The Positive Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Stress Recently, many college students in Dubai have been reaping the benefits of meditation as a means to reduce stress and anxiety. Through a 10-week program called the Home Alone Sessions, students are introduced to the principles of mindfulness meditation to help them cope with stress from the academic and social challenges that college entails. By practicing mindfulness meditation, it “allows the pupils, even for just a few minutes, to clear their minds of all the noisy thoughts and worries they pick up in their everyday lives, and focus on the present moment to gain a better sense of calm and well-being” (The National). The school’s upcoming headmaster, Mr. Lambert, “was inspired to introduce
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Stress can be defined as a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. We tend to experience stress in our everyday lives, whether it comes from work, school, or social relationships. However, while “a certain level of stress may result in improved performance, too much stress can adversely affect physical and mental health” (Oman, Shapiro, Thoresen, Plante, & Flinders, 2008). This can lead to mental burnout or even worse, physical ailment. The long-term effects of stress can be “directly connected to numerous illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, lower immune system functioning, and mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression” (Spowart, 2014). It can also lead to imbalances in homeostasis and allostasis, producing allostatic load, which is the “wear and tear” of the mind and body that results from repeated, chronic stress. Allostatic load can explain how stress accumulates over time to cause physical damage while contributing to sickness across multiple body systems. Because of these potential risks, coping strategies have been developed in order to alleviate the negative effects of …show more content…
While it originates from Buddhist schools of meditation, mindfulness meditation is generally classified as a secular practice in most Western cultures. It is “an underutilized tool to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and pain,” and “has been shown to improve health outcomes, immune system functioning, and quality of life.” Countless studies suggest that there are many psychological and physiological benefits that meditation has on one’s overall health. In fact, according to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) studies that have shown successful potential for mindfulness meditation and mindfulness-based approaches, it “has considerable promise for improving U.S. healthcare, specifically as it relates to self-management interventions for treating stress, pain, anxiety and depression” (Spowart, 2014). However, it is important to note that MBSR and mindfulness meditation, while not synonymous, are generally treated as such in current
Stress can be defined as a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. We tend to experience stress in our everyday lives, whether it comes from work, school, or social relationships. However, while “a certain level of stress may result in improved performance, too much stress can adversely affect physical and mental health” (Oman, Shapiro, Thoresen, Plante, & Flinders, 2008). This can lead to mental burnout or even worse, physical ailment. The long-term effects of stress can be “directly connected to numerous illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, lower immune system functioning, and mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression” (Spowart, 2014). It can also lead to imbalances in homeostasis and allostasis, producing allostatic load, which is the “wear and tear” of the mind and body that results from repeated, chronic stress. Allostatic load can explain how stress accumulates over time to cause physical damage while contributing to sickness across multiple body systems. Because of these potential risks, coping strategies have been developed in order to alleviate the negative effects of …show more content…
While it originates from Buddhist schools of meditation, mindfulness meditation is generally classified as a secular practice in most Western cultures. It is “an underutilized tool to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and pain,” and “has been shown to improve health outcomes, immune system functioning, and quality of life.” Countless studies suggest that there are many psychological and physiological benefits that meditation has on one’s overall health. In fact, according to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) studies that have shown successful potential for mindfulness meditation and mindfulness-based approaches, it “has considerable promise for improving U.S. healthcare, specifically as it relates to self-management interventions for treating stress, pain, anxiety and depression” (Spowart, 2014). However, it is important to note that MBSR and mindfulness meditation, while not synonymous, are generally treated as such in current