‘Mindful’ and ‘walking’ meditation can help improve mental health and regain focus

• Meditation is one way that can help individuals regain focus and inner peace, thereby improving mental health.
  
• According to researchers, ‘mindful’ meditation for over eight weeks can actually help reduce anxiety and depression.
  
• It can also help in managing negative emotions. For instance, feeling fear or anger.
  
• ‘Walking meditation’ — which refers to the time spent with nature — can also help the mind get away from distractions and give a clearer perspective.

Mental health is often overlooked, compared to other health issues. In fact, lack of mental peace can also act as a ‘silent killer,’ as it leads to stress and anxiety. But, meditation is one way to help individuals regain focus and inner peace.

According to researchers, ‘mindful’ meditation for over eight weeks can actually help reduce depression. Mindfulness expert and founder of Headspace Andy Puddicombe says that there is power in refreshing the mind for even 10 minutes a day — experiencing the present moment. “When was the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking,” he asked while delivering a TEDtalk.

According to Headspace, a healthcare company that specialises in meditation, meditation or mindfulness might not change external circumstances but can help the mind experience it in a different way, with more calmness. “We can then be able to respond to things without feeling so overwhelmed or getting swept away by our thoughts,” it suggested.

In the current situation, where most people are confined to their homes due to lockdown and social distancing, anxiety has become an even prominent issue to deal with.

On that note, actor Richa Chadha also said “Like so many people, I had been waking up with anxiety in the first week of this lockdown... I would get up and immediately check the death toll from this lethal virus and feel extremely sad. I'd worry about the migrant labour, daily wagers and the homeless people, having sleepless nights after looking at their images or watching the news. I felt I could tap into the energy of the universe and it was so heavy. So I made it a habit to get up and meditate every day.”

In fact, meditation can also help in managing negative emotions. For instance, feeling fear or anger. A study published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition suggests that meditation can help cope with anger. In fact, even one session can show significant improvement.

The study also revealed that those who had never meditated felt a surge in heart rate and blood pressure and reacted less impulsively to anger.

Moreover, ‘walking meditation’ — which refers to the time spent with nature — can also help the mind get away from distractions and think about anything to give a better clarity of things. This in turn, improves the mental health of an individual.

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