Happiness: That’s one of the many benefits meditation promises, on top of the numerous health claims long-time meditation practitioners can attest to. But what exactly is it about meditation that makes you a happier, more content individual? Let’s look at the brilliant ways meditation can work towards your happiness.
1. Meditation reduces stress.
Stress, when left unmanaged, will cause deterioration to your body real fast. It will speed up your aging, and will contribute to many health problems—stomach ulcers, anxiety, insomnia, obesity, depression, and the list goes on! What meditation does is to release all that pent-up stress in your body and reverse the ill effects of your body’s stress-pumping tendencies whenever you’re in a high-pressure environment, and brings you back to your core—making you less anxious, more fulfilled, and a lot happier.
2. Meditation harmonizes your relationships.
Regular meditation gives you a “witnessing awareness”, an enviable ability that enables you to objectively look at a situation and understand consciously how you can respond. It’s no doubt important and valuable in the workplace; instead of triggering your natural instinct to fight back when the going gets tough at home or in the office, you will be able to step back and think to yourself: “What is the appropriate response to this situation?” Needless to say, this kind of response to every situation leads to less aggression, and more fulfilment in your relationships.
3. Meditation sharpens your focus and concentration.
Do you find yourself easily distracted by what’s going on around you? Your phone, your music player, maybe even the white noise you hear around you? Neuroscientists have long discovered that the conscious brain is unable to multitask, and meditation helps train your mind to stay at the task at hand. It will stop you from pulling away from your tasks every so often, and instead gives you more time to process thoughts in the moment.
4. Meditation adds to your vitality.
Being physically and mentally healthy will most likely lead to happiness. With meditation, you stand to gain several health benefits, including a more efficient use of oxygen, the slowing of your heart rate, and the normalization of your body pressure. All these—among other health benefits—will give you a happier state of mind! It will also induce the release of many healthy natural chemicals in your body, including endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin.
