Best Meditation Practices for Mental Health and Improved Well-Being

Why Mental Health and Well-Being Matter

Health is a broad term that means different things to different people. When you think about health, for example, you may think about eating nutritious foods or working to reduce your risk of cancer. The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being,” not just a lack of disease or disability.

Your mental health is as important as your physical well-being, affecting every aspect of your life. That’s why mental health and well-being are so important. Depression, generalized anxiety disorder, high stress levels and other mental health issues make it more challenging to interact with others, take care of your physical health and enjoy life. If you have trouble staying in the present moment or need help managing stress, mindfulness meditation can help.

The Benefits of Meditation for Mental Health

Meditation has many benefits for mental health, including increased self-awareness, reduced negative emotions and a higher tolerance for stressful situations. Practicing mindfulness meditation isn’t like waving a magic wand and making your problems disappear, but it can help you improve your coping skills and gain a more positive perspective, especially when you’re struggling with high levels of psychological stress.

Meditation can help you improve your communication skills, eliminating some of the stress from living in a high-conflict environment. Meditation may also reduce blood pressure, relieve chronic pain and improve sleep quality, positively affecting your overall well-being. After all, it’s easier to overcome challenges when you’re well-rested and not worried about high blood pressure, heart disease and other sources of stress.

Meditation Practices That Help Improve Well-Being

Meditation refers to using mental and physical techniques to clear your mind or focus your attention on something other than your stress. If you engage in mindfulness meditation, you can calm down, slow your racing thoughts and release negative energy. This reduces stress and can also lower blood pressure, increase mental clarity, and give you inner peace.

Before you practice meditation, take some time to learn about the most common techniques. You can try another during your next meditation session if you don’t enjoy one.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Meditation

Mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR meditation, was initially used to help people learn to manage stress. Although it remains helpful for stress reduction, MBSR is now used to help people with a broad range of physical and mental health conditions, including high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, skin disorders, cancer and diabetes. The 8-week program uses mindfulness training to help participants manage stress and improve their coping skills.

MBSR meditation doesn’t cure mental illness or remove all sources of stress from your life, but it can help you change how you respond. Participants typically use mindful meditation to figure out who they are and adjust their lives accordingly. According to a systematic review published in JAMA Internal Medicine, moderate evidence suggests mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety, depression and pain. Meditation and mindfulness are also helpful for improving your mental focus and inducing deep relaxation.

Loving-Kindness Meditation

Loving-kindness meditation, also called metta meditation, is based on the Buddhist practice of showing goodwill toward yourself and others. When you love yourself, it’s a lot easier to love others. It’s also easier to overcome challenges and focus on building positive relationships. Loving-kindness meditation may also have the following benefits:

• Increased sense of peace
• Lower levels of self-criticism
• Reduced pain
• Fewer symptoms of depression
• Increased resilience

During this type of meditation, you recite specific phrases designed to give you warm and loving feelings. For example, you may start with the phrase “May I be happy.” Once you experience positive feelings, it’s important to connect with them rather than push them down.

Guided Meditation

Guided meditation is one of the most effective types of meditation available and involves an experienced practitioner guiding you. Thanks to Zoom, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts, you don’t need to meet with a guide in person. Use your favorite apps to find guided meditation programs that align with your needs.

One of the main benefits of guided meditation is that it allows you to turn negative thoughts into positive ones. During a mindfulness meditation session, you breathe slowly and focus on changing your thinking patterns, making it possible to reduce stress and improve your emotional health.

Meditation and Yoga

Whether you use walking meditation, transcendental meditation, MBSR or other types of meditation, you can maximize the benefits by pairing mindfulness meditation training with yoga. This ancient Indian practice combines breath work with specific poses. Yoga strengthens the connection between the mind and body, producing a variety of emotional and physical health benefits.

Several types of meditation work well with yoga, as meditation helps clear the mind while yoga strengthens the body and helps you center yourself. If you’re interested in yoga, try one of these styles:

• Ashtanga: Ashtanga yoga, also known as power yoga, focuses on making quick changes in posture.
• Kundalini: This style of yoga focuses heavily on breathwork.
• Integral: Integral yoga combines chanting, meditation and breathing exercises.
• Iyengar: During this type of yoga, you hold your body poses longer than usual.

Incorporating Meditation Into Your Daily Routine

Although meditation can help you manage your mental health symptoms, it isn’t a substitute for professional treatment. It works best when used as a complement to therapy, medications and other treatment techniques. If you decide to incorporate meditation into your daily routine, there are a few steps you can take to maximize the benefits, such as creating your own meditation space and practicing consistently.

Create Your Meditation Space

You don’t need a huge room for meditation — just a small space in a quiet area of your home. This space should have comfortable furniture, soothing colors and soft lighting. These elements make it easier to focus your mind and relax during each meditation session. It’s also helpful to experiment with different scents, such as lavender, jasmine or rosemary, and ensure the space is as quiet as possible. Make the space even more calming by adding a few plants or hanging some nature photos on the walls.

Practice Consistently

Meditation isn’t something you do once and then forget about. You have to practice consistently to enjoy the benefits of meditation. The good news is that you don’t need to meditate for an hour every day. It’s a good way to relieve stress and manage mental health symptoms. Choose a time to focus on your meditation practice instead of work, walking the dog, or caring for family members.

When you’re ready to get started, follow these steps:

1. Go to your meditation space and get comfortable.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Focus on your breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
4. Relax as much as possible.

How Camelback Uses Meditation to Help You Improve Your Mental Health 

At Camelback Recovery, the leading mental health and addiction treatment center, we have experienced professionals available to help you recover from anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and other conditions. These professionals have extensive experience with dual diagnosis or the treatment of addiction combined with at least one other behavioral health disorder, ensuring your treatment plan is tailored to your unique needs. We use cognitive-behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, medication-assisted treatment and other treatment modalities to help you begin your recovery.

Meditation for mental health is an important part of the healing process at Camelback Recovery. It helps keep you centered and makes it possible to turn negative thought patterns into positive ones. Whether you do our IOP or PHP program, you’ll have plenty of time to work on your meditation practice, easing stress and making it easier to focus on treatment. 

If you’re ready to achieve long-term sobriety, Camelback Recovery is here to help—call (602) 466-9880 to schedule your admission to one of our recovery programs.