Do I Actually Need To Learn Meditation?

How often are you exhausted? According to authors Black, O’Reilly, Olmstead, Breen, and Irwin (2015) sleep disturbances pose a significant medical and public health concern. 50% of individuals over 55 have sleep problems that include getting to sleep and staying asleep. The results of the poor sleep performance are an inability to function during the day with elevated levels of fatigue, disturbed mood, depressive symptoms, a reduction in quality of life, and lead to the onset of clinical insomnia. Tai Chi, a movement based meditation has been shown to improve sleep in older adults and meditation showed a reduction in sleep disturbances, better functioning during the day, a lessening of depression, anxiety, stress, and fatigue. 

How often do you have difficulties making decisions? According to Sun, Yao, Wei, and Yu (2015) the last 20 years has shown a growing interest in the use of meditation to improve mental performance, emotional balance, and well being.  Current research suggests that meditation modulates brain activities associated with cognitive control, emotion regulation, empathy, and leads to improved non-social and social decision making and improved sustained attention, working memory, and executive function. 

How often do you experience colds and flus? According to author Maxwell, Barrett, Chase, Brown, and Ewers (2015) poor mental health conditions including stress and depression have be recognized as a risk factor for the development of acute respiratory infections.  There is a common risk factor such as negative emotion may increase an individual’s susceptibility to both acute respiratory infections and poor mental health, yet meditation or exercise show a reduction in respiratory infections

How often do you feel run down?In a study by Kim, Kim, Ahn, Seo, and Kim (2013) meditation was investigated to see how it impacted anxiety, depression, fatigue, and quality of life in woman who were receiving radiation therapy for breast cancer.The findings of the study showed that meditation resulted in improving fatigue, anxiety, quality of life and emotional equilibrium.

How often do you feel overwhelmed?Generally we feel overwhelmed because we are not present and focused on the now, rather our focus is scattered in the past and future.Meditation is a form on mental training according to authors Chan and Woollacott (2007), and has been shown to increase mental focus and reduce stress and has become an increasingly used tool in both the medical and clinical psychology arena.Meditation helps you to get more focused and to feel less overwhelmed.

How often do you feel that you can't handle your work load?According to a 2014 study by psychologists Elder, Nidich, Moriarty, and Nidich, Workplace stress and burnout are serious issues which effect employee performance and employee personal health which is a concern of not only employers but also healthcare professionals. Burn-out, a real psychological term, is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, negative attitudes towards others, dissatisfaction with one’s own job performance, is associated with increased absenteeism, increased job turnover, alcohol abuses and drug abuse, as well as lower job performance.  The results confirmed that meditation, in a four month follow up study to reduce psychological distress and burnout., resulted in the reduction of stress, depressive symptoms, and burnout.

How often do you suffer from mood swings?According to the Oxford Dictionaries, Mood disorders is a psychological disorder characterized by the elevation or lowering of a person's mood, such as depression or bipolar disorder: Also called affective disorder.Authors Murray, Leitan, Berk, Thomas, Michalak, Berk, Johnson, Jones, Perich, Allen, and Kyrios (2015), state more than 50% of individuals with bi-polar disorder report utilizing meditation and spiritual processes naturally and more than half of their study participants reported trying meditation. Additionally, high functioning individuals with BD report that mindfulness and reflective practices are valuable for their well being.Studies have shown that meditation reduces symptoms of anxiety, mania, depression, suicidal ideation, improve emotion regulation, psychological well-being, positive affect, psychosocial and cognitive function.

How often do you wonder about the meaning of life?When life seems overwhelming and you feel uninterested it can lead to question your reason and purpose for being here and you start to wonder about the meaning of your life.Meditation helps you to get in touch with yourself.

You have difficulty staying focused?According to Wolkin (2015) in the last few decades meditation has gained prominence as an adjunctive psychotherapeutic technique. Historically it has been practiced for thousands of years as a means to experiencing enduring happiness and the end of personal suffering. It is shown that meditation improved mental health across a variety of disorders including depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and chronic pain symptom reduction.The author adds that meditation decreases rumination, which is according to psychologytoday.com "Rumination refers to the tendency to repetitively think about the causes, situational factors, and consequences of one's negative emotional experience (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). Basically, rumination means that you continuously think about the various aspects of situations that are upsetting." 

How often do you feel depressed?Research suggests that 30 minutes of meditation improves depression symptoms (along with anxiety and pain) In the article Meditate Don’t Medicate: How medical imaging evidence supports the role of meditation in the treatment of Depression by Annells, Kho, and Bridge (2015) there is a fair amount of scientific information regarding the alleviation of depression in individuals who practice meditation. Depression is a psychiatric disorder that is debilitating to those who suffer, and a large percent of the population does. Current medical treatment for depression is to prescribe medication which are anti-depressants which have side-effects and a high risk for relapse. Recent medical imaging research has demonstrated successfully that meditation has the ability to counteract or even prevent the physiological reasons for depression. Meditation decreases Amygdala activity and increases grey matter volume and activity of the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and other regions of the brain associated with attention and emotional self-regulation. As a result of the changes in the brain, the skill sets developed during regular meditation such as self-regulation, ability to process negative information, and relaxation techniques have the potential to lead to a permanent cure for depression and a stop gap measure for relapsing. Studies show that meditation is a viable alternative to medication for clinical treatment of depression. 

How often are you anxious?According to the Oxford Dictionary to be anxious is to be in a state of experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome:We lose sense of being in the present when we are anxious and according to authors Droit-Volet, Fanget, and Dambrum (2014),  time and consciousness are entwined. Meditation teaches individuals to focus attention and awareness on what is happening in one's own body and mind as it happens in the present moment.This relationship according to the authors, meditation changes the relationship with time by focusing individuals attention on the present moment  by encouraging them to live in the present moment thus experiencing less anxiousness.

How frequently do you experience aches and pains?According to author Kim ROD (2015) individuals whose chronic pain limits their independence are especially likely to become anxious and depressed.In the study patients participated in Meditation Training program. Over the year-long observation, patients demonstrated noticeable improvement in depression, anxiety, pain, and global impression of change. Conclusions: Chronic pain patients who suffer with anxiety and depression may benefit from incorporating Meditation into their treatment plans.

How often are you stressed out?According to authors Esi van der Zwan, de Vente, Huiznick, Bogels, and de Bruin (2015), psychological stress, especially persistent psychological stress can negatively affect one’s health resulting in changes in the nervous system and the immune system such as increased level of circulating inflammatory factors. There is an increase in elevated cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure which can lead to elevated blood pressure, dysregulated immune system, memory problems, and mental illnesses such as depression. In Western societies there is a prevalence of stress with symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, anger, or changes in sleeping habits.  It has been said by psychologist Henriques (2011), stress relief needs a technique that can be easily utilized by large numbers of people that are readily available, inexpensive, and have minimal side effects. Currently, physical activity is a stress reducer but does have potential set backs if an injury occurs and can not be done by everyone. Meditation on the other hand can be utilized and it reduces stress. 

How often do you get tension headaches?According to authors Tonelli and Wachholtz (2014),  meditation is becoming more popular as an outstanding means of managing and attenuating pain and has been very effective for migraines.Meditation addresses the negative emotional state that is known to exist with migraines.

How often do you experience sadness?According to authors Harris and Brady (2011) a study was linked with meditatipn and an increase in empathy and laughter, becoming more social, and having more of a team attitude.Meditation rewires your brain and can make you happier, less stressed and even nicer to other people, control your eating habits, reduce chronic pain and all without medication..

How often do you experience problems in relationships?According to author Atkinson (2013) many studies have found associations between trait mindfulness and relationship quality and satisfaction.Meditation has been positively correlated with marital satisfaction, empathetic concern, perspective taking, effective communication, adaptive response skills when faced with relational stress and greater consideration of one's partner's point of view.Meditation rewires your brain and can make you happier, less stressed and even nicer to other people, control your eating habits, reduce chronic pain and all without medication..