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Meditation and Mental Health
Mindfulness
<p> Those who follow mental health are aware of the connection between it and “alternative” practices, such as meditation and chanting. However, very few understand the connection itself. Fewer, still, believe that there is a documented relationship between meditation and mental health, outside of those who live an alternative lifestyle.</p>
<p><strong>What is the empirical connection between meditation and mental health?</strong></p>
<p> Many assume that meditation is about “mind over matter” and you must simply ignore your stresses and worry while you turn your attention inward. While meditation is about turning your focus inward, there is more to it. Namely, there is a documented connection between meditation and heart rate.</p>
<p> When you meditate, your breathing slows and deepens. This will, in turn, slow your heart rate and your other body functions. Deep breathing and meditation -- done correctly -- will trigger the body’s parasympathetic nervous system and will help it to, physically speaking, calm down and reduce a lot of physiological and emotional.mental effects associated with mental health disorders.</p>
<p><strong>How can meditation be used as mental health treatment?</strong></p>
<p>Physical and mental health are closely linked. Meditation can, therefore, be a useful technique specifically to help use the physical in order to “treat” the mental. For example, meditation can help in the following ways:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Reduces heart rate and breathing rate:</strong> As mentioned, meditation will help slow heart rates down to calm levels (similar to sleeping). As a result, breathing will be deeper and steadier, too. This brings the entire body down and can promote a calmer body. A calmer body often means the mind will follow suit. Done regularly, this promotes a stronger mind.</li>
<li><strong>Promotes muscle relaxation:</strong> Meditation also helps prioritize physical details such as better muscle relaxation. Since tense muscles are common symptoms and complaints of those with mental health, having “forced” relaxation of the body and its muscles, alleviates a lot of symptoms and promotes better overall relaxation in the body and mind.</li>
<li><strong>Clears the mind:</strong> Meditation is deliberately designed to help clear the mind. Contrary to popular belief, the goal is to simply acknowledge thoughts and let them pass, bringing attention back to the body, rather than clearing the mind entirely. This focus on the body helps curb a lot of mental health issues, including anxiety, depressive swings, and more.</li>
<li><strong>Steadies emotions and thoughts:</strong> By focusing on the body and its breathing, emotions and thoughts steady themselves for easier comprehension and acknowledgement after meditation. By “distracting” the conscious mind, the body is able to organize emotions and thoughts to help them seem more logical after a session.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Top findings of the use of meditation for mental health treatment</strong></p>
<p> While there is conclusive evidence, many who deal with mental health on a daily basis find that practicing meditation can help ease a lot of the side effects as well as onsets of mental health crises. There is a strong connection between regulation and meditation, when it is practiced properly and regularly. The emphasis is on the implementation of meditation with proper teachings, in combination with other mental health treatments.</p>
<p>Sources:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382018304591">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382018304591</a></li>
<li><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1745-0179-4-25">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1745-0179-4-25</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/biomedres/29/5/29_5_245/_article/-char/ja/">https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/biomedres/29/5/29_5_245/_article/-char/ja/</a></li>
</ul>