7 Excellent Reasons To Start Meditation

The simplicity of meditation is disconcerting. I

t would be enough to devote seven to ten minutes to it a day to benefit from the effects in the long term. However, there is a paradoxical situation concerning this practice: we probably hear about its benefits for years but we constantly postpone until "one day".

Have you thought about meditating but never tried? Beforehand, you can start by asking yourself about the reasons that prevent you from meditating. Are you running out of time? Do you think it is unnecessary or that you don't need it? Are you afraid of failing to meditate?

Mindful meditation is about listening to yourself and observing everything that is going on in your mind. The goal is to become aware of all your intimate emotions and bodily sensations.

During meditation, you may need to calm the uncontrolled surging of your thoughts, and to do that, you can mentally accept them and gently observe them. Do not get caught up or let one thought lead to another: remember that you are in control and try to stay in the present moment. If a thought pops up to remind you of something important, something that you forgot or need to do, just let it flow out. Your mind will hold it in memory and remind you of it once you finish your meditation.

So here are five excellent reasons in y humble opinion to get you started on meditation!

Reason #1: Meditation allows you to better control your emotions

One of the most well-known effects of meditation is to help you take a step back from your emotions.

Indeed, the fact of regularly “pausing” your brain and learning to observe the merry-go-round of your inner emotions helps you to better recognize them. Thus, when in everyday life we ​​are assailed by our negative emotions (anxiety, sadness, jealousy, anguish, etc.), we are better prepared to identify and control them.

Meditation is a source of calm in these situations and allows you to calm the mind and put it on pause. By meditating, negative feelings, ruminations, and fears take on another dimension in the mind. They are no longer active, so they no longer produce effects. You can simply observe them with distance, even benevolence, and accept them. Indeed, observing your emotions during meditation makes it easier to detach yourself from them. By performing regular practice, meditators are able to overcome their negative feelings completely. It even leads to a sense of achievement and positive emotions.

Reason #2 – Meditation brings self-confidence

Obviously, greater serenity and better management of our emotions lead us to regain self-esteem. Everything is intrinsically linked, and that's what's great!

Self-esteem. An issue as vast and old as the world. And very crucial to our wellbeing!

I think we all, at some point, have dealt with low self-esteem. At least in one area of our life.

By meditating regularly, we get closer to ourselves. We feel more in tune with who we are. We learn to detach ourselves from the judgment of others. Leaving all negativity aside and doing the best for ourselves, above all.

Reason #3: Meditating can reduce stress

The third known effect of meditation is stress reduction. And it is certainly for this reason that large companies are starting to offer meditation courses to their employees. Personally, I think that these companies would do better to reduce the sources of stress before teaching their employees to meditate to manage their stress! But, in any case, the demonstration is there: meditation can reduce stress. Which is not a lesser benefit given the frantic pace that is sometimes imposed on us.

Reason #4: Meditation can boost your immune system

Indeed, according to science, meditation can increase the production of immune cells. (Study cited in Annals of Family Medicine)

So, can meditation really keep us healthy?

Well, here is how it goes in brief: the body protects itself from viruses and disease-causing organisms by sending immunity cells into the blood. In response, anti-inflammatory cells and natural killer cells help us fight disease and infection by putting in place a plan of protection and action. Meditation plays a crucial role in our body by making new cells. Therefore, increasing the number of cells can boost our immune defenses when needed.

Reason #5 : Meditating improves concentration

Regularly keeping your attention for a given time on small stimuli (like your breath) trains your ability to concentrate. Thus an American study (published in 2012 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience) showed that 10 minutes of meditation a day for 4 months improves the ability to perform tasks requiring strong attention.

For anyone looking to practice some self-care and self-love, I believe these should be reason enough to get started on meditation!

Give it a try, and you'll be so addicted you'll keep coming back to it when you need some grounding or emotional support!