buddhism, we call it mediation practice. So I practice daily being the watcher of my thought, not needing to grab or react to my thoughts. I release them so they can float by like clouds.
I want to challenge you to 30 days of meditation of 10 mins a day. I am starting on the 1st of January. Let me know how meditation transforms your life. I have been meditating for many years; however, I will commit to meditating two times a day. I will be sending out a couple of email reminders. Feel free to share your experience with me.
The most significant gift of meditation is what it does for our nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for sensory activity within the skeletal muscle; when the body is in "flight or fight," it will divert the blood away from the gastrointestinal tract—virtually paralyzing the peristalsis. For people that have suffered from trauma or have stressful lifestyles, experiencing a frequent state of "fight or flight" will majorly affect our digestion. It is tough when this becomes a state of being; this can be challenging to overcome. We are in parasympathetic "Rest and Digest"; our blood flow and energy is going to our digestion for a healthier gastrointestinal tract.
Let's embrace meditation together. Join me in a 30-day challenge of 10 min meditation starting the 1st of January, 2023!
Antoniuk, S., Bijata, M., Ponimaskin, E., & Wlodarczyk, J. (2019). Chronic unpredictable mild stress for modeling depression in rodents: Meta-analysis of model reliability. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 99, 101–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.002
González-Valero, G., Zurita-Ortega, F., Ubago-Jiménez, J. L., & Puertas-Molero, P. (2019). Use of Meditation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for the Treatment of Stress, Depression and Anxiety in Students. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(22), 4394. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224394
Ranasinghe, P. D., Linn, S., Saha, S., Bass, E. B., & Haythornthwaite, J. A. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA internal medicine, 174(3), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018
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