Why Is Meditation Important?

By B. Sapoznik

During strenuous times of examinations and the conclusion of the academic year, it is absolutely vital that a certain extent of meditation takes place. This is key for finding balance, as it allows for the improvement of both physical and mental health conditions, which are usually chaotic when faced with the urgency of exams. Not only for the preparation but also for the performance in exams – meditation is necessary to relieve stress and anxiety which is often caused when facing such important tests. However, what are the actual benefits of meditation? How does it work?


In simplistic terms, meditation works by the following process: by meditating, humans are able to weaken their reaction to stressful events. So, they can reduce the use of the medial prefrontal cortex. That way, it prevents the amygdala from producing high amounts of cortisol (stress/anxiety hormone) – making you overall much calmer. By having lower stress rates, the body can function better and more easily, which includes benefits such as the following: decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression through the restriction of hormones; mood improvement; memory improvement; controlling pain; controlling respiration levels; and energy restoration, amongst others. Thus, meditation is used successfully to influence the body’s physical characteristics. Keep in mind that these characteristics (amongst others) are key factors for success in exam conduct.


Furthermore, the process of meditation also includes psychological impacts by ensuring a sense of calm (also decreasing stress levels), improving your concentration and attention span, improving sleep quality, and just basically restoring a healthy lifestyle. By meditating, you fulfill your attempts at expanding your body’s mental and physical capacities, which may lead to better studying and learning. Even during exam season, it is also important to meditate, because it improves most personal aspects of your life. Moreover, it’s not really about the amount of meditation that you do, but just the fact that doing it already measurably improves your personal well-being. The simple scientific reaction of restricting stress hormones in your brain is enough to physically improve your body – which only serves as proof for the power of the mind.


In summary, it is very important to meditate. It brings you quantifiable development of both physical and mental aspects and helps you perform better in any occasion. Whether it is for a basketball match or for academic execution, there is a large scientific persuasion to meditate for a moment – might it be 1, 3, or 10 minutes; just remember that by controlling your mind you’re able to accomplish a much larger quality of performance.


Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4895748/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858#:~:text=Meditation%20can%20give%20you%20a,centered%20and%20keep%20inner%20peace.