How Meditation Can Help You Amid The Coronavirus Outbreak

During such uncertain times, it is crucial to focus on ways to help manage anxiety and fear while coping with the ever-changing situation of the world. According to SolenFeyissa, a long-time meditator, avid photographer, and Instructional Designer at the University of Minnesota (UMN), meditation practices could be a great way to find balance as the world is gripped by COVID-19. Although we simply can’t rid of daily stressors, meditation might offer the required mental shift to equip you for life’s upcoming obstacles.

Solen Feyissa notes that recently meditation has gained a lot of hype, but originally the practice is centuries-old – calming the mind while easing your daily stress.

Meditation – The Only Cure for Stress

According to Solen Feyissa there if a growing body of research showing that mindfulness training enhances the quality of life, mood, resistance to distraction, increases your working memory and improves emotional regulation.

The body

Solen Feyissa notes that we can truly worry ourselves sick, especially when we’re feeling distressed, overwhelmed or frantic. In an anxious state, every function in your body is deemed “insignificant,” and is steadily abandoned to divert the flow of energy elsewhere. This is where your body might think many necessary functions are dispensable, such as our reproduction, digestion, immune and growth systems.

Solen Feyissa suggests that meditation could greatly help stop these misguided messages. By regularly meditating, we can calm our nerves and help our internal systems run as they should, rather than operating in a stress-induced shutdown mode. Some proven physical health benefits of meditation are:

·         Increased immunity

·         Decreased inflammation

·         Ease symptoms of arthritis

·         Reduced symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

·         Increased fertility

The Mind

Solen Feyissa says that two parts of the brain tend to play a particular role in our mental health: the default mode network (DMN) and the amygdala. The DMN is to blame for daydreaming and other wandering and distracting thoughts. According to research, this is the area of the brain that is mainly involved in processing our thoughts regarding our past and constructing on that input to shape a vision of the future.

The amygdala, on the other hand, regulates memory, concentration and emotions, such as anger, fear and sadness. Though “feelings” aren’t innately bad, but they can, at times, flow in the wrong direction.

Solen Feyissa establishes that regular meditation practice could hugely decrease activity in these two parts of the brain. Thus, calming the thoughts, mind and emotions. You might also experience less anxiety, sounder sleep and a more optimistic outlook on life.

The Heart

The heart is the most delicate organ in the entire body – when you’re having a stressful day at work, stress hormones known as norepinephrine, cortisol and adrenaline are released. These hormones play a vital role in accelerating the heart rate along with blood pressure while preparing the body for the perceived challenges coming our way, commonly known as the “fight-or-flight” response. This cardiovascular stress could lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney damage and other heart diseases, which is the leading cause of fatalities in the USA.

Solen Feyissa suggests that meditation shifts our bodies’ towards “rest-and-digest” operations, from the “flight-or-fight” response. When meditation is incorporated into daily routine, it will lead to lower heart rate and steady blood pressure, which reduces the risk of a heart attack, and end-organ damage to other vital systems of the body.