Health Benefits Of Mindfulness In A Time Of Anxiety

The world is a wild place right now.

Anxiety levels are at an all-time high.

People are worried about the health of themselves and their loved ones – especially those at high risk of contracting COVID-19.

I’m Dr. Sheila Dyer, a doctor of naturopathic medicine in Toronto and I want to share some tips with you about mindfulness: what it is, and how it can be beneficial to you, especially in these uncertain times.

Keep reading to learn more.

What Is Mindfulness?

We hear a lot about “mindfulness” these days.

But what exactly does it mean?

Mindfulness is the act of intentionally paying attention in the present moment, without judgement.

We often jump to judgement regarding our thoughts.

Being mindful requires us to recognize thoughts without labelling them as “right” or “wrong”, or “good” or “bad”.

This can be one of the hardest parts of mindfulness for some people.

Additionally, it’s an awareness of bodily sensations, feelings, and environment.

Although it originated from Buddhist meditation, mindfulness as a secular exercise has become more common in recent years.

What Are The Benefits Of Mindfulness?

Many people are very busy, and constantly on the go these days.

And all of a sudden, the fast pace of many of our lives has significantly slowed down or even stopped completely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Let’s look at some of the benefits of taking time to slow down, practice mindfulness, and bring greater awareness to our thoughts and surroundings.

1. It Decreases Stress

There is no question people are more stressed out than usual right now.

A 2014 review in JAMA Internal Medicine found mindfulness meditation programs improved anxiety and depression levels in study participants.

Stress reduction can also be tied to aspects of physical health such as immune response, and heart health, which we will look at next.

2. It’s Good For Your Cardiovascular Health

Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada.

So anything we can do to improve cardiovascular health is helpful, and mindfulness is one easy way to do this.

A study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found patients taught mindfulness-based stress reduction experience in significant blood pressure reduction in patients in a clinical setting, compared to those taught progressive muscle relaxation.

3. It May Improve Your Sleep

Anxiety can keep you up at night.

Whether it’s worrying about losing a job, or your loved ones who you haven’t been able to see in a long time, there are a lot of thoughts which can go through your mind and prevent sleep.

A 2015 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found study participants who were taught a mindfulness-awareness practice had significant improvement in sleep quality compared to those who were given sleep hygiene education.

The mindfulness group also showed improvement in relation to insomnia symptoms, depression, and chronic fatigue.

4. It Can Support Your Immune System

Our immune system works by sending out immune cells such as white blood cells to fight disease and infection in our body.

Mindfulness may affect those cells that can fight disease.

A study in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity found mindfulness meditation training helped to increase T-cell activity in HIV positive patients.

5. It May Slow Age-Related Cognitive Decline

As people age, their cognitive ability and short-term memory can decrease.

Mindfulness may be able to slow cognitive decline as we age, even in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

A 2016 study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s disease had individuals with Alzheimer’s participate in either mindfulness meditation, relaxation training, cognitive stimulation, or a control group without treatment.

This study found the group practicing mindfulness meditation significant improvements in cognitive abilities compared to the other groups, and suggested that mindfulness may be used as an intervention to assist in slowing cognitive decline.

21st Century Ways To Practice Mindfulness

As you can see, there are many benefits to starting a mindfulness practice, however, you might still have questions about how to start.

If you need some guidance in this regard, there are a number of apps which can help – we’ll review some of the popular ones in this section.

Please note this is not meant to promote any one app over another – simply to look at a few of the options available to you.

1. 10% Happier

10% Happier is available for both iOS and Android phones.

Its tagline is “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” which makes it a great introduction to meditation for those who want to learn the basics of mindfulness.

Its introduction to meditation, “The Basics” is a free one-week primer course on meditation, covers topics like how to know you’re on the right track and what to do when you get bored.

Beyond the free “Basics” course the 10% Happier app offers a paid subscription which unlocks courses to help with all manner of topics including stress, relationships, and focus.

2. Headspace

Headspace is another app which offers free guided meditations for beginners (in the form of their introductory “Take Ten” sessions – ten short meditation sessions designed to help beginners learn) as well as more meditations available with a subscription.

In order to help people who are dealing with higher than average levels of anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Headspace has made a number of features which are typically only available to paid subscribers, free for all users of the app.

These additional free features include sleep music, workouts, and meditations.

In addition, they are offering free subscriptions to health care professionals as I write this.

3. Insight Timer

If you want an app with a sense of community, Insight Timer might be the one for you.

Along with a massive library of guided meditations, it shows you how many people have meditated using the appon that day, and how many people are also meditating at the same time as you are in the present moment.

You can even see how many people in the same geographical area are meditating if you turn on your location settings.

Additionally, you can follow the meditation teachers you prefer, and also use the app to find other resources such as podcasts.

Book An Appointment With Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND

Are you feeling extra-anxious these days because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Do you wish you had someone to help guide you through it?

I’m Dr. Sheila, and I want to help.

Although we are all maintaining physical distancing right now, I am still seeing patients virtually.

Even though there is no cure or treatment for COVID-19, naturopathic or otherwise, at this point, I can offer you natural solutions to help keep control over your anxiety during these difficult times.

If you have questions about the ways naturopathic medicine can help you to manage your anxiety, book an appointment with me today.