Guided meditation has become increasingly popular due to its instant benefits in our lives.
You’ve probably heard about meditation from a friend or somewhere on the wide web, but you’ve been too swamped to find out more.
Well, here’s the brief gist:
Meditation is a simple activity of sitting or standing still and concentrating on your breath. It helps you avoid stress and boost your happiness. Many practitioners admit to using meditation to improve their overall quality of life.
In guided meditation, an instructor assists you step-by-step as you connect into your soul and reach the meditative state. It’s an optimal method for those who are new to meditating to get the hang of it. You’ll find countless smartphone apps, YouTube videos, and social media groups to help you get started.
Here are 16 science-backed ways guided meditation helps you become happier:
1 – Decreases stress and anxiety
Stress reduction perhaps the most important benefit of meditation. Stress happens when we become overwhelmed with the rigors of everyday life. There’s just so much to do with so little time.
Many times, these concerns are works of imagination, but we send stress hormones to our body. Such habits repeated over time lead to intense anxiety and chronic stress.
Here’s how meditation helps you get rid of stress.
Guided meditation gives you mental space and clarity to organize your mind. What’s more, studies show that meditation helps to reduce cortisol(stress hormones) levels. And increase happiness hormones in the body.
2 – Fights depression
Depression is an insidious sickness that slowly robs you of your happiness and vitality. Depression not only affects your happiness and general well-being, but it also affects your mind and your decision making.
When you sit down to meditate, you connect deeply with yourself. And let go of stress and depression.
Furthermore, this study shows how meditation can help you get rid of negative ruminations—giving you an inner glow of happiness and fulfillment.
3 – Greater empathy and kindness
One easy way to become happier is by simply sharing with others. A little kindness you show goes a long way.
So go ahead and try complimenting your coworker’s dress, donating to charity, or listening to your partner when he or she tells you about their day.
4 – Stay in the present
Meditation makes you more present, calmer, and feel more connected to the world.
Studies show that certain kinds of guided meditation help you develop gratitude, understanding, and empathy for everyone.
Your attitude of gratitude will attract happiness to you.
5 – Develop more self-awareness
Research shows that when you see yourself clearly – you become more confident.
Have you ever been at a gathering with someone who always seems relaxed, calm, and collected as a coconut? He quickly connects with everyone. He never fazed by uncomfortable situations.
Don’t you sometimes wish you can be as fresh and calm as these people?
Yes, you can
The simple answer – you need to increase your self-awareness.
Guided meditation helps you remain fixed in the present moment. Brain-imaging research shows that meditation can help rid you of social anxiety. And make you more confident. You become a better communicator and build happier relationships.
6 – Improves your relationships
A secret that many of the most successful people know is developing quality relationships.
That’s right! Emphasis on quality.
“The quality of your life depends on the quality of your relationship.”
Quality relationships could be the difference between a failed company and a successful one, a painful divorce, and a successful marriage.
Maintaining our happiness also means developing and maintaining quality relationships.
Guided meditations help us foster more quality relationships by giving us the means to monitor our thoughts.
By doing this, we have a clear picture of how we see ourselves and how others see us.
7 – Improves your creativity
What would you give to unleash creative energy like Leonardo da Vinci?
What would your work look like if you could summon your inner creativity? Would your home life look different if you could become more spontaneous?
Creativity has long been with enhanced performance at work and general happiness. Creativity promotes out-of-the-box style thinking to help you solve problems and overcome challenging situations.
In this study, scientists found the often-overlooked influence of meditation on creativity and improved cognitive function.
The results?
We’ll give you the breakdown.
They found out that while guided meditation helps to enhance our emotional cognition, we also benefit improved mood and high levels of creativity. This, in turn, helps us to boost our performance and we remain happy while doing our work.
8 – Sharpen your memory
Well, you might ask – how does a cutting-edge memory help you be happy?
Let me explain.
Imagine if you could remember peoples’ names on the spot, or remember a minute detail about them. Imagine what that would do for your relationships. Perhaps you’d seamlessly build quality relationships. Maybe you communicate effectively with your workers or connect deeply with your husband.
Still not convinced?
Studies suggest that guided meditation can sharpen your memory and attention.
9 – Enhances deeper sleep
Studies show that sleep deprivation impairs attention and working memory, but it also affects other functions, such as long-term memory and decision-making.
On the other hand, quality sleep has long linked to improved performance.
Meditation can relax you and help to promote deeper sleep. In turn, you wake up in a glorious mood and high energy – ready to seize the day.
10 – Improves decision making and problem-solving
It’s no surprise that meditation practice is becoming more popular among top executives managing billion-dollar companies.
Indeed, many leaders attribute guided meditation as a way to build strong leadership skills.
And for a good reason too.
Studies show that people who meditate regularly assess different parts of their brains to make significant decisions.
You know how you sometimes get that gut feeling – the sudden burst of inspiration to a task that had been challenging. Many meditation specialists claim to experience intuitive guidance in their work.
11 – Mental clarity
We have all experienced fogginess and an inability to make decisions.
Frustrating, isn’t it?
When we sit down to meditate, we train our focus and concentration. Since the central practice of meditation is to anchor our attention on our breaths, it is no surprise that the same quality of awareness sips into other areas of our lives.
And on top of that, meditation improves our focus and allows clear thinking.
Multiple studies show higher performance with individuals that meditate as opposed to those who do not when carrying are varying cognitive tasks.
12 – Increases mental toughness and resilience
Having mental toughness and resilience means you can weather the storms in any situation. You can bear almost anything life throws at you.
Imagine if you could take on the toughest tasks like a navy SEAL. Will you get more work done?
Fortunately, you already know-how. Now here’s the exciting part.
Studies suggest that top athletes, politicians, and top CEOs practice meditation to develop resistance to stress and power through any stumbling blocks in their way.
13 – Boosts immunity
Ever notice how sluggish you feel after an exhausting day at work? That’s stress.
Do you know that a 10-minute meditation can help rid you of stress while boosting your immune system to fight diseases?
That’s right!
A UCLA study shows that HIV patients who practiced mindfulness were able to slow down the spread of the virus in their bodies.
Guided meditation also helps your body produce more disease-fighting immune cells that protect your body.
14 – Preserves the aging brain
The key to happiness is a healthier mind and body. Along with improving attention and clarity, meditation helps strengthen more neural connections in your brain.
There are positive results that long-term meditation practice helps to keep your mind sharp and clear. It also prevents age-related memory loss and dementia by strengthening your brain health.
15 – Helps you lose weight and achieve your body goals
Do you regularly try to lose weight, but you find that either:
- You can’t maintain the healthy eating habit.
- You’re unable to get yourself to go to the gym.
- You can resist binge-eating unhealthy snacks.
- You think – what’s the use?
Meditation helps you control your impulsive actions, and more so helps you stay on course to reaching your weight loss goals.
Furthermore, one reason that may contribute to is stress eating. By meditating regularly, you reduce the stress and anxiety surrounding unhealthy food and reach your health goals.
16 -Destroys addictive habits
We all struggle with our addictions, whether we enjoy more caffeine than we should or a bag of salty chips in the evening.
Here is why we all have cravings. These addictions produce “feel-good hormones,” which make us happy and satisfy our cravings in the short-term.
Succumbing to our addictions leaves us devastated and powerless in the long run.
There is continuous evidence that meditation helps us control our cravings. Whether you are looking to quit smoking or you are trying to stop overeating, this study shows that guided meditation played an essential role in helping recent dieters stick to their healthy eating plan.
More than that, meditation let’s rewire the pleasure centers of our brains.
Final thoughts on guided meditation and increasing your happiness.
Meditation is an age-old practice that powerful CEOs, top martial artists, famous Hollywood actors, influential bloggers, bestselling authors, well-known media personalities, high military ranks, revered artists, and gold medal Olympic athletes all employ to live happier lives.
But the truth is…
Anyone can use guided meditation to boost their happiness. Best of all, it is free, and you can carry it anywhere you go.
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