May Meditation Challenge

In a world that seems to never slow down, we can easily find ourselves feeling stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. Most of the hours in a day are spent hunched over at our desks working away. If this sounds like your lifestyle, daily meditation can significantly improve both your physical and mental health. It can help clear your mind, replenish your energy levels, and improve posture -- just to name a few benefits.  

Meditation has become increasingly popular year after year, with more health practitioners and researchers discussing the tremendous benefits that it provides. We know that meditation does wonders for our mental health and overall wellbeing, but the benefits don't stop there. Research has shown that meditation can significantly improve aspects of our physical health, as well. And that's precisely why we are focusing on it throughout the month of May!  Here are some of the ways that meditation can improve your health.

Meditation heavily focuses on mindfulness and training your brain to think more positively. It is centered around promoting a state of calm and relaxation while letting go of external distractions and stressors. It helps decrease feelings of stress, worry, fear, and anxiety. We know that stress and other negative emotions have an enormous effect on physical health. By practicing meditation to relax and decrease stress levels, we can lower the risks of some chronic diseases, improve sleep, develop healthier habits and lifestyles, and improve our overall wellbeing. 

Meditation is proven to be effective at lowering stress levels and improving sleep quality. We need sleep for our bodies to function correctly because that is when many essential processes take place. Having trouble sleeping affects mood and energy levels and prevents many of these essential bodily processes from taking place. This can lead to health issues such as a lowered immune system and metabolic disorders. Individuals who have regular sleep cycles and good sleep quality are also more likely to do other things that encourage a healthy lifestyle, such as exercising and eating well.

Meditation is a fantastic practice that doesn't cost anything, requires zero equipment, and is not strenuous. It is accessible to anyone and can benefit everyone, whether you are trying to improve your sleep, manage pain, decrease stress, or simply want to improve your overall physical and mental wellbeing.  However, when you first start, a daily commitment can seem intimidating. Don't try to sit down and meditate for an hour on the first try—it's not as easy as it seems to stay still for that long. Try just one minute until it becomes part of your daily routine, then gradually increase. When you feel unmotivated, remember why you are meditating and all the benefits that it can give you. If your schedule gets too busy, reduce the time again. Any amount of time is still significant.

Want to give meditation a try? Join my private Facebook Group for the May Meditation Challenge here.