Wondering how to keep your mind healthy? Look no further than meditation. Here’s our list of accessible meditation exercises to try today.
Our mind is the driving force behind everything we do. It empowers us to reach our highest potential and experience everything that our lives have to offer. Keeping our minds healthy is a great way to support top-down physical health — allowing us to have more meaningful experiences as we process our feelings and perception of the world around us.
But how do we do that? While it’s a noble goal, it can feel out of reach when you consider factors such as the mental health crisis currently facing the U.S. and how this crisis impacts each person’s well-being. How can we use the tools in our toolkit to avoid mental decline?
Below, we’re digging into why mind health matters, the impact of a healthy mind, and how you can keep your body healthy in an accessible, affordable way.
Read on to learn more about how to keep your mind healthy.
Topics Covered:
- Why mind health matters
- Can meditation help your mind?
- How to keep your mind healthy through meditation
- Give your mind a boost with The Art of Living
Why mind health matters
Before we dig into how to keep our minds healthy, we have to understand our “why” for doing so.
A healthy mind is not scattered all over the place. It’s not regretting the past or anxious about what might happen in the future. It’s focused and productive and at the peak of its creativity. There are little to no instances of memory loss, and there are obvious signs of a healthy brain such as high mental function.
Your brain health and ability can only reach this peak when it’s free of stress. Stress is generally responsible for making a mind dull and triggering emotional and physical problems. Chronic stress has even been linked to direct changes in one’s brain cells and is associated with a decline in cognitive function. Have you noticed how easily someone can get you to shout or lose control when you’re already feeling stressed?
In contrast, a healthy mind keeps you calm, composed, and resilient. You’re able to enjoy what you are doing now, be it reading this article, getting a report done on time, or walking your dog.
Maintaining healthy brain function through meditation, physical activity, regular healthcare checks, and a healthy diet can even strengthen your relationships with people. That’s right—your mind is so powerful that it can have a tangible effect on your physical and emotional health.
You may be wondering: What are the actual physical effects of cognitive decline due to stress?
Well, you’re more likely to fall ill when you are stressed because your immune system weakens. You may also experience a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and conditions that affect your cardiovascular system, such as hypertension.
There are plenty of reasons why you should consider keeping your brain sharp and learning how to keep your mind healthy. Now that you’ve defined your personal “why,” it’s time to move on to the “how,” which is easily accessible through the art of breath meditation.
Can meditation help your mind?
Simply put, yes. If you can manage your mind, you can manage everything else, such as your relationships, career, and health.
While tools such as a healthy, high-energy diet and physical exercise can help lower your risk of cognitive decline (and your risk of dementia, per this recent research), meditation is one of the most accessible forms of wellness to many.
You can attempt to do a beginner meditation right now, where you’re sitting. Meditation is one of the most effective ways to keep your mind healthy. Just as we maintain dental hygiene by brushing regularly, meditation can be our tool to maintain mental hygiene.
Let’s see how in the sections that follow.
How to keep your mind healthy through meditation
Curious about the best meditation for anxiety or any stressed brain? There really is no “top type.” Consistency and sincerity are two of the most important factors for success—so the best type to go with is whatever feels comfortable and attainable to you.
Most types of meditation or yoga practice can be done by young people and adults alike, making it especially accessible for those who may otherwise experience physical limitations.
Here are a few types of meditation you can try today, backed by neuroscience research and clinically reported cognitive health improvements.
Meditation for a stress-free mind
If you’re wondering what type of stress relief meditation Art of Living recommends, not to worry—we keep it simple around here.
Essentially, both meditation and breathwork can be used to lower your stress, lowering your risk of stress-related obesity and negative brain changes over time.
Meditation as a practice is designed to relax your mind instantly, no matter where you are. It de-stresses you, refreshes you, and fills you with enthusiasm that you can tap into at any time.
Ongoing practice has been correlated to the regeneration of the brain and neural networks that get affected due to stress, possibly increasing your resilience, and promoting healthy physical responses in times of stress — such as lower blood pressure, regulated blood flow, and overall peace of mind.
Just a few minutes of meditation every day can be the energy booster that can help you stand up to life’s challenges with greater ease and confidence.
Meditation for an uncluttered mind
Are you experiencing a cluttered, noisy mind? Take a moment, close your eyes, and travel back in time with us. Do you remember how, when you were a kid, your teacher would erase the blackboard before she’d write on it again?
Our mind is like that blackboard. To fill it with new and innovative thoughts, we need to erase unwanted ones from it first. It’s similar to healing from a head injury or swapping to a diet full of healthy fatty acids, like olive oil, and whole grains. In doing consistent meditation, we release the noise that does not serve us. We were not made to live a cluttered life. Instead, we lean into the peace and joy that are our very nature underneath the surface.
It’s here, in this space, that meditation plays a pivotal role in clearing our minds of past impressions. Meditation keeps our minds fresh and focused on the now.
Meditation for a sharper mind
Do you want a mind that can store more than what you can even imagine so that you don’t have to go back to your reminder apps and emails?
If yes, meditation is the answer.
Age-related factors or hours of sleep per night may play a role in memory, but meditation is powerful enough to transcend some of those physical barriers and elevate you to a space of sharpened focus, no matter what is occurring around you. It gives you clarity of mind.
When your mental power is channelized, focused, and clear, you are better able to gauge and retain for much longer than what you perceive with your senses. With ongoing practice, you’ll likely find that you’ll be retaining and recollecting many things you couldn’t easily remember before.
Meditation for a younger mind
Just as we need food for energy, regulating our blood sugar, and helping police our cholesterol levels, we need meditation to help us make the most of the energy that we get from food.
In meditation, we can re-energize ourselves, again and again, whenever we want—whether you’re using meditation to clear negative energy or breath meditation.
Meditation saves us from the decline of cognitive abilities. As time progresses, all of us might experience some degree of decline in brain cells, which affects us both physically and mentally. These changes are forgetfulness, lack of focus, and a decrease in problem-solving ability, to name a few. Meditation is one of the best techniques to counteract this decline.
Meditation for a sharper intuition
People who meditate tend to have a greater and better intuitive sense. Whispered thoughts manifest in our minds, and there are even subtler thoughts that we can only feel. These subtler thoughts originate from a space that is pure and unaffected by experiences and impressions.
These subtle thoughts are also known as our intuition. Meditation can remove unwanted thoughts and the stress that is covering our intuitive senses, allowing us to be able to listen to our intuition and make sound decisions in our personal lives.
Give your mind a boost with The Art of Living
Meditation is life-changing, accessible and affordable—allowing many to jumpstart their journey to wellness successfully.
If you’re looking for additional support in your meditation and holistic health journey, the team at The Art of Living is here to help. For more information and to get started today, you're welcome to join a free introduction. We look forward to supporting you!
