Self-improvement is crucial to living a healthy life. It is so important, in fact, that humans are typically advised to ‘never stop growing’ and become better people every day. None of this means that self-improvement is easy, however, or that it comes naturally to most people. On the contrary, people tend to stick to their comfort zones and avoid unfamiliar situations. Tools such as meditation can help us focus on self-growth.
In this article, we’ll explore how to couple meditation and self-growth to become a better version of yourself.
What is meditation?
Meditation helps to focus your mind on a specific activity, thought or object. Successful meditation helps people to clear their minds at will and set aside intrusive or ruminating thoughts. This can be a game changer for anyone struggling with a wandering mind.
Are you wondering how to properly meditate? If so, you’re in luck! While the process can be a bit overwhelming at first, it becomes much easier as you practice it. In theory, meditating is simple: pick a thought, object or activity, and focus all of your attention on it. When your mind wanders – and it likely will, at least at first – don’t beat yourself up over it. Simply refocus your mind and continue.
The benefits of meditation are myriad. From promoting mindfulness to reducing stress and improving overall wellness, meditation is an important part of self-growth.
Meditation and self-growth
The term ‘self-growth’ encompasses a wide variety of improvements. Some people want to spend less time worrying about things they can’t change and more time thinking about what makes them happy. Others want to practice mindfulness and have greater control over their emotions and reactions. Regardless of what the goal of your self-growth journey might be, meditation can help.
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at how meditation and self-growth work together to make self-improvement possible.
Increased mindfulness
Mindfulness is known as the practice of being ‘present’. It is extremely common to have multiple things weighing on your mind at any given time, but this doesn’t mean that it’s the best way to manage your worries and thoughts. Mindfulness teaches us to look beyond temporary stress and enjoy the moment.
The benefits of mindfulness include improved attention, increased self-awareness and better emotional regulation. But how can you use this self-improvement tool to grow as a person? This is where meditation comes in. Meditating regularly trains your mind to focus on a single thing, and a single thing only. That way, when you’re struggling with intrusive thoughts or ruminations, you can take a moment to simply breathe and set those concerns aside in favor of focusing on the moment.
Note that practicing mindfulness doesn’t mean that you can’t educate yourself about your concerns and use that information to make choices moving forward. If you’re struggling with uncertainty because you don’t have the information you need to process something, finding people who are familiar with the issues in question can often make mindfulness easier. This is especially true for bigger topics such as good versus evil.
Look for people whose opinions you can respect, whether that means in your community or online, and take some time to consider their perspective. Esam Omeish is a good option for spiritual questions such as the one we mentioned above, and if you do a bit of digging, you will almost certainly be able to find someone who understands what you’re going through. Educating yourself in conjunction with meditation might be the combination you need to improve your mindfulness.
Increased self-awareness
Another important aspect of self-growth is self-awareness. Self-awareness helps us better understand our feelings, thoughts and behavior. As we learn more about ourselves and the things that affect us, we naturally become better able to regulate our thoughts and reactions to even unexpected situations.
Meditation helps improve meditation in a few different ways. It teaches you to:
- Recognize thought patterns
- Identify triggers
- Promote self-compassion
More specifically, meditation ultimately teaches us to observe our thoughts rather than engage with them. You recognize that there is something that is worrying you, for example, but instead of getting caught up with it, you acknowledge the concern and set it to the side. You aren’t paralyzed with fear or stress or other emotions – you are in charge of your reactions.
Identifying triggers goes hand in hand with self-awareness and self-growth. Meditation helps us see patterns in our behavior as they relate to situations, environments or other people. Understanding what triggers your behavior makes it easier to manage your emotions. Finally, by being kind to yourself while meditating, you can change the way that you feel about yourself on a fundamental level. This makes personal growth less of a challenge and gives you motivation to succeed.
Are you interested in focusing on self-improvement this year? Start with meditation and embrace a calmer way of life!