The Power of Meditation: Becoming Your Best You

Chakra meditation, vipassana meditation, body scan meditation, transcendental meditation...there are so many types of meditation. If you're wondering where to start, the answer is really up to you and what you're looking to achieve. Feel more present? Mindfulness meditation. Being more in touch with your body and its needs? Body scan meditation. Becoming a more loving and kind person? Loving-kindness meditation, baby. If you're on the fence about meditation at all, have you heard about all of its benefits?

Personally, I am a huge fan of mindfulness and transcendental meditation. My main squeeze is the mindfulness meditation though. I felt so many differences after practicing it for only a week! It was wonderful. I kept up with it pretty consistently for the last two years, but the last quarter of 2022, I fell off a bit and think it's time to get back into it. I figured, while I get back into it, why not introduce it to others as well?

So without further adieu, let's get into the benefits of meditation! According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), one of the main benefits is that it improves overall quality of ones' life. It is also shown to potentially improve depression and anxiety, studies on NCCIH's site say, and it's certainly better than no treatment at all. [Quick disclaimer: If you have depression or anxiety, please don't hesitate to talk to someone, a good starting point to find someone may be here.] The NCCIH also cites that mindfulness meditation may improve pain tolerance. As for acute pain, it may be best to stick to whatever your doing for that now. Now, chronic pain? The studies offer insight that mindfulness meditation may even beat out other forms of treatment! Have insomnia woes? Surprise, surprise, the studies also showed that meditation has been proven to help reduce insomnia! As someone who likes to doom-scroll and then mentally run through all of my stressors, I can 100% vouch for this benefit. When I consistently meditate, sleep definitely comes easier (and I'd dare say improved quality too, but that's where the study and I differ). Another thing that meditation can help with is PTSD. It was shown to be as effective as some other therapies.

While I can only vouch for some of the benefits firsthand, I'd ten out of ten recommend meditation to everyone and anyone. At worst, I'm sitting with myself for ten or more minutes, focusing on my breathing, and calming my mind (no small feat). At best, I'm becoming my best me. This is something I will be practicing more this year! I hope you join me--let me know if it makes you your best you!