Stay On Top of Stress With a Mindfulness Practice
We’ve spoken before about the proven benefits of meditation, and today we’re honing in on one of its key principles: mindfulness. We’ll be breaking down what it means to be mindful, plus explaining how it can help keep stress at bay and improve your brain health, all at the same time.
Simplifying mindfulness
Mindfulness can feel like a minefield! But it doesn’t need to be. Let’s break it down. It originated from Buddhist meditation practices and has since evolved into a secular practice in which one aims to cultivate a heightened, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment.
Although various techniques are employed, including body scans and mindful breathing, this is the core of what it means to be mindful. The aim? To foster a non-reactive awareness of our current state. This may sound pretty straightforward, but it can take years of practice. What’s good to know is that said practice can boost your brain power and help you to cope with the stressors of everyday life.
3 ways to a superior brain structure
Just like meditation, mindfulness has been shown to increase grey matter density in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that is fundamental for learning and memory.
Mindfulness is a fantastic way of giving your brain a mental workout. Regular mindfulness practice can increase neuroplasticity, encouraging the brain to form new neural connections.
Not only that, but enhanced connectivity between various regions of the brain is a very welcome side effect of mindfulness. This improved communication is associated with better cognitive function overall, including more focused attention, and greater problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
3 ways to emotional regulation
By helping us observe our emotions rather than letting them overwhelm us, mindfulness promotes higher emotional intelligence and therefore leads to increased resilience when dealing with emotionally testing scenarios.
When we experience chronic stress, the “fight or flight” hormone cortisol can be excessively produced. Consistent mindfulness has been linked with gaining greater control over the levels of cortisol within the body, meaning a more balanced stress response is cultivated over time.
Mindfulness can also help to break the cycle of negative thought patterns, or automatic negative thoughts by cultivating an awareness of the present moment with an open mind.
Incorporating mindfulness into your everyday life needn’t become a chore. See it as a form of self-care that not only benefits your brain, but also leads to a calmer future you.