Ever wondered if meditation can change your life?

A regular meditation practice has been scientifically proven to be beneficial in so many ways. As Lao Tzu said ‘If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place’. This is very true, and in this article, we will go into the various benefits that a daily meditation can change your life!

1. It sets you up for the rest of your day
Meditation can help you set an intention for your day, allowing you to keep centred and think calmly about the day ahead. Even a quick 5 minutes before work can help you to have a great day with less anxious thoughts.

It reminds you that it is you that is in control of your life, and you choose how to react to events and experiences that you will have during the day ahead. Wake up a little earlier each day and see how meditation to set you up for your day ahead can be.

2. It makes you more optimistic
Become more positive by meditating daily. Certain types of meditation are even geared more towards becoming more positive and sending positive energy out into the world. Sending out this positive energy causes you to be more positive, just like sending out negative energy will mean you have more negative thoughts and feelings.

It can help you to be more optimistic about your day ahead, and be grateful for what it is that you already have in your life. Situations that pop up throughout your day will be handled better and seen in a positive light.

3. It reduces anxiety and stress
Reducing the number of negative thoughts by clearing your mind, means that you will feel more relaxed and calm. It involves the practice of letting go of any obtrusive thoughts that enter your mind during the practice, so you have the tools to do the same throughout the rest of your day.

Deep breathing and focusing on that breath is intensely relaxing and can help you to focus more on the positive parts of your life. Remember meditation can change your life but this isn’t a race – its a marathon, the more adept you become, the easier it is to de-stress.

4. It increases your self-confidence
Be more loving of yourself and all that you have been through. Many guided meditations that you can find online involve self-love practice and many people have reported that their self-confidence has improved as a result of using these.

Focusing on what qualities of yourself that are amazing, and how other people appreciate what you do, is a proven recipe for improved self-confidence.

5. It encourages you to live a healthier lifestyle
A regular meditation practice has been shown to lead people to live a healthier lifestyle, including exercise, healthy eating and more self-care. On top of this, meditation helps to promote and improve sleep quality, so you wake up feeling more refreshed and productive.

6. It helps to strengthen relationships with others
Thanks to less stress and more compassion for others, we are able to communicate more effectively and listen more to others. Thanks to this, our relationships are therefore strengthened and become healthier, allowing them to grow further and become more meaningful.

7. It allows us to be more creative
Meditation helps us to tap into our creative outlets, and therefore be more creative and engage more in our hobbies and interests. Daily meditation encourages divergent thinking, allowing us to come up with better and more creative solutions to our problems. We can also get past any blocks and come up with better ideas.

8. It can decrease your blood pressure
Instead of using medication (although always make sure to consult your doctor first before venturing on a more natural treatment), using meditation daily can help to decrease your blood pressure.

This is because it reduces stress and promotes relaxation, and increases nitric oxide in the blood, which opens up blood vessels, therefore causing blood pressure to drop. As well as blood pressure, it can also strengthen your immune system, and help you to recover from colds and flu faster.

Meditation can change your life in so many ways, and it is so easy to incorporate into your daily routine – even just five minutes in the morning or before bed can show these results. Many people also meditate for upwards of an hour, but this is not essential if you want to improve your overall health.

Find a meditation app that you can use on your phone for meditation on the go, or find your favourite guided meditation on YouTube. It’s so simple to have a regular meditation practice. Mindfulness and Meditation can change your life if you let it!