August 30, 2020: Meditation

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Do you start your morning by immediately reaching for your phone? When the alarm goes off do you feel fully rested or are you a snoozer? Do you dread getting out of bed?

If you answered yes to any or all of these, there’s a good indication it might be time to change your morning routine. This week, we’re going to talk about how you can use meditation in your morning routine to set the tone for the rest of the day.

Meditation has different definitions and intentions, but devoting even five minutes of your morning to practicing meditation has a positive impact on your body, mind, and your day.

Most meditators practice the technique to reduce stress. Rather than waking up and focusing on the negatives of the day, clearing your mind and turning your attention to positive intentions decreases the risk of depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, fatigue, fogginess, and restlessness.

Struggling to stay focused at work? Disorganized? Forgetful? Practicing meditation can increase your attention span throughout the day. Meditation is like weight lifting for your mind, and the more you do it, the stronger and longer your attention span becomes. Studies have found regular participants in meditation were able to stay focused on a task longer and reorient their attention accordingly. They were also better able to recall details compared to those co-workers not participating.

Depending on your intentions, meditation can redirect your thoughts to a positive emotion and overall feeling. Setting your intentions in the morning towards loving-kindness starts within yourself and then spills out to those around you. Those who practiced this kind of meditation ultimately have more compassion and empathy towards others including those considered enemies.

Meditation can also help you sleep. More than half of American struggle with some form of insomnia. Studies found that participants who meditated fell asleep faster and stayed asleep longer compared to those who did not meditate. Meditation helps your brain stop over thinking and relax. It has even been proven to reverse patterns in the brain that lead to mind-wandering and worrying.

There are more benefits to meditation than mentioned here, but, overall, practicing meditation is good for your mental health and well-being.

Next Sunday, we’ll talk about some of the myths around toning and getting bulky.

Want some expert help with reaching your health goals painlessly? Check out my programs! We’ll get everything taken care of in a way that fits into your current lifestyle so you never have to think about your health again.

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I hope you have a wonderful week,

Kelly

Kelly Morgan, Ph.D.

Tsirona - www.tsirona.com

My weekly GYSTS email give you one actionable thing to do for the week that will make you life a little easier. As "they" say, "Fail to plan; plan to fail." Get these emails (and more!) delivered right to your inbox by clicking HERE.