Unlock a Better You, Experts Reveal the Power of Meditation

I remember walking home one day and was suddenly hit with severe anxiety. I felt pain in my stomach and heart palpitations. It was my flight or flight system in overdrive. This wasn't unfamiliar to me. And there wasn't anything alarming to provoke this attack.

I recognized this as my Generalized Anxiety Disorder. An unprovoked anxiety attack can occur at any time and anywhere.

It isn't the first time I've experienced this, and depending on my life circumstances it can occur frequently, or infrequently. Generalized Anxiety Disorder affects approximately 3% of the population.

I called a friend until I got home, laid my head down on the sofa and turned on a meditation video on YouTube.

I hadn't taken meditation too seriously before this, but after a few moments of relaxation while listening to the video I was a true believer.

There is no better time than today to try something different. Meditation provides many benefits and is a guilt-free way to relax the mind and soul.

Meditation isn’t biased, it welcomes everyone and it’s never too late to start. There are many benefits to meditation.

Improves Health

A meditation regime doesn't require anything other than quiet, focus and relaxation.

It’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to declutter your mind. Meditation helps to reduce anxiety, depression and stress.

Vital functions such as digestion and blood pressure are regulated through the autonomic nervous system. Chronic stress has been proven to affect the autonomic nervous system. Scientists have discovered many benefits of meditation to decrease heart disease, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Improves Sleep

Studies have shown that proper sleep hygiene is a vital requirement for good health. The New York Academy of Sciences suggests meditation has a strong effect on the quality of sleep and a reduction of sleep disturbances.

If we can reduce our stress and anxiety through meditation, our sleep performance is bound to improve.

Increased Concentration

Meditation helps teach us to calm our minds, reduce negative thoughts and learn to be in the present moment. With this comes the benefit of increased concentration. Forbes senior contributor; Alice G. Walton, PhD found studies to suggest meditation, after only a few weeks has a positive effect on concentration, cognitive function and reduced aging of the brain.

Balances Emotions

The fight-or-flight response, as important as it can be involves the amygdala; studies suggest regular meditation correlates with a moderate reduction within this brain region. As a result, this would improve our ability to control our emotions.

Video courtesy of TheMindfulMovement

Promotes Life Satisfaction

The benefits of meditation are ample. Reduced stress and improved control of our emotions will better equip us for problems that eventually move in our direction. Combine these benefits with better sleep and improved health and higher satisfaction in life is sure to follow.

Video courtesy of Temple Sounds

I was 13 years old when I suffered from my first episode of generalized anxiety disorder when I was about to ring the bell for the next stop on the bus. I would walk home from school after a few more episodes on the bus. I had no idea what this was, I never really told anyone either. These days are different... we're more aware.

Childhood trauma is a part of it, perhaps one day I'll share, but in the meantime I've found comfort in meditation. It's the best method for me to calm my internal anxiety.

I also remind myself that it's okay to feel this way, nothing bad is about to happen; I'm just not feeling well at that moment. This has worked wonders for my emotional and physical well-being.

I would love to share more stories on meditation, and/or anxiety. Please let me know if you would like to see more articles on these topics and feel free to ask any questions in the comments below!