The Importance of Meditation as a tool for emotional control
Introduction
It is said that if you don’t manage your emotions, then your emotions will manage you. Emotions are the language of our soul. Emotions are a way to express yourself. Whether one is angry, happy, or sad, the expression says it all.
There are so many emotions going on within yourself. It sometimes becomes challenging to keep control of those emotions, and we end up feeling anxious and helpless. Apart from being physically fit, powerful or intelligent, it is also important that the person is emotionally intelligent.
Emotional intelligence refers to recognizing your emotions and being sensitive to the emotions of others around you and thinking of ways to manage and control your emotions effectively.
It becomes essential to be self-aware of your emotions and understand how you can manage the bouts of emotions running inside you.
Being self-aware can help us to manage and control our emotions to quite an extent. It will help in balancing our state of mind also.
Some of you might think that emotions cannot be held as they occur suddenly and stay for just some time. But it is not so; emotions can be controlled and managed if we train our minds to do it in the right manner.
Just as a person needs to train his body to stay fit and healthy; similarly, he needs to train his mind to control his emotions. In this regard, meditation is the most powerful tool to combat emotions and increase emotional intelligence.
Meditation helps in relaxing the mind and provides inner peace. It physically changes the structure of the brain. In scientific terms, meditation controls our sudden waves of emotions by weakening our neural connection with the fear part of the brain.
On the other hand, it strengthens the assessment center of the brain, where rational and logical thinking presides. By strengthening this center of the brain will help to think logically before letting out their emotions.
Meditation helps us to be empathetic towards others emotions.
It can help us better understand the person’s mindset at that particular point in time and what he is going through. This will helps us control our emotions in front of them and maintain a cordial relationship with them.
Meditation also helps us to know our emotions and become self-aware out ourselves. It strengthens the insula part of the brain which helps in knowing and understanding our bodily movements.
It gives an idea as to whether those sensations are harmful or positive. It helps to decide, evaluate and reflect on how we think and feel. It promotes better decision-making. Meditation gives meditators more strength to be emotionally balanced and makes it easy to remain stable in all highs and lows.
A recent study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that Practicing meditation even for a short period of time can help control emotions significantly.
It has also been observed that mindful meditation helps relieve stress and lessen your anxiety. Meditating for just a few minutes can help you recover from stressful situations and keep a check on your emotional outburst.
Medication helps in strengthening and reviving our energy which makes us more mindful and calm. With full energy, a person is in a better position to regulate and control his or her mind and emotions.
Taking deep breaths works as an amazing meditation technique that helps to control our emotions. Taking deep breaths in times of discomfort or anger helps to divert our mind from negative thoughts, Lowers heart rate, and vent out all the stress from the body.
As said by Tolle, “ one conscious breath in and out is meditation”. It serves as an effective and handy technique to reduce stress and fear from the mind of the person.
Now for some of you, meditation might be a hell of a task. You would question how and from where to start, or you don’t have enough time for it. All these things might surround your mind. A simple 5-minute meditation is an answer to all your questions.
You can do this while sitting in your bed just after waking up in the morning. Sitting straight and uprooted with your eyes closed, relaxing your face and body, and listening to the sounds that come from your surroundings. Try to recognise those sounds and then slowly move your attention to your breath.
Just listen and feel the inhalation and exhalation of your breath. Meanwhile, there might be some thoughts running through your mind. Let them run and just try to bring yourself back to listening to your breath.
The more you return towards your breath, the more you will be strengthened to control your emotions. Focusing on your breath and trying to calm and restore your mind is the key. This way, you will react less and respond more.
This is a beneficial meditation technique to control your reactions and become more relaxed and mindful. The ultimate aim of meditation is to become aware of yourself and think in the present. It does not mean that you stop thinking or contemplating but at the same time becoming more mindful and aware of your emotions.
Mindfulness can help us know what to do and what not to do. It enhances our decision-making power. When we are feeling that we cannot survive anymore or are trapped in the vicious circle, we release more energy than restoring. This leads to stress and anxiety. It is therefore important that we meditate and practice mindfulness.
Conclusion
Various researchers have found that meditation does help in improving emotional health. People can become and acquire mindfulness by practicing meditation, making it a daily habit. It helps in releasing all the negative thoughts from the mind and radiates positivity.
Meditation can completely change one’s perception and outlook on how one sees the world. It is indeed a powerful tool to control your emotions and lets you think before reacting to a situation.
