Here are some of the most beneficial ways in which mindfulness and meditation can help us:
1. Reducing anxiety
Mindfulness meditation has been proved to reduce anxiety. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a specialist mindfulness practice which helps to reduce stress in users. In a 2013 Hospital Study, a group of individuals with diagnosed Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) were assigned to an 8-week MBSR course, with all participants showing greatly reduced levels of anxiety.
2. Treating depression
Mindfulness and meditation can also be used to treat depression. When practiced daily, mindfulness helps people to be more aware of their surroundings and to actively engage in what they are doing. With time, this allows people to respond to situations in different ways as well as to act with more compassion – both helpful tools for escaping depressive thoughts and negative thinking loops.
3. Improves cognition
Those who practice mindfulness can also improve their cognitive abilities. Even a few short sessions of mindfulness practice have been shown to improve memory, visuo-spatial processing as well as executive functioning of the brain.
4. Increased focus
In a fast-paced world full of distractions and demands being able to train the mind to focus is more important than ever. Another benefit of mindfulness and meditation is that it has been shown to help people focus and make better decisions based on improved judgements.
5. It’s easy to learn
The basics of mindfulness and meditation are easy to learn, and the benefits can be experienced after a short amount of practice. We stock a number of courses, videos, EBooks and Audiobooks featuring guided meditations and teach-yourself courses as well as additional content on the benefits of a regular practice. See what we have in stock and give it a try for yourself.