Taking care of your well-being is the way to improve your way of living. It will help you to:
- Find strength for challenges and adversities
- Cultivate meaningful and stronger relationships
- Be self-sufficient and joyful
Well-being includes the three aspects: mental, physical and social. Let’s dive deeper into each one.
MENTAL WELL BEING
A mentally and emotionally fit individual is one who is aware of their feelings and moods. A mentally healthy person is able to handle emotional challenges with ease. On the contrary, those who suffer with poor mental health struggle to be self-sufficient self-confident, and typically have low self-esteem. Some ways to quickly improve your mental health are:
- Stay socially connected
- Engage in relaxation practices
- Take breaks from work
- Never skip on sleep
- Eat a brain-healthy diet
PHYSICAL WELL BEING
A healthy, nutritious diet and regular working out are an integral part of a physically fit individual. The healthier your body is, the less you will suffer from fatigue and physical stress. Here are some tips for how to maintain a healthy physique:
- Walk at least 30 minutes a day
- Eat well
- exercise for at least an hour daily
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Get
SOCIAL WELL BEING
Similar to your relationship with yourself, the relationship you have with your surroundings is also important. Your social wellness is measured by your bond with your community, society and nature. When you are socially connected, you are more likely to make healthy choices in life and enjoy better physical and mental health too. To stay socially healthy:
- Learn to appreciate others
- Develop listening skills
- Value acceptance and forgiveness
- Practice maintaining eye contact
- Organize small lunch or tea parties with friends
MEDITATION
Meditation is an ancient self regulation practice which is good for your mental as well as overall well-being. It involves focusing on the positive around you and clearing out stressful thoughts so your mind can remain in a state of calmness. This means when you are in a state of meditation, you will be in greater voluntary control of your senses and mental processes. A one hour meditation class in the morning will improve your vision, hearing, ability to think and accept difficult emotions.
Some people meditate just to relax, but others may want to reduce their anxiety and depression. Here are a few more benefits of meditation.
DAILY MEDITATION BENEFITS
- Stress reduction
- Helps reduce anxiety and depression
- Better emotional health
- Improves your ability to think and concentrate
- Healthier aging process
- Reduces inflammation
- Controls high blood pressure
- Induces better sleep quality
- Boosts immunity
- Helps fight with addictions like smoking
- Imparts a sense of empathy and compassion for others
- Needs no professional training and equipment
MEDITATION STEPS FOR BEGINNERS
- FORMS OF MEDITATION
When you want to start practicing meditation, the initial step would be to understand different forms of meditation. Here are the most practiced meditation types:
- MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
It is the easiest form of meditation as it can be practiced alone without professional help. You combine self-awareness with concentration while practicing mindfulness. You don’t let your mind wander in the past or future but stay in the present moment. Let thoughts, good or bad, pass through your mind spontaneously as you stay focused on your breath.
- MEDITATION WITH MOVEMENT
This form of daily meditation is advised to those who find peace in action and want to have body awareness. You will have a deeper connection with your body while focusing on what you observe around you. Meditation with movement includes practices like yoga, walking, gardening, tai chi and qi gong.
- FOCUSED MEDITATION
As the name suggests, this form is beneficial to those people who want to improve their focus and attention. To do this, use any of the five senses and focus on something internal like your heartbeat or an external influence like:
Listening to the clock tick
Gazing at a lighted candle
Counting mala beads
Moon gazing
Initially, it may be difficult to concentrate for more than 2-3 minutes, but with practice you will be able to do this.
- VISUAL BASED MEDITATION
Visual meditation is done by taking positive visuals like pictures, scenes or figures. You don’t have to have a physical picture; you can use your imagination too to visualize people you love and admire or goals you want to achieve. This will boost your mood and self-esteem and bring inner peace.
- MANTRA MEDITATION
Chanting of mantras is an old-age form of meditation prominent in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. There is repetition of words, phrases or sounds, “om” being the most common of all. Sometimes, it might be easier to stay in tune with your environment through mantras than concentrating on your breath. The vibrations of these repetitive words can be felt in your body, which gives you a deeper level of awareness.
- PROGRESSIVE MEDITATION
Through progressive meditation, you can reduce the tension in your body by doing a body scan meditation. To do this, slowly tighten and relax one muscle group at a time, and imagine the flow of a gentle wave throughout your body.
- EMOTION CENTERED MEDITATION
Meditation can also be used to strengthen feelings of compassion, kindness and acceptance towards yourself and others. During an emotion-centered meditation session, you will be asked to focus on any one positive emotion and let it grow deeper. This will help you to get rid of anger and resentment and learn how to forgive others.
- SEEK GUIDANCE
If there is a lack of self-motivation to strictly follow a daily schedule of one hour of meditation, join a group. For those who have time restraints, you can also go online. There are plenty of smartphone apps to help you meditate, along with social platforms like YouTube and Reddit.
- SET A TIME FRAME
There is no rule; you can start practicing daily meditation at any time; it can be morning or evening, whichever suits you. You just need to be consistent to enjoy the greatest benefits of this practice. Set your alarm clock to remind you daily to sit and practice the desired form of meditation. Your meditation session should extend for at least 20 minutes in the beginning. Then, you should strive to do it for at least an hour a day if you can. An additional 2-5 minutes of meditation on a lunch break will also further help to break up the chaos of a busy life.
- SET THE ENVIRONMENT
Different forms of daily meditation require different surroundings to practice peacefully and get the full benefits. For instance, you need a quiet, calming and comfortable place when practicing mindfulness and focused meditation. However, meditation with movement requires you to walk in a park or hiking trail.
CONCLUSION
Meditation is a self balancing practice which can be accepted by everyone without any training required. Open yourself up to try different forms of daily meditation until you are able to find the one which fits your lifestyle best. Eventually, regular meditation practice will groom you into a sustaining, supportive and enjoyable individual with a more balanced and healthy life.
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