Can meditation improve student’s life?

Meditation, as we all know, is the exercise of concentrating on yourself or a particular object to attain mindfulness or self-awareness.

This physical technique of grounding yourself, in reality, can be traced back to old religious practices of dhyana in Hinduism and Buddhism.

But over the years, due to its many benefits, it has been embraced by many other cultures. 

A question that is often asked is if meditation is helpful for students. This is because students are required to engage in rigorous mental activity while pursuing academics.

Coincidentally, meditation is also something that is supposed to invoke mindfulness. The following points will prove why and how meditation can help students.

1. Improving personality & performance

If you assume that one day of meditating will immediately eradicate performance anxiety during examinations, that’s a mistaken notion.

Meditation is undeniably effective but at the same time, it is a slow remedy – it takes time to show results.  First and foremost, utmost patience and a relaxed mindset are required to master the art of meditating. 

Once it starts working, you will feel mindful and self-aware, leading to considerable personality development. For example, your attitude towards life might become more optimistic because now you feel more grounded and in control of your thoughts and actions.

Having a more positive approach to life will help you to calm down and subsequently enhance your problem-solving skills. Thus, you derive the power to optimize your performance in academics.  

2. Dealing with mental health disorders

As the world becomes more and more modernized, there is renewed interest in one’s mental health. This is also proof of the fact that we are making considerable progress as a human race.

At one point, health constituted only physical health while mental health was dismissed as emotions that are quite normal to human experience.

But now times have changed. And yet, it is interesting how an age-old method like meditation has managed to remain in fashion as something quite an effective method in dealing with mental health disorders. 

Other than creating mindfulness and concentration, it is often a coping mechanism if you are suffering from mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or disorders like ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

These are quite common even among kids. Medication is, thus, quite helpful even for young schoolgoers who struggle with such disorders. It can boost their confidence and self-belief from an early age. 

3. The effect on physical health 

Mental and physical health are two sides of the same coin. These two aspects of health can cause disruptions to each other. For instance, mental health illnesses can lead to the deterioration of physical health and vice versa.

Since extracurricular and sports activities also require concentration, meditation can work as a brilliant complementary exercise. 

Meditation is a physical exercise that helps in bettering mental and physical health simultaneously. Other than helping students deal with mental health disorders, it also has physical benefits like improving one’s posture.

Since students are often involved in continuous hours of studying, the correct upright posture that one picks up from meditating regularly can be quite useful in evading common issues like backaches and indigestion. 

4. The importance of teaching meditation 

There are a few aspects of meditation that can make it more effective for students. Although one can start meditation at any age, it is better to start as early as possible.

The healthy habit of meditating regularly is something that parents should inculcate in their children. Meditating together as a family can make the experience all the more rewarding and easier for the child to acclimatize to. 

Schools often teach students the correct ways of meditating. Once again, learning to do it together with peers is a positive influence on young minds. It helps them to stay focused and unstressed simultaneously as they grow up and braved their way through life.

Students also get the chance to adapt to safe spaces outside of their homes. In this way, they do not have to depend on the availability of particular spaces for mediation.

They can carry on with healthy habits wherever their academic career takes them in the long run. 

Conclusion

Just meditating is not enough. Compartmentalize the day into different activities; Regulate your screen time.

Parents should train their kids to meditate daily so that they can learn to reap its benefits to the fullest by the time they enter higher studies.