Mindfulness and Empathy
During meditation, the part of your brain that is responsible for showing more compassion and empathy is activated.
Scientific studies show that compassion and empathy are more active when someone meditates. Ekua Hagan, in a Psychology Today article writes about, The Neuroscience of Empathy. In her article, Ekua writes shares that the Max Planck Institute for Human and Cognitive Brain Sciences has revealed the neurobiological roots of how our own feelings and experiences can distort someone’s capacity for empathy.
So, how can meditation help you be more empathetic?
Meditation Can Increase Focus
It makes sense that meditation can increase focus because when you meditate, you are focused on the present moment. Present moment awareness trains the brain to stay focused.
One of the biggest bonuses and benefits of meditation is to help you choose your focus and to pull your thoughts back to the present moment. How often do you catch yourself having a busy brain and feel as though you are not able to reel it back in? Meditation can help with that.
Meditation help you to regain a sense of the present moment while you are meditating. Also, Meditation helps you to keep focused long after you’re done meditating.
Meditation Improves Memory
Have you’ve ever walked into another room and wondered why the heck you went in there? I’ve found that meditation can give my memory a boost. Meditation activates a certain part of the brain which helps to decrease distractions and increase memory recall.
Meditation Unlocks Creativity
If you’ve ever gotten stuck on creating a new idea or had the experience of writer’s block, you may wish to take up meditation. Meditation has a way of unlocking and unleashing creative potential.
In just about any job scenario, creativity is a useful asset. Whether you are a sales and marketing manager or a writer, a little creativity goes a long way.
Meditation Helps You Alleviate Stress Better
When stress arises, you are faced with a fight or flight sensation. You either need to take flight and run away to protect yourself or you need to stay and fight. Neither of these responses promotes peace and healing.
When you take on the daily practice of meditating, you have the ability to alleviate stress more. However, and more importantly, you get to alleviate stress with more ease and grace. Taking on meditation as a daily practice doesn’t only just serve you in the moment. It serves you throughout your day, your week and your life.
Meditation Can Make You Smile More
People who meditate are shown to be more positive and upbeat. Meditation has a way to calm and soothe the mind. When your mind is calm, your spirit is bound to follow. The mind-body connection is a powerful bond.
When you have a calm mind, you are more focused and can therefore be more successful. When you have a mind full of clutter, it’s difficult to focus at work. When you have clarity, you have momentum and therefore you have success. When you are less stressed, you are more focused.
Meditation Helps You to Increase Brain Function
Meditation is like exercise for your brain. While it may not be a muscle, but rather an organ, it does act like a muscle. The more you use it, the better it can get. Meditation has many ways of increasing your brain’s ability to function better.
There are a host of neurological benefits to the brain from meditating. It was once thought that only a region or two of the brain was positively impacted, studies are showing many areas of the brain are positively affected.
The improvements are not just temporary either – they have long-lasting effects.
Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Having more compassion is never a bad thing.
Meditation is a habit that may come easily to some. I have been meditating for over five years, but there were many days I found myself slipping. These days, not so much, not since I completed the no cost Action Habits Challenge by Connie Ragen Green, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, independent publisher, and serial entrepreneur. You can check it out here.
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