Feeling is believing: the real, tangible effects meditation can have on your mind, body, and life

Meditation has changed my life for the better. I feel its effects on a daily basis, and you can too.

I recently wrote about my personal encounter with meditation as an agnostic and a skeptic, and how, despite my reservations, my experience completely changed my perception of meditation for good. I now meditate every day, and can honestly say that I have never encountered any practice or habit that has had a more beneficial effect on so many aspects of my life.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be religious, or even have any interest in spirituality to meditate - you just have to be conscious. Meditation is, first and foremost, a practice for the mind - and whatever you believe in, you must have a mind to believe in the first place!

As I explained in my earlier post, I didn’t actively seek out meditation or believe that it could be beneficial before trying it. It’s only the fact that I have experienced real, tangible benefits in my life as a direct result of this practice that has kept me meditating regularly. I’d like to outline a few of those practical benefits here to encourage others to do the same.

A calmer, clearer, more focused mind

When I think back to how my mind used to operate before I started meditating, I get a feeling akin to motion sickness. I had an extraordinarily busy mind, frequently jumping between thoughts and emotions, obsessing over small things, and making it difficult to focus on the task at hand. This was most noticeable when I tried to sleep - with so many voices in my head competing for attention, it used to take a very long time for me to fall asleep, and I slept badly as a result.

Through meditation, I’ve been able to quiet these voices and clarify my thinking. I’m a much more focused person because I’m much more in control of my thoughts, as opposed to them controlling me. This effect is most noticeable during and directly after meditation, when I’m sometimes able to silence the mind completely for a few moments (a sublime experience that can’t really be described). This simple change in my thought patterns has further benefitted many other aspects of my life.

Better rest, and better activity

Before, I would often find myself tired during the day, and restless at night - the exact opposite of what a healthy body and mind should feel, and a common problem in the modern world. Often, I’d also be easily distracted from whatever I was doing (including trying to fall asleep) and my mind would be elsewhere.

With the new-found focus I’ve gained through meditation, this pattern has reversed. When I’m working, I’m focused on work, when I’m eating, I’m focused on eating, and when I’m sleeping - well, that usually takes care of itself these days! I fall asleep easily and wake up feeling refreshed, almost every day.

A healthier mind and body

I used to get sick quite a lot, catching colds, stomach bugs, and just generally burning out at least once every month or two. I also got frequent headaches, sometimes even debilitating migraines - not a fun time.

Since I started meditating daily, I’ve gotten sick about once or twice a year on average - and I’m usually able to kick it within a day or two if I rest and eat properly. I can’t remember the last time I had a headache. For me, this is one of the most obvious and powerful changes that has taken place.

More energy, positivity, and self-confidence

I’m something of an introvert by nature, and as a result, I find (or used to find) that my energy reserves can be drained very easily, leaving me very tired after a long day’s work or a crowded social situation. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy either of these things, but my energy levels tended to suffer as a result.

Regular meditation has increased and stabilized my overall energy levels. I find I’m able to work harder and for longer, or enjoy myself much more at a social gathering. I’m also far more positive and enthusiastic in everything that I do - something a lot of people have commented on. This also translates to increased self-confidence and outgoingness, which has helped me with many things, from giving a presentation at work to asking a girl out on a date!

Greater compassion and understanding

Like many people with privilege, I used to have very little conception of what living without it was like, and instinctively avoided what I thought of as the ‘lower class’ because of the guilt they made me feel - a shameful situation.

Meditation, however, has helped me to see the humanity in everyone. I find I’ve become more sensitive to people’s struggles, which has motivated me to get involved with charity work - not so other people can see me doing it, but because I actually feel compelled to help and connect with other human beings, and because I enjoy doing so. The guilt is gone, and I feel I’m actually contributing something valuable to society. I can’t help but think that if everyone experienced this change, the world would quickly become a much better place!

Problems and negativity are much easier to deal with

When a bad thing used to happen to me, I would deal with it in the worst possible way - by getting angry, depressed, and bitter, asking anyone who would listen why such a thing should happen to me and complaining constantly. It was a very destructive mindset that left me ruminating on negative thoughts for far too long.

Now, of course, when something bad happens, I deal with it through meditation. I find that negative events and emotions don’t have nearly as much impact as they once did, and I’m able to roll with the punches and weather them with a smile more often than not. Even better, I frequently come to realize that each of these events holds the potential for a challenge or an improvement further down the line.

Good things just seem to happen

This is perhaps the most dubious benefit on this list, but an important one to me anyway. Since I’ve started meditating regularly, I’ve noticed more good things happening in my life, mostly without any huge effort on my part. Small things, like a chance encounter with a new friend or finding a book I’ve been wanting to read for years, to bigger things like meeting the girl of my dreams and landing a great new job. I even count discovering Steemit as one of those things! I’m sure a lot of this is down to a combination of all the other factors I mentioned above (and maybe a little confirmation bias), but I still feel I have meditation to thank for most of it.

I’m getting to know my true self

I used to think of myself from an outsider’s perspective, which meant a lot of labelling, worrying about what others thought of me, and referring to what I spent my time doing, instead of who I actually was. As a matter of fact, I had no idea!

Through meditation, I’ve begun to discover that my true identity comes from within. When I meditate, stripping away all the layers of thought, I connect with something at the center of all that activity that I’m starting to recognise as my true self - not my occupation, my soul, my ego, or even my thinking mind, but the purely conscious observer at the center of it all. I’ve become fascinated by the possibilities of developing an even stronger connection with this core aspect of my being!

My hope is that in describing my own subjective experience of meditation, I might inspire some of you to try it for yourself and get similar benefits from this powerful practice that can have an incredibly meaningful impact on your life.

In case anyone’s still unconvinced, I’ll be following up this post with one on the scientifically proven benefits of meditation, and, finally, I’ll outline a simple meditation practice that anyone can do, wherever you are and whatever you believe in - so stay tuned!