when you have

no chill

USEFUL SCIENCE

how meditation

can help you bounce back

from lack of chill

Meditation. While it's becoming more mainstream to practice the ancient technique, many view it with a sense of wariness and caution. I know I felt like this for a long time. However, scientists have jumped on board and found that meditating daily strengthens the immune system, decreases stress and anxiety, and causes specific alterations in the brain associated with positive affect.

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Makes You a Jedi

Did I mention it can make you smarter too? In a particular study, researchers found that those who meditated significantly outperformed the control group on the GRE test. Researchers hypothesized this happened because meditation reduces 'mind-wandering,' otherwise known as spacing out. When you learn to focus on something as simple as your breath, you teach the mind how to pay attention and be less distracted by random thoughts.

The really fascinating thing about meditation is that when you practice it daily neural networks change as you learn the new skill. Over time, you are able to rewire your brain.

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"But I don't have time..."

As lifestyle YouTuber Cornelia Grimsmo said, if you feel like you don't have ten minutes to spare, you are probably one of the people who could benefit from it the most. 

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Where to Start

There are many resources for getting started with meditation. My favorite is Headspace: an app that comes with a free trial. The starter pack contains ten days of ten-minute long guided-meditation sessions—each of which, for reference, is as long as the time you spend watching half of a short episode on Netflix.

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Results

Once you start meditating, if you don't feel immediately calmer, healthier, and stress-free after the first day, this is expected! It takes time to rewire your brain: you have to teach yourself this new skill, the same way you taught yourself how to tie your shoelaces or brush your teeth.

Key Concepts

Stress, Immune Health, Alternative Therapy