SHARES
Globally, 300 million people suffer from depression. Highest in 3rd world countries, making up to about 9% of the population in Asian and Middle Eastern countries. With these numbers rapidly escalating combined with the pressing need for better treatment options, there has never been a more opportune time for mindfulness. The effectiveness of mindfulness and meditation based therapy in mental illness such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder in numerous studies.
Here’s how:
Mindfulness cycle
In addition, it goes with reason that this practice is key in beating these illnesses. Brooding over the past or the future can be damaging. Looking back to an unhappy past may eventually cause depression and worrying about the future, anxiety. On the contrary, mindfulness pulls our attention back to what truly matters, the present.
On a neurological level, this practice positively impacts areas associated with attention and emotion regulation. In addition, it also contributes to the creation of new neural pathways in the brain (neuroplasticity). Research pioneer and founder of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Jon Kabat Zinn adds “They discover that the things that used to be symptomatically problematic for them are no longer arising at the same level.”.
“It becomes less about treatment, and more about a way of life and looking after themselves,” says Zindel Segal, co-founder of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and author of The Mindful Way Through Depression, in his 2014 Ted Talk.
Likewise, the general population alongside those in need of therapy can reap the benefits that come with cultivating this practice. Particularly, since most of us lead fast-paced lifestyles, saturated with stress, sleep deprivation, pressure, and digital distractions.
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by Yashwini Ravindranath
Born & raised in Malaysia, Yashwini earned her M.D. studying in Moscow's Russian National Research Medical University. With an affiliation towards research, all things coffee and the startup ecosystem, she now contributes articles to GetDocSays View all articles by Yashwini Ravindranath.
