Can Meditation Cure Stress and Anxiety?

Anxiety and stress stemming from professional or personal problems have emerged as silent killers. Most of us are subjected to intense psychological trauma, which is the by-product of the fast paced and mechanical lives we are forced to lead. Keeping the current scenario in perspective, we are desperately seeking cures which are natural and essentially non-medicinal. Yoga and meditation have provided some satisfactory answers here.  Scores of people have taken up these ancient forms with the hope of finding a permanent cure for dealing with such psychological disorders. But, questions like can meditation cure stress or can meditation cure anxiety, continue to plague us. 

Detailed research has gone into finding answers to these perennial questions.  To evaluate the same, we first need to understand what meditation actually does. Simply put, meditation restores the calm state of the body, encouraging the mind to rest completely. It is a state which enables our system to repair itself from the damages undergone due to continual stress and anxiety, over a period of time. It also helps to nullify the damages caused due to the physical effects of stress. Therefore, can meditation reduce stress and anxiety? The answer is an emphatic yes.

How does Meditation Cure Anxiety Related Problems? – The Medical Angle

Although we have a basic understanding of what mediation does, we need evaluate the impact of meditation on stress and anxiety related problems from a medical perspective. This is important for a better understanding of why you should actually meditate. The assessments are being summarised in the points below:

• Meditation can actually reverse the stress response of the body and can effectively shield it from stress related side effects.
• Meditation stabilises your blood pressure, normalises the heart rate, regularises your breathing pace and allows the system to use oxygen better. All of these help the body to cool down, thus enabling it to manage stress and anxiety related disorders.
• As your system cools down, the adrenalin glands of your body produce less of cortisol which, over time, helps in reducing the pace of the aging process of the mind, and boosts immunity as well.
• Meditation also helps in improving our quality of life. Regular meditation boosts will power and helps us to get over bad habits like smoking and drinking, which play a major role in worsening stress and anxiety related disorders.

However, in order to reap the advantages of meditation to the fullest, one needs to be aware of meditation techniques and the pre-requisites which are mandatory for meditating properly.

Besides, meditation does not generate magical results. It needs to be practiced regularly for sustained results and prolonged relief from stress, anxiety, nervous tension and related ailments. The best thing to do is to seek the guidance of a seasoned meditation practitioner and abide by her/his guidance. Once you are well versed with the rules and regulations, you can practice meditation all by yourself.

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