From time immemorial, people have resorted to meditation as a coping mechanism from stress. The common belief is that taking some time for yourself rejuvenates the body and relaxes the mind.
This sentiment is prevalent in academia. Teachers rely on meditation to relieve the stress from teaching. Similarly, students often meditate when the rigors of schoolwork become too much. They also use writing services and https://essayservice.com/essay-topic-generator to meet up with looming deadlines.
Beyond academia, the chance of experiencing work-related burnout is high in the modern work culture. The pressure to always deliver is all too familiar to people working in deadline-dependent jobs. And as a result, they look for stress-relieving activities to improve their efficiency.
In general, healthcare professionals recommend meditation to help people improve their overall health and productivity.
But before we delve deeper into the benefits of meditation, let’s discuss the origins of this common practice.
What Is the Origin of Meditation?
The first depiction of meditation always features a Buddhist monk seated in an open field, cross-legged and brooding. However, this myth is less than all-encompassing since meditation is a multifaceted activity that you can do regardless of location.
The word ‘meditation’ comes from the Latin word, Meditatum, which means “to ponder.” This practice started in the East and spread to Western countries during the colonial era.
Meditation was an integral part of the early Vedic Hindu practices at approximately 1500 BCE. Other historians credit Taoist China and Buddhist India for inventing meditation around the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.
Furthermore, early variations of Judaism feature elements of the activity we call motivation today. The Torah refers to Isaac visiting the field for prayers as lasuah — to walk among the bushes.
Although it has been challenging to pinpoint the origin of meditation, you can’t argue that it is a staple of several cultures, especially in the far East. And the unifying factor, regardless of origin, is purpose — to calm the body and mind.
Today, this same practice improves productivity and changes our approach to life, people, and situations. Meditation is now a full-time endeavor to some people, while others only meditate during their leisure.
And despite the close interconnection with faith and religion, anybody can meditate. Non-practitioners of religion now use meditation to maintain a work-life balance. You can see people listening to affirmations on their commute and in the office. Some people even take long weekends to ‘detoxify’ from the daily rigors of life.
Benefits of Meditation
Meditation has helped countless people around the world get through the struggles of everyday life. From productivity-related improvements to intellectual wellness and mental health gains, the merits of this practice are difficult to ignore.
Here are the reasons why people rely on meditation in all areas of human endeavor:
1. Tunes Out Distractions
As humans, we are most productive when we focus on single tasks with minimal distractions. However, we aren’t guaranteed calmness externally.
We often find ourselves overwhelmed by everyday tasks and personal responsibilities. Our minds are racing at breakneck speed, and we can’t catch a break. And to pile on to the stress, we still need to handle our work responsibilities while taking care of our family.
All these distractions affect the psyche and lead to accumulated fatigue. And consequently, this stress leads to burnout and work-induced stress.
But with meditation, we can condition the brain to compartmentalize tasks. We can also clear the ‘cobwebs’ by helping the mind to focus on one activity. In essence, meditation helps us create this calmness internally, thus improving productivity.
2. Eliminates Negative Thinking
Negative thinking comes from the fear of failure, which affects our financial and psychological growth. And once negative thoughts start creeping in, we develop self-doubt, fear, and anxiety.
Moreover, this social media age exposes us to ‘whitewashed’ versions of reality, forcing us to compare ourselves with strangers. Consequently, this adds to our feeling of inadequacy and affects overall productivity.
However, meditation clears your thoughts and detoxifies your mind of negative thoughts. This science-backed technique helps us accept our limitations and focus our energies on personal improvement.
Besides, research has shown that meditation reduces cortisol levels in the bloodstream. And since cortisol is responsible for high blood pressure, you need to reduce negative thinking with meditation.
3. Prevents Mental and Physical Burnout
One’s ability to handle stressful and physically-demanding situations is essential in sustaining top-notch performance. Burnouts drain the mind, and many professionals suffer from it. To boost productivity, one must break the workhorse mentality because it is a recipe for burning out at work.
But with meditation, you can develop self-awareness to recognize when your mind needs a break. Taking mini-breaks for meditation will help you remain in good spirits, prioritize better, and improve the quality of your work.
4. Promotes Proactiveness Over Reactiveness
Switching from reactiveness to proactiveness makes more room for creativity. Besides, productivity requires a considerable level of control that is missing in reactive people.
We all experience highs and lows at work. Sometimes, the lows take a significant toll on us more than the highs.
Besides, creatives often plague their minds with the setbacks they have faced at their jobs. And as a result, this leads to a lack of motivation and worsens your job performance.
Eventually, the mind may become conditioned to expect these performance lapses, leading to a reactiveness.
But with meditation, we can recognize that we don’t have control over certain events. This knowledge will help to take the burden off our shoulders and promote a more proactive lifestyle.
Final Words
Meditation is a practice that, if done rightly, can reduce stress and improve productivity. You can also enhance your perception and appreciation of the universe.
Also, meditation and self-reflection have been useful productivity tools to practitioners over time. And with the pressures of the modern world, this practice will gain more popularity.
At work, this mental exercise will help you concentrate, understand situations, handle pressure better, and discharge your duties without stretching yourself thin. By meditating, you can become mindful, analytic, and focused on what you need to produce a well-grounded version of yourself.
