By: Eileen Guo
What do mega-successful business leaders and entrepreneurs like Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, and Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, all have in common?
They carve out time in their busy schedules to meditate.
While meditation was once seen as an unconventional pursuit of hippies or the avant-garde, more Americans are turning to the practice to bring balance and peace of mind to their stressed-out lives. Not convinced? Here are 7 ways meditating sets you up for success:
- Enhanced learning and memory
Successful business leaders can quickly process and learn new information, and recall that knowledge when needed. Researchers have found that meditation stimulates areas of the brain associated with memory, concentration and learning.
- Build mental capacity and improve accuracy
As we age, our mental capacity peaks before slowly deteriorating. However, meditation is like a workout for your brain. Over time it can improve your overall brain health and build your mental capacity.
- Tame negative emotions
Meditation allows us to recognize and control negative emotions by helping us process and accept what we are feeling and then assisting us in releasing those feelings. This allows you to shed your emotions quickly so you maintain a kind of mental equilibrium.
- Create better relationships
Those who practice mindfulness meditation report higher levels of satisfaction in their relationships with others, and they better able to handle conflict when it comes up. Meditation helps you build emotional resilience, which means you are able to bounce back from bad moods more quickly and are less likely to become upset.
- Reduce stress and anxiety
Meditation relaxes you by allowing you to focus on one thing, such as your breathing, thus helping eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts causing stress. Meditation can give you a sense of peace, calm and balance, and help you gain new perspectives when facing a stressful situations. You also get better sleep!
