For thousands of years, people have practiced mindfulness for spiritual, emotional, and physical purposes. wellness.
So from a scientific perspective, how does mindfulness affect the body? Does it really do anything? It all starts in the brain. During mindfulness, brain scans show increased activity in regions directly linked to decreased anxiety and depression, along with increased pain tolerance.
The default Nnetwork mode, in particular, is activated when the mind is at rest and not focused on the outside world. That has been found to improve memory, self-awareness, and goal setting.
Do you want to be more affectionate with your friends and family? When scientists Comparing the brains of Buddhist monks with those of new meditators, they found that the brain region associated with empathy was much more pronounced.
Mental health benefits of mindfulness
Mindfulness is a powerful tool for mental health. Here are five ways it affects the body and brain:
1) Makes physical changes
Full attention it changes brain waves, and these frequencies can be measured. Meditators have higher levels of alpha waves, which have been shown to reduce feelings of negative mood, tension, sadness, and anger. If that’s not enough, it also physically changes the shape and size of the brain.
Studies have found that after eight weeks of a meditation program, gray matter is denser in areas associated with learning, memory processing, and emotion regulation. The amygdala, which deals with stress, blood pressure, and fear, has decreased gray matter.
2) Control Internal Processes
Meditation can not only help lower blood pressure, it can also increase heart rate variability. While that may sound harmful, mindfulness plays a critical role in transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body.
in a to study, meditators and non-mediators received the flu virus. Meditators were found to be able to produce more antibodies and have higher immune function.
If we dig a little deeper, we can even see changes at the cellular level. Chromosomes have protective protein complexes called telomeres, which help reduce DNA damage and reduce cell death.
A shortened telomere length has been linked to several diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Surprisingly, when cancer survivors complete a meditation program, their bodies showed a significant increase in telomere length.
3) Improves working memory
Full attention It can help with everyday tasks, so it can help improve concentration and working memory.
Working memory is when you have pieces of information in your head at any time, like when you do mental calculations. Evidence shows that mindfulness can increase that and your ability to figure things out quickly.
in a to study, participants received four weeks of mindfulness training or took a creative writing course. Memory tests suggested that those who were trained in mindfulness practices showed the greatest reduction in memory interference, resulting in an improvement in their short-term memory.
4) Improves thought processes
Mindfulness can also help with thought processes; So, for example, if you are worried about something and think about it over and over again, you might feel a bit depressed. That is known as rumination. Full attention It has been shown to reduce rumination.
Evidence suggests it may also contribute to your ability to think clearly and flexibly, as well as help with focus and memory.
It makes sense that practicing mindfulness could alter the way you think. After all, the goal of the practice is to become more aware of your thoughts without judgment.
5) Recovery Facilitation
You can use full attention not only to deal with a persistent or life-threatening illness or life-threatening situation, but also to help you through it.
A to study of Chinese breast cancer survivors found that mindfulness can improve post-traumatic growth and reduce stress and anxiety. Women who engage in mindfulness are more likely to experience greater self-kindness, less rumination and less stress, according to another study of young breast cancer survivors.
Put off
Meditation is not a substitute for medical advice or a healthy lifestyle. However, just as going to the gym can help you build your muscles and improve your overall health, it seems that meditation may be a way to “exercise” your brain with added health benefits. Since the brain controls the whole body and being, why not relax and say ‘Om’ from time to time?
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a master’s degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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