Editors Note: An article from Nikita to The Prepper Journal. And just in time. A sincere comment from Joseph to The Prepper Journal had me thinking over the criminality and chaos of these post-election days, the underlying tension at a nightmare pitch, fueled on every medium by the Fourth Estate, that perhaps a step back and some inward inspection and analysis would bring some peace. So, in the spirit of prepping as a method to be ready for what comes, here is Nikita’s (Victor is the male equivalent) article which she thought should be titled either “These Are Crucial Mental Health Advantages of Mindfulness Exercises“, or, “Here’s Why Mindfulness Exercises Is So Amazing for Your Mental Health.”
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- 1.the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.“their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition”
- 2.a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Mindfulness is defined as a method of being present in the current moment. There are numerous ways to practice it, including yoga, breathing exercises, and meditation. Before you start any of these, you may want to discover more about the advantages that mindfulness brings to your mental health, so take a look at the benefits mentioned below.
It Helps You to Get to Know Yourself
You should be the one knowing yourself the best, but have you ever stopped to wonder whether that is true? We all have prejudices about other people, so why wouldn’t we have them about ourselves? According to this study, mindfulness is a way of overcoming barriers to self-knowledge.
When we say getting to know the real you, we are talking about an objective observation and no bias involved. Mindfulness will help you avoid being overly critical, but also too mild on various aspects of your personality and behavior. This, in turn, can lead to identifying our weaknesses and fixing them, as well as further boosting our qualities.
You Will Perform Better at School
Whether you are going through high school or you are a college student having problems passing his exams, the trick on how to improve memory lies in mindfulness exercises. These techniques can help you to boost your cognitive skills and performance with special emphasis on working memory. This also applies to working professionals who have to continually learn and expand their skills due to the rapidly changing rules and technologies in their field – the medical professions, information technology, and the legal profession to name just a few.
In other words, it is mindfulness that will help you learn and memorize things more effectively. You shouldn’t expect an instant effect, but if you practice these exercises for a couple of weeks, you will see obvious progress in your ability to concentrate on learning.
It Assists in Processing Emotions
One of the best things about meditation and other mindfulness practices is that it focuses on promoting your overall brain performance and health. This is not limited to improved performance while you are mediating since the positive effects remain after the exercise. It is something similar to physical workout sessions, except you train your mind and not your muscles.
Various studies confirm those who practice mindfulness respond to emotional stimuli better. This is what can help you to handle both positive and negative emotions more effectively. In extreme situations, it is what can help you put everything behind you and move on.
You Will Feel Less Lonely
Loneliness is the root of many physical health problems, but it is also the cause of unhappiness in many people, especially the elderly. We found research that confirmed mindfulness could be effective in dealing with loneliness.
The fact that it can also boost your physical health shouldn’t be underestimated. If you are at an elevated risk for health conditions and diseases due to loneliness, mindfulness can promote both your physical and mental state.
Mindfulness Keeps Your Mind Sharp
You could say that this is obvious as the word itself suggests it, but it is a benefit that we cannot underestimate. Helping you to process emotions and become aware of your true self can assist in keeping a peace of mind. All this will enable your brain to perform better and focus on the task at hand.
Brain injuries and memory loss are often related. If you are experiencing lapses in your memory for any reason, it may be helpful to try mindfulness. Learning how to be present at a current moment might help to improve your cognitive performance[1], and you could use the boost in concentration that mindfulness brings.
It Can Decrease Your Medical Bills
Mindfulness has an all-around effect on the human organism[2], which includes multiple potential benefits for body and mind. As a result, it can promote your health and reduce the chances of minor issues from appearing. This can be especially useful during the winter when colds becomes a common problem that people suffer from.
All this can, in turn, have a positive effect on your budget. The fact that you will not need the same amount of health care and medications, the chances are that your medical bills will decrease. The money you saved can be spent smartly, such as on purchasing memory supplements to boost your mental performance and promote brain health (or more stores for your prepping supplies).
Mindfulness Promotes Optimal Sleep Patterns
When you feel like you are in control of your mood and emotions, you also feel comfortable in your body and mind. With this elevated self-awareness, you are almost guaranteed a sound sleep at night. Mindfulness promotes proper sleep patterns and improves sleep quality.
This comes as a natural consequence of dealing with stress more effectively. If you do not have anything troubling you and you can put your emotions under control, there is no reason why you shouldn’t sleep well.
It Can Help with Weight Loss
You’ve surely heard of a term “emotional eating.” It was coined to explain the situation where one eats not because they are hungry, but because they are feeling disturbed on an emotional level. It may be sad news that they just received, they could be angry about something, or simply feeling stress after a hectic day at work, or have accidentally seen the news.
Whatever it is, mindfulness can help you relieve stress and feel more at ease with the events in your life. This can help you eliminate food cravings that you didn’t know how to deal with before. As a result, it presents the perfect way to control your portions and achieve your weight loss goal sooner than you imagined.
A Final Note
Mindfulness is not an easy thing to master, and it will require a bit of your time and dedication. The good news is that you can practice these techniques at home, especially since there are numerous courses and videos available online.
If you prefer company, you can also consider joining a group that practices meditation. Alternatively, hire your coach to show you some basics, and you can take it from there. Either way, be persistent and honest to get to know yourself, and you will see that it is a magical journey with numerous benefits.
References
[1]https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm
[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18760079
[3]https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/brain-health/top-rated-cognitive-enhancing-supplements.html
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