TheBoldAge investigates: The benefits of meditation

The world has turned into a somewhat crazy place, we have social distancing, limited access to schools for our children and many people are worried about their finances.

Published by Steve Foreman on Jun 23, 2020

Understandably many people are suffering with stress, depression, and other mental health issues. At TheBoldAge we don’t pretend we have all the answers to these difficult problems, but we do try to offer suggestions that may help, one of which is meditation. Firstly, meditation is not all about Tibetan monks sitting on top of a mountain in glorious solitude for days on end, it can mean different things to different people.

Wikipedia defines meditation as ‘a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state’.

![meditating seniors 2](https://tba-cms.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/meditating_seniors_2_32ba027ec3.jpeg)

Mindfulness is becoming increasingly popular with [Mindworks.org](https://mindworks.org/) suggesting that between 200-500 million people meditate around the world.

There are several different ways to meditate. Most beginners start by focusing on their breathing and trying to be present in that moment, without letting their mind wonder. This is more difficult than it sounds! We have added a number of useful links at the bottom of this article should you wish to research the subject of meditation further.

Meditation can have a very positive impact on both your mind and body. It is well known to help reduce stress levels, but did you know that it can also help with anxiety and depression. Regular meditation can also help to improve your mood and self-esteem.

Research in 2016 showed that regular meditation can even help to reduce pain levels. It has also been shown to help lower blood pressure and after 6 – 8 months can even help lower your heart rate.

Research has also shown that meditation helps to increase focus, improve memory, and also improve decision making. It can help to improve quality of sleep, increase focus, and even help improve relationships.

Although mindfulness and meditation has been around for centuries, it is still relatively new to the western world and the research is still in its infancy. Whilst much of it is positive, research can be found that shows it has little or no impact. However, there is nothing to suggest it can have a negative impact. I myself have found meditation to be of real benefit, and there are numerous free apps and online videos on the subject, so that you can form your own opinions.

### Useful Boldie links

The NHS has some great piece on Mindfulness found [here](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/)

WikiHow has some tips for beginners found [here](https://www.wikihow.com/Meditate-for-Beginners)