In my last couple of posts, I discussed how meditation improves the mind and heals the body. Now I’m going to talk about how it can make you a better person. We all have aspects of our personality and life that need some work. Mindfulness meditation is one tool we use to help address those short comings. One of the main goals of mindfulness is to be present in the moment and be aware of what is happening in the present moment. It also helps us detach emotionally from the situation so we can look at it more objectively and make more logical decisions. This is one of the reasons why mindfulness is so popular. I am just using mindfulness as one example of a meditation tool to use for improving yourself. Any type of meditation you do on a regular basis will achieve the same results. I am going to share four ways how meditation can make you a better person. I believe improving yourself is a true spiritual experience.
Meditation Improves Your Focus
In my very first post “What is Meditation and How Can It Be Used to Improve Your Life?” I defined meditation as the ability to focus on one thing. At its very core this is what meditation is, the ability to focus. The more you practice meditation your ability to focus for longer periods of time will increase. A 2006 study asked college students to either sleep, watch television, or meditate. At different time increments, each participant’s focus was tested by asking them to press a button whenever a green light appeared on a screen in from of them. What is surprising is the students who meditated outscored those who slept by 10%. That proves meditation is more effective than sleep. Being able to focus makes you more productive. It also gives you more control of yourself and your actions. This is where the being detached from emotional over reactions, I was talking about earlier comes in to play. It also gives you more clarity and improves your problem-solving skills. These are just a few ways of how being more focused makes you a better person.
Meditation Develops Consistency
Many people stop meditating because they believe they have to do it for long periods of time to see any benefit. However, those of us that have developed a regular practice know this isn’t true. When we first start meditating, we do it for shorter periods of time, such as 5-10 minutes. We are able to notice the difference in how we feel immediately. As time progresses, we are able to do it for longer periods of time. I personally usually do no more than 20-30 minutes max. I have made it part of my regular morning routine. When we start to become consistent in one area of our lives, we tend to become more consistent in other areas of our lives as well. For example, when we are consistent at meditating, we also become consistent at exercising regularly, and eating better. These are self-improvement activities, and anything we do to improve ourselves makes us better people in every aspect of our lives.
Meditation Helps Overcome Addictions
Millions of people suffer from addictive behaviors such as alcoholism and drug use. Numerous studies have been done on using mindfulness meditation as one tool in treating substance abuse addictions. One such study involved 19 alcohol-dependent graduates of an outpatient program. Fifteen of the study subjects went through an eight-week course for mindfulness meditation. When the study concluded 47% of the participants were in total abstinence. Another 47% had only one “heavy drinking” day. Around 90% of the participants said meditation was a useful tool for in preventing relapse and they were likely to continue meditating. For those who are in treatment for substance abuse follow the treatment plan that is being prescribed for you. As I stated earlier mediation is just one tool behavioral health specialists can use to assist treatment. It is extremely important that any meditation classes taken during your treatment be conducted by the appropriate healthcare professionals.
Meditation Can Make You Kinder
Mindfulness mediation increases compassion for others. Increased compassion makes you feel more connected to strangers and makes you more likely to show them love and kindness. In 2008 the American Psychological Association published a study that confirmed this. Another reason why mediation makes you kinder is because it is decreasing the production of cytokines which reduces stress and anxiety. I discussed cytokines and their effects in my post “How Mediation Makes Your Mind Better”. As stress and anxiety are reduced the brains capacity for love and kindness is increased. The way I like to look at it, when we clear out feelings of stress and anxiety, we are making more room for feelings of love and kindness.
These are just a few examples of how mediation makes you a better person. Meditation helps you get in touch with the good parts of yourself. The way I look at it, meditation helps you connect with your true authentic self. It shows you the things you don’t like about yourself and then gives you the tools to get rid of them. When we are in touch with our true authentic selves, we are more resistant to others telling us who we should be. This is extremely empowering.