![]() Stressed out? Instead of binging on TV and chocolate while curled up in a protective ball on the couch, try engaging in the peaceful art of mindful meditation. Mindful meditation is insight, or, “a psychological state of active passivity and creative quiescence”. In other words, it is becoming aware of your own presence, not judging or criticizing in any way, but simply allowing yourself to exist in the present moment. The goal of this practice is by focusing on your presence and your surroundings, gradually thoughts and feelings that are buried in your subconscious will rise to the surface. As feelings and thoughts pass through your consciousness, the focus is on the flow of the process rather than on the anxious thoughts themselves. This allows the brain to slow down and think through the source of the feelings and thoughts, rather than react to them. In a John Hopkins University study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, mindful meditation can help to treat anxiety and depression. According to psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Hoag, “people with anxiety have problems dealing with distracting thoughts that have too much power.” Mindful meditation helps to quell these distracting thoughts by helping the person who practices it to become aware of their psychological health, while also participating in calming techniques such as deep breathing. By engaging in this calming ritual, the participant is able to logically review their thoughts, which either leads to recognition of an illogical thought or a calm approach to solving a problem. A study done by Dr. Hoag found that people who participated in a meditation program reduced their anxiety more than the control group that was taught only general stress management. Mindful meditation is beneficial to everyone; not only is it calming, but it also helps to become “in tune” with yourself by getting to know your inner thoughts and feelings. Personally, I can attest to the healing powers of mindful meditation. After dealing with generalized anxiety disorder for many years, learning how to meditate helped me to relax and recognize the thoughts that I was illogically stressing over. After meditating, I would be able to cope with problems in a logical way. So if you are stressed out, need a break or simply would like to get in touch with your inner thoughts, try out a few of these easy techniques: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/mindfulness-exercises-techniques-activities/ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-vaynerman/three-easy-mindfulness-me_b_9674614.html https://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-how-to-do-it/ http://marc.ucla.edu/mindful-meditations I hope you find that mindful meditation leads you to living a fuller life!
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