What might happen when you start meditating every day

Thought about adding meditation to your daily routine? Wellness counsellor Deepak Kashyap reveals eight health benefits you might experience from practising mindfulness meditation on a regular basis.

In a world that bombards us with information, it’s hard to tell what deserves our attention – and even harder to give our undivided attention when it’s required. Meditation can be an effective tool in eliminating distractions, allowing us to stay focused on what matters – whether that’s reading the next page of a novel, or completing a presentation for work. A specific branch of mindfulness meditation called Focused Attention Meditation (FAM) can be particularly helpful in developing your powers of concentration.

A lot of people turn to daily meditation simply because they want to breathe a bit easier – and there’s plenty of scientific evidence to back them up. Spending as little as 10 minutes a day meditating – sitting comfortably, concentrating on your breathing and focusing on being “present” – has the potential to significantly reduce stress.

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How many of us can look at our reflection in the mirror and truly say, “I love myself”? Self-acceptance is hard to develop, especially since it’s human nature to regret the decisions we’ve made (or didn’t make!), and compare ourselves to the skinnier, richer and more popular people on our Instagram and Facebook feeds. After regularly practising mindfulness meditation, you may find yourself acknowledging your perceived shortcomings without judging yourself too harshly. Self-acceptance is about recognising that you’re a work in progress – and there’s no such thing as perfection.

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If you struggle with depression, you may find mindfulness meditation particularly helpful. In fact, several studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions can reduce the risk of a depressive relapse for people with a history of recurrent depression.

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The act of meditation targets the cycle of incessant worrying and negative rumination that’s at the heart of stress and anxiety – to the point where clinical psychologists are increasingly opting for mindfulness-based therapy to treat anxiety and mood disorders.

The ability to focus on the present – often achieved in meditation through controlled breathing – can provide a welcome sense of relief if you’re constantly dreading what the future might hold.

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If you’re struggling with substance abuse – whether it’s drinking or drugs – there’s no substitute for medical care, and that starts with a discussion with your family doctor. That said, meditation has been shown to be an effective complement to medical treatments for substance abuse, particularly in terms of managing cravings and addictive impulses. In fact, mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly incorporated into medically-supervised programs for substance abuse.

You don’t need to be diagnosed with a full-blown eating disorder to have a disordered relationship with food. With 67% of Australians over 18 now considered overweight or obese, it’s quite clear that our patterns of eating (not to mention what we’re eating) are putting our health at risk. A number of studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions – think mindful eating techniques – can be helpful in addressing disordered eating habits.

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As a mindfulness coach, I’m very aware of the day-to-day anxieties and worries that can interfere with a good night’s sleep. One of the most effective ways of easing ourselves out of those stresses is through daily meditation. Meditation apps such as Insight Timer offer guided meditations such as Yoga Nidra specifically aimed at relaxing your muscles to help you drift off to sleep. If this is indeed your first attempt at meditation, you’ll likely find the meditation interrupted by thoughts flashing through your mind. It’s important for you to know that this isn’t a failure on your part, and that you aren’t doing anything wrong. Thinking is just what the brain does, as naturally as lungs take in air. The point is to be non-judgmental yet aware of your thoughts, bodily experiences and breath, moment by moment.

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Thanks to the frantic pace of our lives, there seems to be precious little time for compassion. Sadly, that means that we’re often easily frustrated and annoyed not only by others, but by ourselves. By practising mindful meditation on a regular basis, you may find your potential for compassion slowly building. Over time, compassion may become a habitual attitude – and a powerful motivational force.

Next, find out what could happen when you start walking 10,000 steps a day.

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Source: RD Canada