At Marmalead, we’re always striving to not only be the best Etsy SEO tools available on the market, but we also want to provide material that aids you as an Etsy shop seller overall. This might span from learning to be more positive to taking self-care more seriously. Once a month, we release a blog post focused on something positive that can help you with your mental or physical well being. Today, we’re diving into the benefits of meditation. Making this a regular part of your routine has the potential to create positive change in your life which ultimately will lead to even more Etsy shop success!

It seems that as humans, we are constantly in search of what makes us happy. We want to know that we have purpose and that our lives hold meaning. Often we search for a source of happiness outside of ourselves. Sometimes it might be physical possessions or experiences. We might even try to find true happiness in another person. However, the true key to ultimate happiness is learning to be alone with our thoughts and ultimately finding our own inner source of happiness. 

It’s been a lot

Life can be a lot in a normal year! But let’s be honest, this has not been a normal year. With all we’ve navigated this year and are still trying to navigate, there is, of course, some serious added stress in our lives. Basically, our bodies and mind probably feel like we’re all trying to navigate running away from a pack of wolves while balancing a set of dishes on our heads all while trying to simultaneously not sneeze or trip. It’s been a lot! 

SO, with all of that being said, a really fantastic way to deal with the stress, both mental and physical, is 10 minutes of daily meditation! Meditation has been proven to counteract stress along with some other awesome benefits. We’re highlighting just a few of these below, but we encourage you to hop on Google and learn even more benefits of practicing meditation on the regular.

1. Reduces depression

There have been multiple studies conducted on mild and major depressive individuals, all with the same outcome. Regular meditation helped to reduce the symptoms of loneliness and depression overall. A study done by Professor Filip Raes found that students who followed an in-class mindfulness program reported reduced indications of depression, anxiety and stress up to six months later.

2. Regulates anxiety and mood

Many studies have also been conducted on how meditation reduces stress and helps to regulate moods. Mindfulness meditation may be effective to treat anxiety to a similar degree as antidepressant drug therapy. Source: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Jama Network

3. Reduces stress

Remember the whole running from wolves while balancing dishes and trying not to sneeze thing? Well, it turns out that most of us are dealing with something like this pretty regularly despite 2020 being extra crazy! And the truth is, when we happen to run up against a super stressful situation that is unexpected, we often don’t have the natural coping mechanisms to handle it very well. But, developing the habit of regular meditation can most definitely help us to calm our mind and handle whatever super stressful situation we’re facing with more ease. 

This is because studies have shown that certain types of meditation techniques reduce stress hormones and make us more self-aware and vigilant about the situations we’re currently trying to navigate. 

4. Improves focus

I don’t know about you, but this is definitely something I could use more help with! If you’re like me, you might spend hours a day on your computer or in front of one type of screen or another.  The amount of screen time we get as adults has a definite affect on our focus. Some studies on meditation have proved that it helps us to control our alpha brain waves. This in turn controls how we respond to external stimulations. Learning how to better control these brain waves will increase how we focus and for how long. 

5. Builds up our immune system

Studies on how meditation can be used to lower the risk of cancer have suggested that focused and mindful meditation practices help to boost the lymphocyte count in our body. This can also help develop a natural barrier for fighting toxic cells that create cancer. 

These studies have naturally faced a lot of criticism. However, you can find substantial evidence from them, showing that meditation can make us more immune to many diseases and chronic pain in general.

Final thoughts

Do you currently make meditation/prayer a part of your everyday routine? If so, what are some of the benefits you’ve seen in your own health and life? As an Etsy seller, it’s SO important to remember that taking care of your body and mind should be your first priority! Working on your mental and physical health will only serve in making your Etsy shop more successful as well. 

Happy meditating, everyone!