In today’s world, it is easy to be overwhelmed by a kaleidoscope of fleeting thoughts. With the increasing popularity of multitasking and new technologies, its effects are being felt by increasing depression and burn out rates. Did you know that reading or writing an e-mail while doing work can actually decrease your IQ by 10 points?
What we need to counter our fast paced lifestyle and constant preoccupying thoughts is to find a way to quiet our mind in order for it to recover from the overflow of information it is constantly analyzing and being subjected to. Even when we are lucky enough to find a quiet room and bask in the silence, our minds are often engaged in many complex cognitive processes. What if there was a proven way to help quiet the mind of these intrusive thoughts and actually benefit your overall health?
Meditation has often been associated with Buddhism and spirituality but its practical applications have sometimes been underestimated by the general public. There has been much research about meditation and its effects on health. Some of the findings identify such positive effects from meditation as increased happiness, intelligence, creativity, cognitive flexibility, and stronger immune response. Meditation has also been shown to be effective with people suffering from heart disease, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, panic, and substance abuse.
One of my favorite studies involves Buddhist monks who were studied while they meditated. Results indicated higher activations in the left pre-frontal cortex while they meditated. This area of the brain is associated with happiness and positive emotions. Furthermore, these monks had higher resilience when faced with negative experiences. Many other studies have shown that after eight weeks of meditating for 45 minutes a day, subjects regularly showed improved moods as well as lower anxiety and stress. Brain scans even confirmed higher activation in the left pre-frontal cortex.
Lucky for us, other research has shown that we can obtain similar results with only 15 minutes of meditation a day. The easiest way to start meditating is through guided meditation. It is surprisingly difficult to clear the mind of all thoughts. Concentrating on a recording, music, and/or instructions make it a little easier. You can even download guided meditation exercises from itunes.
Here is a mediation exercise you can try to do at home.
First, find a quiet spot where you can sit comfortably or lie down. Feel your body against the chair or bed (the weight of your body, the heat of your body, etc.) Then, notice how your body responds as you take deep breaths. Notice how your stomach rises as you inhale and lowers as you exhale. Focus your attention on your breathing. Specifically, concentrate on the sensation of breathing through your nostrils. Feel the air going in and going out. Devote your full attention to this one task. Try to breathe naturally, not forcefully.
It is normal for thoughts to intrude our meditation when we are trying to focus solely on our breathing. Do not fight these thoughts. Rather, be mindfully aware of them and refocus your attention to your breathing in order to pursue your meditation.
If you want to increase positive emotions while you meditate, you might want to continue your deep breathing and start focusing your attention towards a past positive experience. Try to relive the experience in your mind as you continue deep breathing. Think of the little details and try to use different senses to relive it. If for example, you would think about a previous family vacation at the beach, try to remember the images, the smells and sounds of the ocean, the warmth of the sun on your skin, etc.
Savoring a past positive experience while deep breathing, has been associated to cardiac coherence and better health.
If you want to try a simple meditative exercise that can quickly elicit the relaxation response, you might want to try something as simple as taking three deep breaths every few hours throughout the day. Tal Ben Shahar advises us to incorporate this habit into our daily lives. He suggests taking three deep breaths every time you are at a red light (or other daily situation) in order to ritualize this habit and increase your sense of well being.