If someone asked you to imagine what it looks like to live a healthy life, what would you picture? A balanced diet, exercise, fresh air and regular checkups with a doctor? This is a typical response, but it fails to encapsulate all the habits that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. One of the most underutilized tactics to achieve a sound mind and body is meditation.
Our world is crammed with constant work and movement, forcing us to live at a fast pace with high expectations. When we lack time to process our activities or the information we consume, we experience a chronic disconnect between the outside world and the inner self. College students especially are under constant pressure to be doing something at all times, whether it be studying, joining clubs or going out with friends. Doing nothing is almost taboo. A few days of business might be doable, but living your life with so much intensity can quickly create anxiety and fatigue.
Intentionally taking time out of your day to do nothing is vital to maintaining stability against the constant movement of the world around you. Meditation allows for a mental reset, giving you time to take deep breaths and sit with yourself. You can use this time to reflect on your day or try to clear your mind of all worries. The ability to refocus or clear your mind is a helpful and easy method for reducing anxiety. According to the National Institute of Health, mindfulness-based tactics can help treat anxiety and depression. Though, keep in mind that meditation is not a replacement for medication or counseling.
I like to use meditation to reconnect with my body. I turn my focus onto each body part for a moment, paying attention to how they feel, the contact they have with the ground or air, how they blend into the next body part. It’s easy to get caught up in your brain but grounding yourself in the rest of your body helps build a connection between the two.
Meditation is also the easiest outlet for spirituality. Having some level of spiritualism in your life can aid your physical, mental and emotional health. According to the Journal of Religion and Health, “Spirituality can serve as important coping mechanisms in this context by offering social support and inclusion in social networks, by sustaining lifestyle changes and by promoting positive emotions, such as forgiveness and an overall optimistic outlook.”
While most spiritual outlets require a significant time or energy commitment, meditating is the most efficient way to add an aspect of spirituality into your daily routine without requiring any dedication to an established religious or devotional cause.
Along with creating a calming effect, mindfulness has physical benefits as well. Regular meditation can prevent the loss of gray matter in your brain as you age, reduce inflammation in the body and help maintain healthy blood pressure. You won’t notice these changes right away, of course, but consistent meditation compounds into tangible health improvements with time.
If meditation still doesn’t sound appealing to you based on preconceptions of it, don’t let that deter you. This can be a very individualized process. If you don’t want to have to sit down, then you can meditate standing up or laying down. If you don’t want to sit in silence, then play music or white noise. You can think about your day or about the meaning of life or about nothing at all.
I believe everyone should get in the habit of meditating every day, even for just five minutes. It may be difficult or uncomfortable at first, but within weeks you will see improvements in your outlook on life. You can meditate anywhere, anytime, any way. You just have to choose to be mindful.