Meditation is something that is often underrated. It’s looked down upon sometimes as something that is a hoax and would never work. But those people have never actually tried to meditate or do some form of it. Meditation is being present in your thoughts and feelings and recognizing them for what it is. You don’t want to let your thoughts wander nor do you want to empty your mind. Instead, you want to be fully mindful and aware of yourself. Meditation is not meant for you to only be mindful in that moment, but rather for you to be mindful in all aspects of your life (NY Times). 

One of the more obvious benefits of meditation is reduced stress. Allowing yourself to take a moment and reflect on yourself helps to clear the mind and calm your nerves. As a result, instead of stressing about something all day, you’ve created a space for yourself where you can think clearly enough to come up with a solution. To add, meditation can help with your focus. Doing regular meditation helps to provide mental clarity and allows you to work on discipline. And as the day progresses you don’t become as drowsy because you’ve already allowed your mind to have the mental clarity it needs.

Meditation also helps you to develop your discipline. Setting a routine time to meditate every day gives structure to your day and strengthens your willpower. To add, It promotes emotional health. It can help you to be more loving to yourself as it consists of a reflection of yourself. At times it can be difficult to sit down and meditate. Most people’s minds wander and some become bored. Some tips to help with this are simply taking note of what was distracting you or where your mind wandered. Then take a moment and pause, but still continue taking regular deep breaths. It’s extremely normal and predictable to get distracted while meditating and it is best to allow your mind to let go of what was distracting you, then continue to reenter your mind and focus on your breathing. Soon enough you’ll build up the skill and discipline to not let your mind wander.  A fellow Mustangs says how she “has been meditating for some time now and the improvements [she is] seeing in [herself] are amazing” (Madison Cao 12). Meditation leads to a better understanding of yourself and thus a greater love for yourself and it’s something we should all consider implementing into our routine.