Why 15 minutes of meditation a day is the game changer in the world of antiaging
Our mind is our most precious asset and one we use every single day. Yet many of us don’t take the time to nourish it properly so it can perform at its very best now and well into the future.
We all lead busy lives. Constant demands pulling our attention in so many different ways at once. As women we tend to spend a lot of time taking care of those around us and put our own self-care on the back burner. This can leave us feeling burnt out, stressed and looking older than we should.
When practiced correctly, meditation has well-documented benefits including boosting your immune system, improving your sleep and reducing your stress levels. These all work together to slow down the ageing process, making meditation a game changer when it comes to anti-ageing.
If your day is already full, it can feel too hard to add something else into an already busy day.
But before you put it in the too-hard basket, you need to ask yourself,
- How much time did you spend stressing about a project before you actually got it done?
- How long did you lie in bed worrying about tomorrow?
- How much time did you waste mindless scrolling through social media?
With as little as 15 minutes a day, meditation can help you to reduce your stress, to stop overthinking and to feel mentally strong enough to take on whatever challenges the day may bring.
- Stop overthinking and focus on the present. We waste too much time and energy thinking about things we can’t control. Meditation teaches us to be present in the moment, acknowledging those wayward thoughts but not letting them take over. So instead of worrying about the past or overthinking the future, you’ll be able to focus on the task at hand.
- Reduce the stress and take a breath. Stressful situations can lead to your emotions being all over the place. When you learn to focus your thoughts during meditation, you also learn how to control your emotional response and reduce your stress levels. This increased sense of control can help you make better choices and create a more positive mindset.
- Build a stronger brain. More is being understood about the complex connection between psychological and physical health. When we take steps to improve the state of our mind using meditation, it also creates physical changes in our brain. MRIs have shown that regular meditation can increase the thickness of your prefrontal cortex; the area responsible for higher brain functions such as awareness and concentration. It also suggests that meditation can help slow down age-related thinning of that area, keeping your brain functioning at a higher level for longer.
- Save your skin. When you reduce your stress levels using meditation, your body reduces the amount of cortisol, aka the stress hormone into your body. Cortisol is responsible for premature ageing signs including deeper wrinkles caused by weaker collagen, and increased skin inflammation and conditions such as psoriasis. So reducing the amount of cortisol in your system will help to slow down and even reverse some of these ageing responses.
Meditation can be the ultimate game changing approach to anti-ageing. Because feeling strong, vibrant and passionate about your life is just as important as for how you look. If you’ve thought that looking after yourself wasn't a priority or that you didn’t have time, meditation can help to change your perspective so you can embrace making healthy choices and change your habits.
Lyndal Linkin, author of “To Age or Not to Age”, is a 56-year-old anti-aging expert who’s spent her lifetime learning about anti-aging solutions. A successful entrepreneur, corporate leader and mother, she uses her years of research and personal experience to explain the most effective methods so you can look and feel younger. Find out more at www.lyndallinkin.com.au or Instagram: @lyndallinkin
Image: Getty Images