Boost your mood with meditation

And discover other great benefits too!

Ocean view in Nikiana Greece

The mind is like the ocean. And deep in this ocean, beneath the surface, it’s calm and clear. And no matter what the surface conditions are, whether it’s flat or choppy or even a full gale storm, deep in the ocean it’s tranquil and serene.

Dan Siegel, MD ~ The Mindful Brain

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As I sit here in Greece, preparing to teach meditation to retreat guests once again, I reflect back on my meditation journey and consider what brought me to the practice in the first place.

In my 20’s I felt that I needed help with the roller coaster of emotions I was feeling, so I attended a yoga class and this led to meditation. These classes sparked a whole new interest and opened me up to a deeper spiritual side. They provided me with a way to discover my inner world, expand my imagination and learn more about myself. It was my escape from daily life for a while, a place to rest, unwind and just be. However, my practise drifted as I changed jobs, moved house and went travelling, but it planted a seed in my mind for later in life.

I came back to meditation following a series of stressful events which led to having really bad IBS symptoms with extremely painful stomach cramps. I knew I needed to relax and unwind, I wasn’t sleeping well, my body was full of tension and I could hardly eat without having a bad reaction, so I rediscovered yoga and the benefits of meditation. This truly helped, making a big difference in my life. I was calmer, more at ease, I had regular classes to attend and this provided a routine and helped me to tune into my body and mind, reducing my stress levels.

But, as I moved house once again and life flowed on, the challenges continued, I struggled with postnatal depression, deep anxiety and stress related tinnitus. Yoga and meditation continued to be my guide throughout. Some days I couldn’t bring myself to do yoga at home by myself, but I was able to practise mindful meditation and this was a huge help in calming my overactive mind, settling my nervous system and relaxing my body.

Morning moments on the beach in Nikiana Greece

I chose meditation to help me feel calmer and more at ease, to reduce stress, calm my anxiety and settle my body and mind. You may have similar reasons for trying meditation, perhaps like me you discovered meditation through attending a yoga class and found it beneficial to your health. Maybe you enjoy the spiritual aspects and you feel uplifted, or perhaps you are drawn to meditation to help with stress and to find some peace and calm.

Regardless of the initial reason for starting meditation most people meditate because it helps them to feel good.

Meditation increases serotonin, which controls mood and behaviour. When serotonin is low you may experience anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances and digestive issues. Meditation can help by boosting your mood, building self-esteem, increasing motivation and with practise, find moments of inner peace and happiness.

According to the book Meditation for Dummies scientific studies to research the effects of meditation date back to the 1930’s and 1940’s. Since then, various books have been produced informing people of the benefits of meditation. One book called The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation lists the following benefits:

• Decreased heart rate

• Lower blood pressure

• Quicker recovery from stress and reduction of anxiety

• Increased Alpha brainwaves

• A balance between left and right brain activity, activating more creativity

• Reduced cholesterol

• Deeper slower breathing

• Muscle relaxation

• Pain is less intense

• More happiness and peace of mind

• Fewer negative emotions and mood swings

• More empathy and understanding of self and others

Other studies have shown that meditation not only makes us happier it can also boost the immune system. MRI technology has been used to discover that “regular practise of mindfulness meditation activates the left prefrontal cortex of the brain – the area associated with positive emotions.” (Meditation for Dummies page 316). This test also found that the happier the group became (i.e. the more their left prefrontal cortex was activated) the stronger their immune system became.

Healthier and Happier

Various other studies have proved that meditation lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol levels and improves overall health. Studies have also shown that meditation can help relieve pain and reduce psoriasis – a skin condition that can worsen with stress.

If that is not impressive enough we can even get the same boost from meditation that we get from chocolate!

The active ingredient in chocolate – phenylalanine enhances production of neurotransmitters that keep us happy. Meditation can also increase the body’s natural concentrations of phenylalanine – boosting our mood.

There are some great benefits to our health if we meditate, which is both good for us as individuals and for our whole society. If more people were to meditate then the healthier we would be as a society, reducing the strain on our health services and providing us with the tools we need to ease some of our pain and even recover quicker.

Better relationships

It’s not just our health that can be improved; it’s our thoughts and emotions too.

Meditation can help you stay in the present moment, reducing those busy thoughts and the rushing from one moment to the next, thinking about the past and future rather than the right here, right now. It calms your mind, so that you can really be present in the moment, which helps you to deal with negative or unhelpful thoughts and emotions. You can then begin to treat yourself with love and acceptance, rather than giving yourself a hard time about not living up to your own and others expectations. By being aware of yourself and being kind to yourself, you start to develop empathy towards others as well, which leads to an improvement in your relationships with friends, family and colleagues. If we are kinder to ourselves and kinder to others, we can create better relationships. Imagine how we could live if more people were to meditate and be calmer, happier and more accepting, we could create a wonderful community that is more caring, thoughtful and connected.

Relaxed and focussed

We can have a calmer mind through meditation, but we can also relax our body, if our mind is agitated, then we have tension in our body, but as soon as we start to settle our mind then our body relaxes, so we can reduce our stress levels in both our body and mind.

Once you start to relax you feel lighter, happier and more balanced.

With meditation practice, you may find it easier to focus on one thing at a time and to be fully involved with each individual activity, rather than doing one thing, while thinking of several others at the same time. You may find that you can get into a ‘zone’, a bit like an athlete, so that whatever you are doing whether at work, at home, or out and about, you are fully focussed and absorbed in that activity. You may find you achieve more, work is more productive, you complete more jobs around the house, or perhaps you get better at your hobby. With more focus, there is more productivity, so your work life can be happier, healthier and more productive.

Love, gratitude & spiritual connection

Now that we are happier, healthier, more relaxed and focussed and we are being kinder to others and ourselves, we may start to feel a deeper sense of love and gratitude.

Before when we were busy and stressed, we were more focussed on our negative emotions and perhaps couldn’t feel a deeper kind of love, but now through meditation we feel calmer and more relaxed, we may develop deeper feelings of love for ourselves, our close relationships and perhaps a deeper spiritual or unconditional love. You may feel a deep sense of gratitude for all that you have, and you may want to become more connected with your spiritual side. Perhaps you’ll begin to discover personal feelings and aspirations that have been hidden for some time and now through meditation you have developed a stronger self-awareness and have discovered your inner guidance, which is beginning to give you a deeper sense of purpose. This may lead to taking a change of direction, making better choices yourself, bringing a new sense of fulfilment and a deeper connection to your spiritual side.

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Starting a regular meditation practise can lead to these benefits, with a routine you can continue to move forwards, expand your awareness and increase positive qualities. This is much easier with a qualified teacher and class to attend, as this helps point you in the right direction. You can easily get knocked off course when you practise alone. Once you have established your practise then it becomes easier to continue, but having a group is of real benefit to keep you going.

To get started you may like to listen to a guided meditation, try an online course or listen to a podcast. (I have all of these available for you, just click the links.)

Perhaps knowing about the benefits of meditation will help motivate you to search for a class in your area or to deepen the practice you have already started.

Wishing you much health, happiness, kindness, love and compassion along the way.

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Books and articles on the benefits of meditation

Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodian

The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation, by Michael Murphy, Steven Donovan, Eugene Taylor

Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10355843/