These are the 5 most common benefits of mindfulness
We’ll begin with the benefits that you already expect from mindfulness. These include improving your ability to cope with everyday challenges.
1. Stress levels are declining
You know mindfulness is a key component in fighting stress if you have read our article on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
A whole program for stress reduction, with decades of experience, and tens to thousands of practitioners, is a great indicator that mindfulness works.
Numerous studies have supported the notion that mindfulness can reduce stress, in addition to the results of MBSR.
A study of present-moment awareness showed that it helps to adapt to daily stressors (Donald and Atkins, Parker, Christie and Ryan, 2016). Donald and Atkins (2016) also found that mindfulness was more effective in coping with stress than relaxation and self-affirmation.
Mindfulness can help reduce stress and improve emotion regulation. (Remmers Topolinski & Koole 2016, 2016).
The effects of mindfulness on stress can be observed in several groups, including:
- Restless legs syndrome sufferers (Bablas Yap, Cunnington Swieca & Greenwood 2016, 2016).
- Parents (Gouveia, Carona, Canavarro, & Moreira, 2016);
- Healthcare professionals (Burton. Burgess. Dean. Koutsopoulou. & Hugh.-Jones. 2017).
- Veterans suffering from depression or PTSD (Felleman Stewart Simpson & Heppner 2016, 2016).
- Police officers (Bergman Christopher, Bowen, 2016,).
The Little Book of Mindfulness, by Rebecca Howden and Medibank, is a great way to learn how mindfulness can affect stress experience. They will dive into the details, but I’ll give you a description of their relaxation response.
- Medibank and Howden first listed the symptoms of stress.
- Continually feeling anxious and worried
- Feeling annoyed, irritable and agitated.
- Argumentative and defensive behavior with family and friends;
- Sleeping in a coma;
- You feel tired when you have low levels of energy.
- A restless, frenetic mind.
- Sometimes, self-critical and/or critical about others.
- Feeling bored and flat;
- Having difficulty concentrating;
- Conditions and skin rashes
- During the night, you should clench your jaw muscles and grind your teeth.
- Migraines and headaches.
You can enjoy the following benefits if you inducing relaxation through mindfulness, another type of meditation or other activities:
- Higher brain function;
- Enhanced immune function
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower heart rate
- Awareness has increased
- Focus and attention are more intense
- Clarity in thinking and perception
- Lower levels of anxiety;
- Feel calm and still inside.
- Feel connected.
These benefits are as easy as closing your eyes for a few moments each day and becoming silent. This practice is easy enough for anyone!
2. Improved ability to manage illness
Patients with cancer and other patients who have a terminal or chronic illness are perhaps the most well-studied group in terms of the effects of mindfulness.
Although it may not be able to eliminate their symptoms, mindfulness can make them easier to manage.
The eCALM trial, a treatment program for patients with cancer, showed that mindfulness can reduce stress symptoms, increase spirituality, non-reactivity to experiences, promote post-traumatic growth and improve vigor.
A mindfulness program that is cancer-specific decreased worry and rumination, and increased observing and not judging among cancer patients (Labelle Campbell Faris & Carlson 2015).
A study of MBSR in chronic low back pain patients found that mindfulness was more effective than traditional treatment and results in lower back pain (Cherkin Sherman, Balderson Cook, Anderson Hawkes Hansen, Anderson, Hawkes, Hansen & Turner, 2016).
Mindfulness can help patients focus less on pain and improve their quality of living.
Study of MBSR in lung cancer patients and their families showed that mindfulness can lead to positive changes in both patients and partners. It also helps with caregiver burden (van den Hurk and Schellekens; Molema and Speckens; van der Drift 2015).
A review of MBSR for family caregivers revealed that mindfulness can reduce stress, depression and anxiety for those caring for a sick loved one (Li Yuan, Zhang, 2016).
3. Facilitation of Recovery
Mindfulness can help you not only deal with a life-threatening or chronic illness, but also allow you to move on.
An analysis of MBSR among Chinese breast cancer survivors showed that mindfulness can increase post-traumatic growth and decrease anxiety (Zhang Zhou, Feng Fan, Zeng & Wei 2017, 2017).
A second study on young breast cancer survivors found that mindfulness practice was more effective in reducing stress, self-kindness, and rumination (Boyle. Stanton. Ganz. Crespi. & Bower 2017).
Meditation, yoga, and mindfulness have been shown to reduce anxiety in post-traumatic growth of breast cancer survivors (Tamagawa and Speca, Stephen and Lawlor-Savage and Carlson, 2015).
4. Reduced symptoms of depression
The practice of mindfulness has been used for years as a supplementary treatment to depression.
It is known to reduce anxiety and stress, depression, and stress among college students (Falsafi 2016).
Mindfulness can be used to treat depression by improving practitioners’ ability regulate their emotions. Mindfulness gives you the tools to recognize and accept negative emotions without fighting them. Mindful thinkers can better manage their emotions, which leads to better coping with and management of depression.
This theory is supported by a study by Costa and Barrnhofer (2016). Participants with depression were able to lower their symptoms by undergoing mindfulness training, which was compared to guided imagery relaxation.
Another study showed that MBCT helped reduce depressive episodes. This not only made participants feel better, but also had positive effects on their health care costs (Shawyer. Enticott. Ozmen. Inder, 2016).
Even those suffering from the most severe depressive symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts or suicidal ideation can benefit from mindfulness. Mindfulness was found to be more effective in treating chronically depressed people with suicidal thoughts than usual (Forkmann. Brakemeier. Teismann. Schramm. & Michalak. 2016).
5. Better general health
Mindfulness can have many benefits for your mental health, but it can also help improve your overall health.
A study looking at how mindfulness and health behaviors impact each other found that mindfulness practice can improve or increase many behaviors related to health (Jacobs Wollny Sim & Horsch 2016, 2016).
A second study on mindfulness and the health of mindfulness showed that it was associated with improved cardiovascular health by reducing smoking and engaging in more physical activity (Loucks Britton Britton Howe, Eaton & Buka 2015).
Mindfulness has also been shown to be positively associated with lower blood pressure, particularly if the practitioner is skilled at nonjudging and notreactivity (Tomfohr, Pung, Mills, & Edwards, 2015.
In a study of the effects of mindfulness on the mental and physical health and well-being of overweight and obese adults, researchers discovered that mindfulness was effective in helping participants lose weight, improve eating habits and attitudes, reduce anxiety, and lower their risk of falling ill (Rogers Ferrari, Mosely Lang, & Brennan 2017).
All of the benefits of mindfulness are possible for adults as well as children, but there are some that have been proven to be more beneficial for young people. These benefits are described in the next section.
