28 Benefits of Meditation

A recent study of the amount of cortisol found in hair by scientists in Germany have confirmed that meditation reduces long-term stress. I could have told them that years ago but apparently now it’s official - meditation and mindfulness reduce stress!

Whilst some of you may be very capable of recognising that you are under stress, unfortunately by the time you notice that you’re stressed, your body has already been trying to manage it for some time! For a start, your immune system and digestion system are shutting down, making you susceptible to all kinds of nasties.

And there are those of you that are in denial about stress, the ‘I work at my best under pressure’ brigade. Whilst it’s true that a small amount of stress is good for us, the type of prolonged stress that many are under is definitely NOT good for us!

*Here are 28 ways that stress can affect us…
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Memory problems
Poor judgement
Inability to concentrate
‘Brain Fog’
Indecision
Starting many tasks but achieving little
Self-doubt
Depression
Moodiness
Irritability
Fatalistic thanking
Panic
Cynicism
Anxiety
Feeling overwhelmed
Frustration
Chest pain
Rapid heartbeat
Aches and pains
Frequent colds
Skin complaints
Indigestion
High blood pressure
Increase intake in alcohol, food, cigarettes and caffeine to relax
Isolating yourself from others
Sleeping too little or too much
Demotivated
Loss of sense of humour

* According to Stress UK

I’ve been meditating for years and find it has a huge impact on lowering my stress levels. Some days I meditate like a Buddhist monk and others I’m wriggling around like a 5 year old with ants in their pants!

Whilst I’m very results focused in my business and management coaching, I am also pretty holistic in my approach. I passionately believe that we need to be healthy in mind, body and spirit to be capable of being the absolute best we can be as a leader/ manager/ business owner, and as a human being.

So, if you’ve not tried it or are willing to give it another go, here are my top 3 resources for meditation:

Insight Timer (over 100,000 free meditations!)
Calm app
Headspace app

What about you? Have you tried meditation? Do you love it or hate it? Do you find it easy or completely impossible? Any other resources to add?

#stress #meditation #mindfulness #leadership #management #coaching #mentalhealth