Mindfulness & Meditation: What's the difference?
For some, mindfulness and meditation are regular parts of daily life. For others, they seem like strange practices that are too outside of the comfort zone to consider trying. No matter the practitioner's age or level of experience with mindfulness and meditation, research shows that the benefits of these practices are plentiful, including:
Decreased stress and psychological distress in adults and employees;
Enhanced mental health and functioning;
Increased emotion regulation and self-control;
Decreased anxiety, depression, worry, and rumination;
Reduced incidence of problem drinking and symptoms associated with problem drinking;
Enhanced academic achievement;
Improved ability to focus and improved attention;
Improved social and relational skills;
Reduction in aggression and problem behaviors in children;
Reduced symptoms of burnout;
Enhanced job performance;
Increased ability to cope with bullying;
Enhanced resilience in children.
So what's the difference?
Here are a few short videos that provide an overview of mindfulness and meditation:
Even small investments of time in mindfulness and meditation practices can produce amazing results and leave us feeling happier and more at peace. Getting started can feel overwhelming, but there are numerous tools to help make it easy! Some of the great resources available to get you started are listed below:
Insight Timer Free! As in, not just a 7 day free trial, always free! With a focus on sleep, anxiety, and stress, this has a TON of amazing resources and is a great place to start.
Aura For those of us who struggle finding time, this one only takes 3 minutes per day!
Calm Lots of wellness resources included here - sleep stories, wellness classes, meditations, breathing timers, and more.
Headspace So far the only platform with specific studies demonstrating its effectiveness. Plus, lots of fun content and a special section to get kids involved!
Smiling Mind In the times of social distancing, this platform has created content to help with the unique challenges that we are facing.
Additional Reading
https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-for-children-kids-activities/
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/less-stress-clearer-thoughts-with-mindfulness-meditation/
https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-mindfulness/
https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-exercises-techniques-activities/