Try Mindfulness Meditation For Improved Mental Health

Try Mindfulness Meditation For Improved Mental Health

Developing a mindfulness meditation habit is important to improve mental health. If you’ve ever felt yourself suffering from the effects of a “busy mind” such as anxiety, stress, lethargy, insomnia, confusion or memory loss, then maybe it’s time you considered mindfulness meditation to quiet your mind.

Even a short five-minute mindfulness meditation session in the morning as part of a healthy lifestyle program can have profound effects on your mental health and can be a powerful remedy for those with a busy mind.

The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

• Relief of Anxiety: Meditation allows you to gather your thoughts and to think clearly, recognizing what’s important and what’s just noise. Many times anxiety can be driven by our never ending to-do’s and commitments, so the time removed from this pressure has profound effects on your mental health.
• Improved Cognitive Response: You’ll improve your memory, your response times, and be able to focus better on the little things.
• Improved Patience: Mindfulness meditation teaches you to become more comfortable with not having what you wants right now - a great way to learn patience.
• Calmness: Unfortunately, our busy lifestyles have taught us the disruptive tendency to be stressed out, and mindfulness meditation teaches calmness which you can use in situations of stress.
• Increase in Productivity: Mindfulness meditation can assist you prioritize your important tasks, as you’ll be clearer in thought.

The Easy 5 Step Meditation Process You Can Try at Home

Mindfulness meditation is like a fitness system for your brain - it helps clear out all your unwanted stress and anxieties, leaving space for the things in life that matter. And it’s easy to do. These five simple steps will show you how.

1. Stretch and Breathe - Stretching acts to release the tension in the body, and deep breathing enriches the blood with fresh oxygen.
2. Get a Comfortable Chair - Find a comfortable, straight-backed chair to sit on. That way you won’t suffer from tingling in legs, sore muscles, or anything else which may prove a distraction.
3. Set a Goal - Use a stopwatch app on your phone to set a mindfulness meditation duration. Start off at 2 minutes, then work upwards from there. I find that 10 minutes works well for many of my clients, and longer is even better. Make sure your phone is on Airplane Mode to ensure you’re not interrupted.
4. Relax - In preparation for meditation, sit with a straight back, relaxed limbs, feet flat on the floor, and palms face down resting on your knees. Feel a sense of grounding, and let your mind focus to your breath.
5. Meditate - It’s natural for your mind to wander, and that’s fine. In the early stages of practicing mindfulness meditation, be patient. Notice the wandering thoughts, then erase them once you recognize them. Imagine bringing your focus (through closed eyelids) back to center, and continue breathing steadily and deeply.

Mindfulness Meditation: For Your Health’s Sake

Even a short, five-minute mindfulness meditation practice has the potential to improve your quality of life. Before you grab your wheatgrass and run out the door, set your alarm 10 minutes earlier and make time for your mind to relax. Any stress will soon become an afterthought...

REFERENCES

• http://www.kickstartacause.com/blog/the-morning-routine-kickstart-your-day-and-double-your-effective-time-time-machine-not-required

http://www.kickstartacause.com/blog/the-busy-entrepreneurs-guide-to-meditation-and-waking-up-with-a-cause

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Dr. Angie Sedeghi

M.D., Gastroenerologist, & Weight Management Specialist.

Doctor Angie, creator of the Dr Angie Weight Loss Program, is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, and an avid fitness competitor.

Doctor Angie understands the importance of a natural disease prevention and health promotion over pharmaceutical based treatment types. Her unique approach to weight loss includes a mixture of medical science and holistic natural medicine, combined with personal coaching in nutrition, fitness, and the psychology of weight loss. The result? Clients get a comprehensive and customized weight loss plan unique to their body type which makes weight loss goals actually achievable, and fun.