Meditation has been around for thousands of years in countless different forms. While the exact date of its origin is unknown, archeologists agree that it has been around for at least 5,000 years. The earliest documented records stem from ancient teachings of the Vedas in India 1500 BCE.
The dictionary defines meditation as ‘the action or practice of meditating.’ Synonyms for meditation include contemplation, thinking, pondering, reflection, reverie, mindfulness, and concentration.
Most experts and regular meditators agree that meditation is not an act, but a way of life.
According to the Chopra Center, meditation allows one to move beyond the mind’s stress- inducing thoughts and emotional upheaval into a place of clarity, peace, and complete awareness.
While there are an infinite number of methods and varieties and traditions in meditation, the essence is always the same: the cultivation of mindful awareness and extended consciousness.
Reasons to meditate are countless and as wide in variety as the motivators for people to begin doing so. Whether it is to improve overall wellness, to lower blood pressure, reduce stress or simply improve one’s quality of life or reach a deeper understanding of self, one thing is sure; meditation offers a vast variety of profound and unique benefits for mind, emotional health, body, and spirit.
101 Reasons To Meditate
1. Meditation improves concentration and focus
According to Time magazine, meditation is a key tool that increases focus and concentration. The magazine cites research that tested the effect of engaging in regular meditation on a series of tasks. In each case, those participants who meditated regularly performed much better on a series of monotonous cognitive tasks.
2. Meditation improves heart health
One key way meditation improves heart health is by reducing stress levels. Research has continually shown that excess stress has many negative effects, including the increased risk of heart disease. Regular meditation can reduce daily stress, which in turn can improve the health of your heart.
3. Meditation reduces anxiety
As outlined by Psychology Today, meditation has repeatedly been shown to greatly reduce anxiety levels. Until recently scientists have been unsure how this has happened, but recent research has started to identify the processes involved. Early findings suggest meditation can affect the brain on a neural level, thus promoting major changes to anxiety levels.
4. Meditation improves blood flow
Meditation can improve blood flow by allowing you to enter a state of deep relaxation. Meditation specifically focuses on the areas of the brain that are responsible for stress and calmness. Therefore, by meditating you are encouraging your body as well as your mind to enter a relaxation state, which has the effect of improving blood flow. Meditation is also one of the most effective all natural methods to lower blood pressure.
5. Meditation reduces symptoms of depression
According to Headspace, meditation is highly effective at reducing the symptoms of depression. Headspace cites research from Boston University that found meditation helps both those individuals with clinical depression, but also individuals who may be struggling with more day-to-day worries.
6. Meditation improves memory
The University of California has found that individuals who engage in regular meditation perform better in memory tests. Students engaged either in nutrition or meditation training and then completed the same tests. The group who meditated performed better in all the memory tests provided.
7. Meditation strengthens the immune system
Research has found meditation can actually enhance the immune system. According to the EOC Institute, meditation increases the amount of antibodies in our system, which is essential to fight off any infections.
8. Meditation can reduce stress
Meditation is a crucial way that we can reduce our stress levels. When engaging in meditation we are stopping, resting, and having a moment away from the stresses of everyday life. Meditation encourages calmness, which in turn reduces stress levels.
9. Meditation can improve sleep
Linked to the points above, if we are in better health and are less stressed then we are more likely to sleep better. Regular meditation at various points throughout the day helps to settle us at night when we need to be able to switch off and sleep.
10. Meditation can improve attention and focus
According to Time Magazine, meditation can not only improve our focus, but also helps us to sustain this better level of focus. Moreover, research found meditation helped participants to focus more on visual cues in the environment.
11. Meditation help you feel more in control of your life
As stated above, meditation helps to induce relaxation and a less stressful state of being. It is during this state that we are able to think clearer, and can make decisions about our life. In addition, while we may not be able to control everything in life, we can control our reactions. Meditation helps us to feel more in control of our life by controlling our reaction to life’s stressful events.
12. Meditation can help slow down the pace of daily life
The key aspect of meditation is it helps you to slow down, stop, and take stock of everything. This increased relaxation and making time to take a brief pause can help to slow down the pace of everyday life. With the negative effects of hectic lifestyles documented, meditation can is an all-natural solution.
13. Meditation can improve wellbeing
According to Psychology Today, meditation can improve our wellbeing in a number of ways. Not only does meditation reduce stress and anxiety, it can reduce symptoms of depression, insert much needed breaks into our day, and in fact alter our brain chemistry. All these effects contribute to improving our overall wellbeing.
14. Meditation promotes good health in pregnant women
According to the EOC Institute, meditation is highly beneficial for pregnant women. They state that the health benefits can pass through the womb into the child. In particular, the negative effects that can causes issues such as low birth weight, premature delivery and so on can be minimized.
15. Meditation can increase self-esteem
Self-esteem can be an elusive concept for some, and according to Headspace, meditation can help to increase self- esteem. Meditation helps us to lose the grip on the concept of our self, and focus on the relaxation state it can bring. Meditation helps us to see things clearly and let go of those issues that are holding us back.
16. Meditation can help you to meet new people
A quick Google search shows there are so many meditation meet up groups in every city, that it is almost guaranteed that you can find one in your area. These groups focus on both group and individual meditation and can help you to meet new, like-minded individuals. Some groups even have social events outside the meditation, which can help, especially if you are new to an area.
17. Meditation helps you to ignore distractions
A key element to meditation is learning to block out distractions and focus on the here and now. By only concentrating on your breathing and relaxation, you are helping to tune out any distractions that can cause stress and anxiety.
18. Meditation helps you to develop an healthier lifestyle in general
According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation can help to improve overall wellbeing and to adopt a healthier lifestyle in general. By focusing on relaxation combined with the overall effect of meditation, many people end up adopting a healthier lifestyle in general.
19. Meditation teaches you to let go of small and insignificant worries
The process of meditation encourages you to stop and take stock of the day, focusing on the important aspects. As outlined by Tiny Buddha, meditation helps you to take a break from the day-to-day clutter in your mind. Meditation helps you to achieve clarity and relaxation that can help you let go of small and insignificant worries.
20. Meditation reduces the amount of minor illnesses you get
As stated above, meditation can help to boost the immune system. When we are stressed and run down, we are more susceptible to minor illnesses such as colds. Meditation can help boost our immune system, and reduce the stress that we are under in the first place.
21. Meditation helps with addiction
As stated on Psychology Today, meditation can help with all types of addictions. Although addiction is highly complex and often includes many factors, meditation can still help in different ways. Firstly, meditation helps to address depression and anxiety, which may contribute to addiction. Secondly, meditation can help to focus on the here and now and allay any addictive thoughts that may occur.
22. Meditation reduces blood sugar levels in diabetics
According to ADW Diabetes, meditation can help to manage the blood sugar level in diabetics. By reducing stress, blood pressure is lowered and becomes more manageable. Along with the other health benefits of meditation combined, means diabetics can manage their blood sugar levels better.
23. Meditation helps you to appreciate yourself for who you are
According to Tiny Buddha, meditation can help you to appreciate the real and good person that you are and all your positive traits. Meditation helps us to let go of small worries and insecurities that we have, and focus on the positive aspects in our life.
24. Meditation can increase life expectancy
As we have already seen, meditation can affect the body in a number of ways. The important physical health effects all combine, and have a huge effect on our physical and mental wellbeing. Overall, this regular meditation helps to increase our life expectancy.
25. Meditation can help with insomnia
A study cited by Harvard Medical School has found that meditation can improve insomnia in adults who have trouble sleeping. The changes in the body during meditation are an excellent precursor to sleep, and can help address many of the issues that stop us from sleeping, such as worrying.
26. Meditation can help manage and reduce panic disorders
As discussed by Chopra, meditation can be a key tool in managing panic disorders. Meditation can help to control your breathing, which often feels uncontrollable during a panic attack. More than this though, meditation can help prevent panic attacks in the first place; by reducing the time we spend stressing about the small things, we can reduce the chance of experiencing panic.
27. Meditation improves performance in tests, exams, interviews etc.
Meditation has a number of beneficial effects on cognitive performance. This is partly due to the effect meditation can have on focusing the mind and decluttering the mind. This is a key skill that can help with performance, particularly in exams and interviews.
28. Meditation can help children relax and perform better in school
Research has shown that meditation can help children and students perform better in exams. An article on Huffington Post argues that meditation can help increase attainment by enabling better concentration and focus, as well as being an effective stress management technique.
29. Meditation helps you to become more aware of your surroundings
Meditation encourages us to focus on the here and now and to stop focusing on irrelevant details that are distracting us in a negative way. By meditating, we enable ourselves to focus on the here and now and to enjoy our lives in the immediate moment.
30. Meditation helps to thicken parts of your brain, such as the cortex
Researchers at universities including Harvard, Yale, and Massachusetts have found that people who meditate regularly have bigger brains than those who do not. According to the Harvard Gazette, those who meditate can reverse the age related thinning of the cortex.
31. Meditation improves post-operative healing
As outlined by the Brainwave Research Institute, meditation can help post-operative healing in a number of ways. Not only does it induce a state of relaxation, which the body needs after a major stressor like surgery, but it can also boost the immune system another much needed benefit following surgery.
32. Meditation can help to address bad habits
We all have bad habits of sorts, and often struggle to break them. As we have seen, meditation can help to increase the level of control we feel over ourselves, both mentally and physically. According to the Brainwave Institute, by regularly meditating we are giving ourselves the power to say no and to break those bad habits we often struggle to.
33. Meditation improves the skin
According to Meditation Expert, meditation can actually improve the look and health of our skin. Meditation can actually work at the cellular level, and encourages the regeneration of cells and tissue. This is what is needed to ensure we have healthy skin that also looks good.
34. Meditation increases mindfulness
According to the British Psychological Society, meditation increases mindfulness, which itself has many beneficial effects. By bringing yourself into the present moment and blocking out all other distractions, you can increase your mindfulness.
35. Meditation promotes total body relaxation
Meditation is a great way to take a few minutes out of a hectic day and stop for a brief time. The breathing techniques involved in meditation encourage you to relax throughout your whole body, which has many positive health effects.
36. Meditation can help you to eat a healthy diet
As we have seen, meditation can help us to break bad habits and give us an increased awareness of our surroundings. These are crucial skills needed in order to focus on eating a healthy diet. Sometimes we can all be tempted by junk food that we know is bad for us. Meditation gives us the awareness and mental strength to say no to these options.
37. Meditation can remove barriers to infertility, such as a stress
Although infertility can be a complex medical issue, there are factors that can play a part in your general wellbeing, such as stress. As stated in Natural Fertility Info, meditation can help you to become less stressed, eat a better diet and improve your general wellbeing and lifestyle. These are important factors for anyone who is trying to get pregnant.
38. Meditation helps you to become resilient and get through difficult times
We all have tough times we have to get through, and sometimes events in life can seem overwhelming and insurmountable. As outlined on Meditation Research, many studies have found an improvement in general cognitive performance, particularly resilience. It likely to be the focus on relaxation and mindfulness that helps to build resilience that helps us to get through tough times.
39. Meditation can reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches and migraines
The Art of Living website has looked into the effect of meditation on headaches and migraines and found meditation can be an important tool in both preventing and treating both headaches and migraines.
40. Meditation reduces loneliness
Although meditation can be done in your own home, it can also be done in a group setting. By engaging with a group meditation, you can increase your social interactions, which can help to reduce loneliness. Meditation groups are safe places filled with relaxation, which can be the key to social contact for some people.
41. Meditation can increase feelings of optimism
Meditation, particularly regular meditation can really increase our levels of optimism. As outlined on Art of Living, by being open to relaxation and taking time to focus on yourself can make a huge difference to how we feel, and can hugely increase how optimistic we feel.
42. Meditation helps fight fatigue
According to an article on Dummies, meditation can help with symptoms of fatigue. One of the key causes of fatigue is stress and excess worrying during the normal day. Meditation can help you to focus on what is important during that day and therefore reduce the energy you expend on worrying.
43. Meditation increases brain volume
The Cognitive Therapeutics Method website outlines how meditation can cause changes to the physical structure of the brain. The article cites research by Massachusetts General Hospital that found those participants who regularly meditated had increased grey matter in their brain.
44. Meditation boosts all round cognitive functioning
According to the Huffington Post, regular meditation can help to strengthen connections between brain cells. Long-term meditation can make physical, structural changes to the brain that can increase general cognitive abilities such as intelligence.
45. Meditation boosts creative thinking
Meditation has not traditionally been used to promote creative thinking, but it can make a huge difference to this skill. Meditation has a profound effect on relaxing and decluttering the mind, and that once the mind is clear there is ample room for creative thoughts to come through.
46. Meditation can reduce pre-menstrual syndrome symptoms
There are many options to help manage PMS and meditation can be a key part of this. As outlined on the Chopra Centre site, meditation can help to reduce stress, which can be a trigger for PMS. Moreover, meditation can help to balance any hormonal fluctuations that occur at this time, helping to manage any symptoms.
47. Meditation helps you make your day less hectic and more manageable
We are all guilty of trying to fit too many things into each day and then becoming stressed when we are unable to finish everything. Although it can seem counter-intuitive to do nothing when you have lots to do, this can actually be the best option. By taking a few moments to stop and destress, you can really focus on what is important and what can wait. This can help you manage your time more effectively, and ensure you complete the important tasks each day.
48. Meditation can increase satisfaction, for example, in your job
There are many people who are unhappy in their jobs for various reasons, and may be unable to move jobs, again for a number of reasons. Therefore, it is important to find a way to be happy in your current job. The EOC Institute outlines how meditation can help you address the negative attitude; although meditation cannot fix all the problems with a job, it can help you change the way you deal with them.
49. Meditation teaches you to accept things you cannot change
Meditation teaches you to focus on the important points in life and to let go of trivial aspects and those things that cannot be changed. We cannot have complete control over everything in life, but we are in total control of our reactions and how we deal with situations. Meditation can help us to develop a more positive attitude, which can help us to let go of the parts of life we cannot change.
50. Meditation reduces your chances of developing a mental illness
Meditation can help prevent mental illnesses from developing in the first place by teaching us coping strategies and ways to deal with the difficult situations in life. According to the Mental Health Foundation, the effect of meditation on the brain can be wide ranging. In particular, those who meditate regularly show a stronger and healthier part of the brain that is responsible for emotional regulation.
51. Meditation teaches you to relax without feeling guilty
We have all experienced the guilt that comes from sitting down and doing nothing, knowing you have lots that needs doing. By regularly meditating, you soon learn that it is not only acceptable to relax, but it is actually crucial to maintain your wellbeing.
52. Meditation helps you become happier
There are so many aspects of life that can be stressful and promote negative feelings within us. By engaging in regular meditation, you can help to address these negative thoughts and feelings. Combined with less fatigue from the relaxation, it is easy to see how meditation can help increase feelings of happiness.
53. Meditation can help you to accept things in life and be happy with what you have
Many people are guilty of wanting more of something in life, and we have all probably thought it at times. However, this expectation or wanting often leads to unhappiness and frustration at not being able to obtain whatever it is. Meditation encourages a state of relaxation and acceptance for the way things are. Moreover, it helps us to focus on the positive aspects in life and enjoy what we do have.
54. Meditation encourages you to appreciate the small things in life
According to Tiny Buddha, there are so many small things in our day that we should be appreciating, yet simply pass us by. By taking time to stop, meditate and enjoy our surroundings we can notice and appreciate these little things. Often, it is the little things that make us happy and will enhance our general wellbeing.
55. Meditation can reduce feelings of daytime tiredness
Everyone knows the feeling of tiredness during the day, particularly after lunchtime. However, meditation can help to relieve these inconvenient feelings by encouraging relaxation. Even spending a few minutes meditating during the day, such as when at work, can make a huge difference to your energy levels throughout the rest of the day.
56. Meditation helps you to develop emotional maturity
Those who are emotionally mature are in touch with their feelings and aware of their emotions. Outlined on the EOC Institute website, meditation helps you to become in tune with your mental and physical surroundings, which can overall increase your emotional maturity.
57. Meditation helps fight cognitive decline as we age
As we have seen, meditation can help to alter the physical structure of the brain. One of the key effects of this is to increase the amount of grey matter we have in our cortex. When we age, the brain, like the rest of us, is worn out and starts to decline. Regular meditation can help to prevent the age related dying off brain cells and therefore enable us to maintain our cognitive abilities.
58. Meditation reduces experiences of pain
Research has shown that regular meditation can actually reduce our experiences of pain. Grant et al. (2010) studied the impact of Zen meditation on pain experiences and found that compared to a control group; those who meditated were in less pain. They found this was because those people who meditated regularly for a long period of time had thicker grey matter in the brain; other research has shown that sensitivity to pain is related to the thickness of our grey matter.
59. Meditation improves sexual desire
According to an article on Mind Body Green, meditation can be better for sexual desire than many other options such as medication. One of the reasons our sex lives suffer is the stress we experience on a daily basis. By reducing our stress levels, we are opening ourselves up to the possibilities of better sex. Moreover, by reducing fatigue levels, meditation can leave us with more energy for better sex.
60. Meditation reduces muscle tension
According to the OM Harmonics website, meditation is the number one way to reduce muscle tightness and tension. Meditation can be particularly effective when performed just before bed as it can help you to properly relax all the muscles throughout the body. Even just 15-30 minutes of meditation is enough to relax all the muscles in the body.
61. Meditation increases intelligence
Meditation can actually increase your IQ level. In one study, two groups of participants were asked to either read or meditate and the improvements in their IQ were measured. The group of participants who meditated performed better on the IQ tests, had improved memory and all round cognitive performance. This is likely to be due to the physical changes in the brain that meditation can cause.
62. Meditation can help with weight loss
According to the Huffington Post, meditation can help increase awareness of our body weight and what we are eating. The practice of meditation helps to essentially retrain the mind; we don’t always need to eat in response to certain emotions. By becoming more aware of our weight, body fat, and diet, we can help to control our weight much better.
63. Meditation lowers blood pressure
Stress is one of the main causes of high blood pressure in many people. We all know that high blood pressure can have range of negative, and sometimes fatal, consequences, so it is in our interest to lower it accordingly. Meditation can help to reduce stress levels and improve general blood flow throughout the body. This has the overall effect of lowering blood pressure and reducing the chances of developing the serious negative consequences.
64. Meditation can help increase self-motivation and self-control
Meditation enables you to develop a deep appreciation for your mental and physical surroundings. By becoming aware of our surroundings, feelings, and abilities, we are better able to control ourselves. Through meditation, we develop the awareness and ability to increase our self-control and motivation to complete tasks on a daily basis.
65. Meditation improves your general appearance
As discussed above, there are many physical and mental benefits of regular meditation. All these effects combine to have a huge positive effect on our general appearance. By being less tired and more awake, we instantly look better, but meditation also improves our appearance at the cellular level. Overall, meditation is one of the best things you can do for your appearance.
66. Meditation reduces asthmatic symptoms
According to Operation Meditation, the breathing techniques encouraged by meditation can be invaluable for asthma sufferers. Breathing techniques are a key way to prevent asthma attacks, and can be equally as valuable when experiencing one.
67. Meditation improves relationships
Our relationships are always affected by our moods and stress levels, and unfortunately, this is often negatively. By regularly meditating, you can help to keep your stress levels manageable, which will only have a positive effect on your relationships with the important people around you.
68. Meditation helps to develop intuition
Meditation can help to improve your intuition, according to Operation Meditation. By stopping to consider your surroundings and becoming more in tune with your own feelings and desires, you are developing your ability to notice and pay attention to your intuition.
69. Meditation improves communication between brain hemispheres
The EOC Institute has outlined how beneficial meditation can be for the brain and nervous system in general. One of these key benefits is it induces a state of relaxation that encourages the neurons to communicate between the different sides of the brain. Regular meditation can strengthen the link between the hemispheres, which brings a range of cognitive benefits.
70. Meditation reduces aggressiveness
The American Mindfulness Research Association has found that the increased self-awareness and control that comes from meditation can have a powerful effect on aggression levels. They found that meditation could increase levels of self-restraint, and therefore, reduce levels of aggression expressed outwardly.
71. Meditation improves social interactions
As stated on the Brainwave Research Institute, there are several skills that are important to ensure effective social interactions and meditation can improve many of these. For example, meditation can help to fine-tune your listening skills and ability to be patient; both of which are invaluable social skills.
72. Meditation encourages empathy
The Atlantic website cites research that has found meditation can actually increase our levels of empathy. The study reported found that individuals who engaged in regular meditation for an 8-week period were significantly better able to identify emotions in photographs of people. The researchers argue meditation could be used as a way of ‘training’ individuals who would like to develop their level of empathy.
73. Meditation improves compassion
Healthy Psych cites research that has now scientifically proven that meditation can increase our levels of compassion. The research has found that individuals who engage in regular meditation had more awareness of their surroundings, and were able to develop more compassionate feelings.
74. Meditation helps to give you some control over your nervous system
Our nervous system is responsible for so many key functions within the body, including the stress response. When we are stressed the sympathetic nervous system is activated, and it is this that gives us the feelings and symptoms that are associated with stress. By meditating regularly, we can reduce our stress levels, both before and during a period of heightened awareness.
75. Meditation reduces the chance of having a stroke
According to the American Heart Association, meditation can have a huge impact on our heart health, including reducing the chance of having a stroke. The association report that meditation can help to lower stress levels, which reduces the levels of adrenaline in our system. Too much adrenaline, particularly over an extended period of time can lead to cardiovascular disease, including strokes.
76. Meditation helps with inflammatory bowel disorders
The Harvard Gazette has cited research that has found meditation can have a huge impact on IBD and IBS. The research has supported the idea that the relaxation that comes with meditation can help the digestive system to also relax, and reduces the inflammation in the bowel which causes the symptoms for so many people.
77. Meditation helps with fears and phobias
Meditation can help us to become aware of our surroundings and develop a new sense of what is realistic and what is not. This can help with fears and phobias by making us realize that there is often nothing to fear. Moreover, meditation can help increase relaxation, so when we are fearful or panicking, we can reduce these negative symptoms.
78. Meditation increases emotional intelligence
Meditation helps you to become aware of your own emotions, what triggers them, and what makes you feel better. In addition, regular meditation can help you recognize the main emotions in other people. This increased emotional intelligence can hugely affect social interactions in a positive way as you can become more aware of other people’s feelings.
79. Meditation can reduce the need for medication for certain disorders
Working Well Resources have written about the positive effects of meditation in terms of reducing the need for certain medications. While meditation cannot replace all medications, it can reduce the need for certain ones. In disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, regular meditation can replace the need for medications that promote relaxation and help to calm you down.
80. Meditation teaches you new breathing techniques
A key part of meditation is to engage in different breathing techniques, and being aware of the impact this has on your overall wellbeing. Many of these are techniques that we may not be aware of before we start meditating, but once we have learned them, we are able to feel their benefits.
81. Meditation reduces over eating, particularly for emotional reasons
Unfortunately, one of the main reasons for over eating, and the subsequent obesity, is our emotions. Our emotions have such an impact on our actions, and often, we all reach for the comfort food at the end of a long day. Meditation helps you develop more self-awareness and self-control, which enables you to restrain yourself from eating for emotional reasons.
82. Meditation helps you to learn faster
As we have seen, meditation can have a huge impact on cognitive functions in general. More specifically, one of the key benefits is being able to learn faster. As outlined on the EOC Institute website, meditation can be highly successful in creating the right circumstances, such as deep relaxation, that enable us to learn much quicker.
83. Meditation helps you to cope with negative events in life
Unfortunately we all experience major negative events in life, such as job loss or the death of a loved one. While it is no doubt that these are difficult to get through, meditation can help in these situations. Meditation encourages you to stop and relax, and to let go of the aspects of life that you cannot change. You are therefore left with more energy to focus on what you can change and to get through these difficult times.
84. Meditation helps you say no to excess demands in life
Everyone has their limit of what they can achieve in life, but unfortunately, we all have to deal with competing demands on a regular basis. No one can complete everything without experiencing serious negative effects such as burnout. Meditation encourages you to be aware of your demands, and teaches you how to prioritize effectively.
85. Meditation reduces symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Transcendental Meditation provides examples of research that has found a decrease in symptoms in those experiencing PTSD. War veterans who engaged in regular meditation were found to display negative behaviors associated with PTSD, such as use of alcohol or drugs, emotional numbness and anxiety.
86. Meditation improves your ability to read body language
According to Paul Ekman, meditation is a key way that we can develop our body language reading skills, including the ability to detect micro expressions in other people. Ekman has conducted much research in this area, and found those who meditated more often were able to detect fleeting expressions in others that may have only been displayed for milliseconds.
87. Meditation improves interpersonal communication skills
The Brainwave Research has found that we can drastically improve our interpersonal communication skills by meditating; meditation gives us a better sense of how other people are thinking and feeling. This can be crucial in effective communication; therefore, meditation is a key way to develop such important communication skills.
88. Meditation improves decision making abilities
In order to make an effective decision we need to be able to think clearly and rationally, which unfortunately, is hard to do sometimes. By meditating, we are able to free our mind from unnecessary clutter and focus on the core issues we need to think clearly about. This enables us to consider all aspects of a situation and therefore improve our decision-making abilities.
89. Meditation slows the progress of neurodegenerative diseases
UCLA have reported findings that shows meditation can affect the progress of debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. UCLA scientists have found that meditation cannot only protect the key cells in the brain, but it can also reduce the chance of them being destroyed by such diseases.
90. Meditation improves hearing abilities
According to Sound Hawk, meditation can improve our hearing abilities by reducing stress, improving concentration, and calming the mind. In order to truly hear properly, these are key parts that many of us struggle with. By clearing the mind and properly focusing on what we are listening to, we can improve our hearing abilities.
91. Meditation reduces the startle response
The Journal Emotion has published research that has outlined how Buddhist monks show a much reduced startle response compared to individuals who do not meditate. The research has found that these monks display much fewer startle responses in different situations compared to other individuals.
92. Meditation improves problem solving abilities
Zen Habits has described how meditation can be a key advantage when it comes to problem solving. Meditation enables you to clear your mind from unnecessary thoughts and clutter which frees it to focus on the problem at hand. This can be hugely beneficial when attempting to solve problems.
93. Meditation can help others around you
Meditation teaches us a range of skills such as empathy, compassion and interpersonal skills. All of these are crucial when working with others and simply helping those around you. Meditating can therefore not only benefit you, but those closest to you as well.
94. Meditation helps you to think clearer
The ability to think clearly can sometime elude us; particularly as we have such hectic lives most of the time. Meditation teaches you declutter the mind, and focus on relaxation instead of the usual daily worries. By removing the clutter in your mind, you will almost instantly find yourself able to think more clearly.
95. Meditation can reduce seizures in people with epilepsy
The Epilepsy Society has outlined how meditation can reduce epileptic seizures. Stress is a major trigger for many people with epilepsy, so anything that reduces stress levels, such as meditation is important to include in your daily life.
96. Meditation can help with disorders such as ADHD in adults and children
According to an article on the Huffington Post site, ADHD can be managed effectively by meditation. When meditating you are focusing your mind on relaxation, and therefore learn how to train the brain to avoid distractions and drift onto other things. This is a key skill for those with ADHD; they can reduce the symptoms by simply training the brain through meditation.
97. Meditation can set a good example to children
Across the world, children are growing up under so much pressure, which is leading to mental health issues in many adults. By regularly meditating and showing children, that relaxation is a good thing to do; we are setting a good example to our children.
98. Meditation may help with HIV
UCLA have reported improvements in immune system functioning in HIV patients who regularly meditate. This is likely to be due to the direct effect meditation has on the immune system; beneficial effects that are critical for patients with diseases such as HIV.
99. Meditation reduces the desire for confrontation
In general, meditation teaches not only relaxation, but also a desire for a more peaceful existence with as little stress as necessary. Confrontation is often avoidable, and meditation teaches us that there are often better ways to resolve a situation.
100. Meditation teaches you to enjoy peace and quiet
In our hectic lives we are often not used to silence, or even just peace and quiet; some people report it is unsettling and uncomfortable. However, peace and quiet can give you the space to think clearly and properly relax. Quiet is a key part of meditation and through regularly meditating most people come to appreciate the few moments of peace and quiet in our usually hectic days.
101. Meditation gives structure to your day if it is lacking
Sometimes our days can feel like they lack structure and order, which is often unsettling for many people. However, a regular meditation routine can provide a structure that many people need in life. Combined with the other benefits meditation produces, this can have a huge impact on our wellbeing.
