Currently, the entire world is consumed with stress! It’s because of the global pandemic outbreak that started in 2020. However, the active vaccination drive has helped to bring down the infection rates, but still, people are fearful about their future. It adversely affects their mental health. One of the practices that can help people to calm their minds during such testing times is meditation.
Benefits of meditation by William D King
Almost everyone in the world has faced acute anxiety since the start of the pandemic outbreak. And this pandemic stress can lead to lack of sleep and emotional fluctuations as well. That is the reason why experts suggest that everyone should practice meditation. He highlights a few ways in which meditation can help to release pandemic stress.
- Minimizes stress
Most people today are opting in for meditation because they want to reduce the pandemic stress. Usually, physical and mental stress occurs due to high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. And that generates several negative effects of stress, for instance, the release of cytokines, an inflammatory chemical. It can disturb sleep patterns, cause anxiety and depression, and also result in cloudy thinking and fatigue. According to medical studies, meditation has proved to reduce stress and its side effects.
- It helps to promote emotional health
The pandemic has adversely impacted everyone’s emotional health! People don’t feel and think the same way as they used to. The massive deaths have made people feel morbid about life. There are a few meditation forms that can help people to project a positive attitude towards life. According to a study, over 3500 adults who practiced mindfulness meditation found that their depression symptoms improved drastically. It helps people to have a new perspective about life and also cope up during stress much better. People who have resorted to meditation during this testing time can easily switch to a peaceful mindset than those who don’t practice meditation.
- It helps to enhance sleep
Over the past few months, many people have been facing acute issues with sleep! And one of the main reasons for the same is pandemic stress. Many people have developed borderline insomnia during the pandemic. According to the latest studies, mindfulness meditation programs revealed that people who meditated regularly could fall asleep easily and also have a sound sleep. With daily practice, meditation helped people to sleep without the use of any medication. It also helped people having insomnia.
- It helps to bring down blood pressure
Meditation can help to enhance physical health by bringing down the strain on your heart. Stress can result in high blood pressure. And if that takes place, your heart will start working harder pumping blood, resulting in poor heart function. High blood pressure can result in atherosclerosis, which in turn can lead to stroke and heart attack. Meditation helps manage blood pressure simply by relaxing the nerve signals that coordinate the blood vessel tension, heart function, and the “fight and flight” response, which maximizes alertness during stressful situations.
Hence, according to William D King, if you practice meditation, you can manage your stress and other mental health issues that can arise due to pandemic stress.