Combat Your Stress: The Benefits of meditation
If there’s anything we know about modern society, it’s this: life is stressful! Indeed, the modern day lifestyle is often attributed to be the source of excessive stress. After all, we are surrounded by inputs: 7-second TikTok videos jamming your brain with as much information as quickly as possible, your phone’s banner notifications flashing across the screen simultaneously, the constant barrage of noise and movement in the outside world that your brain must process.
‘Chronic stress’ as academics call it, is unfortunately widespread: 55% of people report being stressed throughout the day, and evidence suggests that 35% of people sampled globally in 143 countries consider themselves ‘stressed out’.
Stress activates a cyclical system of chemical and hormonal changes in our body to cope: this system is called the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, and like its name suggests, it connects your hypothalamus (in your brain), your pituitary gland (also in your brain) and your adrenal glands (by your kidneys). These three little spots in your body are responsible for your body’s response to stressors, and when overactive, as they are when we are chronically stressed, lead to long term detrimental physiological changes to our bodies: namely, memory impairment, cognitive deficits, and mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
When the HPA axis is hyperactive, it’s also linked to autonomic changes including increased neural excitability (Mind is active!), cardiovascular activity (heart rate through the roof!), increased blood sugar (uh-oh), reduced antibody formation and increased inflammation (more likely to get sick, not to mention, ehm…puffy).
So, in short, stress affects you in loads of negative ways! But the good news is that we have a super effective, easy, and inexpensive way to combat stress!
drumroll please……
Meditation!
Meditation is a simple and effective tool that is ideally implemented daily, and according to the mystery school tradition, ideally for two hours each day. Keep in mind that this is the optimal length, but some meditation is better than none, so don’t let the two hour suggested time be your barrier to entry.
In the last ~30 years, ample research has been conducted about the physiological and mental benefits of meditation. This evidence shows that the ancients were correct: we really should be meditating.
Meditation directly combats the negative effects of stress, primarily by increasing levels of crucial neurotransmitters which promote health and wellbeing. Meditation modulates our levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and even increases levels of the neurotransmitter which calms everything down: GABA. One particular neurological protein, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), that is important for nerve growth and maintenance, is also increased with regular meditation. This increases neural plasticity (flexibility, sharpness, and conquering our greatest enemy: the mind).
Mental health benefits substantially from meditation, too! For example, various studies show that when implemented, breathing techniques used in meditation significantly decrease symptoms of both anxiety and depression after 3 months of regular practice. Are you getting the seasonal blues? Maybe it’s time to begin meditating to kick off your new habit!
