The 10 benefits of Mindfulness (in body and mind)

The practice of mindfulness linked to meditation has obtained good results both in the effects produced on physical health and mental health. It is related to a lower risk of showing a pathology and with greater brain development.

Mindfulness, also called full awareness, consists of focusing attention on the "here and now" in the present moment and accept the experience and ourselves without judging or making any kind of assessment. Thus, we get to know ourselves better, allowing us to regulate our emotions, reduce stress, improve our capacity for attention, memory, problem solving and even relationships with the rest.

There are so many benefits that have been obtained from the practice of mindfulness that has been introduced as a complementary technique to other interventions in psychological treatment sessions as third or new generation therapies, to treat patients with different pathologies, but above all linked to emotional alteration or affectation.

In this article you will learn more about the practice of mindfulness, what is its origin, what are its most relevant characteristics and what benefits have been observed in different investigations.

• We recommend you read: "12 tips (and keys) to meditate correctly"

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness, also known as full consciousness, has its origin in Buddhist meditation, reaching the West promoted by the professor of medicine Jon Kabat-Zinn who introduced it as a strategy used in the psychotherapy. The technique consists of focusing attention on the present moment, without making any kind of assessment of the thoughts that arise, just contemplating them. In this way we must accept our thoughts without judging them.

The fundamental components of mindfulness are: as we have already said, focus attention on the present; be open, receptive, to different experiences; radical acceptance, that is, we will not judge or value the experiences, we will not even reject those that are negative; we are the ones who choose what we focus our attention or consciousness on but without trying to control what we feel or what these experiences provoke in us.

We must also remain patient, we must not force any reaction, as we said we will simply contemplate; we will avoid forming expectations or comparing with previous experiences, remember that you should only focus on the present; and we will not give importance to achieving immediate results either, we will let them arise when necessary. On the other hand, the observation of the experience must be participatory, that is, we cannot perceive it as something foreign to us, but we will contemplate it as something that is part of ourselves.

Another important factor is accepting our present selves. In order to change and improve, we must first accept ourselves as we are, to know what our starting point is and what aspects we must work on to improve. Acceptance is the first step to being able to change.

• We recommend you read: "Mantras: 11 powerful phrases to meditate and concentrate"

What are the positive effects of mindfulness on health?

Now that we know what the practice of mindfulness consists of, it will be easier for us to understand its benefits and what are the reasons why this technique is being used as strategies in psychological therapy.

1. Reduces stress and increases emotional control

As we have mentioned, mindfulness is linked to the practice of meditation, in this way it is easy to deduce that the results achieved will be similar. Different studies have shown that the mindfulness technique, performed on a regular basis, is related to a decrease in the hormone cortisol, which in small doses has positive effects for the subject, since it helps to regulate the metabolism to obtain energy, cope with stress, reduce infections, regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, control sleep-wake cycles, and is also involved in memory and concentration.

In this way, when an alteration of this hormone occurs, all functions will be affected. above also increasing the risk of presenting mood disorders such as anxiety or depression. Mindfulness helps us relax, thus reducing stress and thus the level of cortisol.

2. Improves our ability to concentrate

As we already know, One of the fundamental factors of mindfulness is to focus attention on the present, in the here and now and be fully aware of what is happening. Thus, while initially achieving the goal of this technique may be difficult, with continued practice we will be able to improve our concentration capacity, reaching a better control and handling of our attention. We work so that the results obtained during the mindfulness sessions can be generalized and applied to different areas of our lives.

3. improve sleep

In reference to the first point, we know that mindfulness helps reduce stress, thus keeping us calmer and calmer in our day to day lives even when difficult situations arise. It allows us self-control and emotional control that benefits rest. In addition, it has been observed that individuals who carry out this practice show lower cortical activation at night, let us remember that the waves of lowest activity during sleep are linked to the phases of greatest brain rest.

4. memory improvement

Related to the improvement of concentration, we will also observe a better memory capacity. Being able to focus our attention on a stimulus, on something we want to remember, makes it easier for us to better encode, store and retrieve it when necessary.

Various investigations have been carried out where it has been observed, in subjects who practice mindfulness, better functioning of working memory, which is a type of short-term memory that allows us to manipulate and operate with information during a period of time, being essential for the proper functioning of cognitive processes complex.

Likewise, results have been obtained in different studies that indicate that full consciousness helps to increase the volume of gray matter, bodies neurons, of our brain, at the same time that an increase in the hippocampus has also been observed, one of the regions of the brain most linked to memory.

5. Helps protect the brain from damage

Research carried out on people who practice meditation, which, as we already know, is one of the bases of mindfulness, concluded that these individuals showed longer telomeres, this is the name given to the sequence of nucleotides that form the ends, tips, of the chromosomes and that have the main function of protecting from possible damage, also related to aging, telomere shortening is one of the causes of this process.

It has also been observed that this practice is linked to an increase in the density of axons and the myelin that covers them, this consists of an insulating layer that allows the information, the nervous impulse of the neuron, to be transmitted better and more efficiently throughout the year.

6. Power creativity

An increase in creativity has been verified, understood as the ability to create or come up with new ideas. The reduction of stress and the improvement of the capacity of attention and concentration help to enhance this capacity, since if we feel more relaxed, we will have a clearer mind and with it greater facility to focus on create.

On the other hand, the improvement in the focus and control of attention allows us to remain focused on a task for a longer time, thus favoring being creative.

7. Promotes greater self-awareness

Ultimately, mindfulness is a technique that allows us to dedicate a moment to ourselves, to connect and be aware of our thoughts and feelings, thus favoring us to get to know each other better. Knowing and facing what we feel is not always easy, since they remove emotions and thoughts that can harm you, but it is better to face them as soon as possible to avoid worse situations.

Knowing yourself better allows you to know the reason for your reaction in different situations, favoring resolution of the different problems that may arise in your life and what is the best way to deal with them acts.

8. Improves social relationships

Likewise, benefits already presented such as self-knowledge, stress reduction or emotional regulation, that is, a better state of oneself, They also facilitate a more favorable relationship with others.. The subjects have greater ability to express how they feel, communicate and understand the feelings of others, greater empathy.

9. Emotional intelligence development

Linked to the greater self-knowledge and greater self-awareness generated by the practice of mindfulness, the individual manages to correctly understand, use and manage their emotions in order to reduce stress, be more benevolent and empathic with oneself, as well as reduce conflicts and deal with problems more optimal. Similarly, emotional intelligence is also related to a better relationship with others, increasing empathy towards others.

10. brain strengthening

As we have seen in previous points, mindfulness promotes brain development. Neuroplasticity, which consists of the formation of new neuronal connections, and neurogenesis, which is the creation of new neurons, have been observed. In this way, there is a restructuring, a change in the brain and with it a new learning, allowing greater flexibility and better adaptation.