In our frantic busy world where we are surrounded by to-do lists most of the time and spend most of our time commuting, chasing deadlines or doing something or the other, meditation can prove to be a great way of taking care of our restless mind. If you are going through a stressful phase like applying for jobs or preparing for exams etc, giving yourself twenty minutes or even ten minutes a day can help you think better and enable you to de-stress; as a result of which you’ll end up feeling happier, relaxed and at peace. Let’s talk about how meditation enables us to be happy:
1. Acceptance
Meditation increases the acceptance levels as you tend to explore your inner self and gradually learn to accept yourself the way you are. This in no way means that meditation will stop you from evolving as a person but you won’t suffer from low self-esteem; you will look at things positively and would want to work on your flaws in order to become a better person.
2. Clear thinking
Meditation will help you collect your thoughts thereby enabling you to make careful decisions. It will allow you to pause and reflect as you will be able to hear your thoughts while meditating.
3. Reduces stress
Meditation is known to lower our stress and anxiety levels. Studies have shown that undertaking five brief meditation sessions can help us get peace of mind and those who meditated for twenty minutes a day for a span of five days were found to have lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). Practicing Yoga is also an alternative to relieve stress.
4. Focus on what matters
Meditation enables you to focus on what is more important and not dwell on the trivial or other unimportant things. For example, as you meditate, you may find yourself focusing more on relationships or other things which are of concern and let go of the other not so important stuff. It helps you to connect with what is really important and focus on your goals.