In medical school they taught us very little about self-care.
We were taught how to care for other people, but not ourselves.
Recently, there has been a large movement for physicians to care for themselves, so they can then care for others.
However, this isn’t limited to physicians, this is something we should all consider.
One method of selfcare is meditation. Ask 10 people what meditation is, and you will likely get 10 answers.
Meditation can include contemplation, concentration, use of nature sounds to ease tension, relaxing music, meditative exercises such as yoga and tai chi, breathing exercises, mantras and prayer.
The true purpose of meditation is to connect with one’s Inner Self, along with connecting to the energy of the Earth and Universe. But is it all just hocus pocus or does meditation actually improve a person’s health?
During meditation, accumulated stresses are removed, energy is increased, and overall health is improved.
Studies show that meditation can significantly decrease heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels. When stress levels go down, cortisol decreases (our stress hormone), as well as a decrease in epinephrine (fight or flight hormone), and increased melatonin (our rest hormone that helps us sleep and relax). Studies even show an increase in blood flow to the brain in the areas that increase attention span and executive function (making decisions) after meditation.
Medical conditions that are worsened by stress often tend to improve with meditation. Here are just a few: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, PTSD, fibromyalgia, obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease, insomnia, chronic pain and muscle spasms, depression/anxiety, as well as autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis and lupus.
Meditation has also been shown to both increase attention span and memory, but even improve age-related memory loss and dementia. Some of these effects may be due to improvements in sleep that are associated with regular meditation practice.
In one study I found, there was a 48 percent decreased risk of death, heart attacks and strokes in those who meditate more regularly.
There are various forms of meditation and what is right for one, may not be right for another. One option is guided meditation versus unguided. With guided meditation, a teacher guides you through the practice either in person or online. There are several free YouTube videos that are guided meditations, as well as many apps you can download (headspace is one of the most well-known).
In an unguided, or silent meditation, a person meditates alone.
This can be as simple as sitting by the lake and clearing your brain of worry. Here are a few examples of different types of meditation:
• Body Scan A body scan meditation can be guided or on your own. Essentially, you focus your concentration on one part of your body at a time, starting with your toes.
You can go as deep as imagining the microscopic cells and how they connect. This is a good time to recognize problem areas and use your mind to heal them.
Concentrate on the muscles relaxing like puddy.
Feel the cells heal.
• Breathwork This combines any type of breathing exercises with mindfulness.
One example is box breathing where you take a big inhalation over 4 seconds, hold it, then exhale over 4 seconds.
Increasing your oxygen levels helps your body naturally heal, as well as bringing down your heart rate and stress hormones. This can be used to ward off a panic attack or as a daily part of your meditation.
• Visualization Any type of meditation where you create a mental image or scenario in your mind in order to bring your body back into homeostasis. A time of repair. Do you feel cold to your very core?
You can do a visualization exercise, imagine the sun warming you, and actually change your body temperature. You can’t make this stuff up.
It’s all measurable.
• Mantra This is simply a word or phrase you repeat during meditation.
You can even choose a mantra for the day. For instance, when I really felt horrible for months at a time, I started using the Mantra “I feel better today than I did yesterday.” Manifesting positive thoughts helps a person feel better, just like focusing on negative thoughts make you feel worse. One day I looked up and I was better than yesterday.
Meditation is an exercise of consciousness that results in improved physical and mental health, improved immunity, as well as decreased stress and improved happiness. It has no risk and no side effects. In my opinion, meditation is the perfect medicine.
Dr. Lisa Roark is the owner of Roark Family Health and Medical Spa. She may be reached at 417-847-1111.
