10 reasons to try meditation

Know you should really try meditation but finding it hard to get motivated? Here are 10 reasons to give it a go.

 1. You can’t do it wrong

There are plenty of meditation myths around, but the truth is – you can’t really ‘do it wrong’. You don’t have to clear your mind or think of nothing. Instead, it’s about letting go of focus and letting thoughts come and go. This gets easier with practice so if you struggle at first, don’t give up!

2. It helps to reduce stress

The part of our brain that releases stress hormones can actually be overridden when you meditate. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, has been proven helpful for reducing both stress and anxiety.

3. You don’t have to ‘believe’ in anything

Some people think meditation is only for those who have certain beliefs, but this isn’t true. There is growing scientific evidence showing the benefits of mindfulness meditation, which simply involves focusing on your breath and being aware of the present moment.

There are many different types of meditation though, so you are bound to find the right type to fit in with your lifestyle.

4. It can help you sleep

Meditation is a great way to relax in both body and mind. A study on mindfulness meditation with insomnia sufferers has also found positive results. Those who had meditation training were found to have less total wake time during the night and were more relaxed before going to bed.

5. It can help relieve headaches

If your headaches are caused by stress and tension, meditation could help. Learning to take time for yourself and giving yourself space to unwind, relax and calm your thoughts can go a long way in stress relief. In turn, this will help your muscles relax and relieve headaches caused by muscle tension.

6. It might improve your relationship

Meditation improves self-awareness, helping you to understand yourself better. This increase in self-awareness means you will be more able to notice when you react in certain ways to situations. This could help to avoid big blowout arguments as you’ll pick up on stressors earlier. Bonus points for meditating together!

7. You can meditate anywhere

No, you don’t need a dedicated meditation room, complete with cushions and incense in order to meditate (though if you want this – go ahead, it sounds lovely!).

One of the great things about meditation is all you need is yourself and your attention, meaning you can meditate anywhere. If you can give attention to your breath for a few minutes – you can meditate. We like popping out on lunch for a quick 10-minute meditation in the sunshine.

8. It may help with symptoms of depression

As we’ve mentioned, meditation is a great tool for increasing self-awareness and helping you step away from your thoughts. If you have depression you may find yourself struggling with negative thoughts.

Meditation can help you gain a little control over these, taking a step back and recognising the thoughts are coming from your depression, not you.

9. It can help improve your performance at work

Trying to tackle multiple tasks at once, being stressed and feeling overwhelmed at work are (unsurprisingly) not conducive to productivity. You’re more likely to forget things and ‘drop the ball’. Meditation can help you reduce stress and slow down your thinking. One study has even found that multitasking office workers who meditated had better performance and memory at work as well as improving their emotional state.

10. It helps you connect with yourself

When we’re constantly connected to the Internet or even others around us, we fail to take the time we need to connect with ourselves. Meditation can form a part of your self-care routine, helping you get in touch with your intuition, who you are and what you need from life. And that is invaluable.

As with any complementary or holistic approach, we always recommend seeing your doctor if you’re worried about a mental or physical health problem. It may be that meditation fits in as part of a more rounded treatment plan, or you find meditation alone is enough to help. You can work with a medical team to figure these details out.

Meditation is a wonderful tool that can help tackle problems as well as to stave them off and keep you mentally well. If you’re keen to learn more, why not search our events section to see if there are any meditation classes taking place near you?