[Spiritual]

Meditation can be a powerful tool to understand the world, ourselves and the problems that we can often allow to interfere with the way we live our everyday lives. Meditation can enhance feelings of relaxation and peace, as well as helping to give the mind the time it needs to process the thoughts and experiences that present themselves during each day.

Meditation can be extremely helpful when it comes to supporting the mind through the challenges that are common for all of us, but it can also be an effective way to deal with more serious problems, such as addiction.

What is an Addiction?

When we hear the word ‘addiction’ we most commonly connect this to things like alcohol and controlled substances, such as illegal drugs or pharmaceutical medications. However, an addiction can really be anything that has a certain degree of control over your life.

For example, if you can’t even begin to imagine starting your day without your cup of coffee then you could determine that you have a caffeine addiction. Smoking cigarettes is another common addiction and one that we have increasingly learnt over the years can cause a great deal of harm!

Many people may display addictive dietary behaviours, and this can lead them to continuously make unhealthy choices in regards to the food that they eat, as well as the amount of food that put on their plate!

There is much discussion and debate surrounding the reasons that addictions can develop. However, one thing that is generally agreed upon is that addiction can often be connected to one or more ongoing emotional problems.

How Meditation Can Help

When it comes to any addiction, whether it be food, drugs, sex, video games or anything else, the first step to overcoming this issue is to try to establish the root cause of the problem. This means that it is key to discover how and when this issue began to present Itself.

The addiction may have developed as a response to feelings of anxiety or fear about a completely unrelated issue. This can happen as we as people can often find it easier to develop coping mechanisms to our problems, as opposed to trying to actually dealing with the issue itself.

Meditation gives you the time you need to spend with yourself reflecting on the past, contemplating the present and focusing on building a better future. Meditation also encourages you to really consider the origin of that which you are struggling with, and to conceive productive and rational responses to these thoughts.

Meditation and Mindfulness

When you engage in a regular meditation practice you will begin to notice that you become more mindful in other areas of you life. Mindfulness can be incredibly helpful when dealing with addiction. This is because when you embrace mindfulness every day you will become more aware of the reasons for your behaviour and the driving force behind each of your choices.

A life lived in a mindful way is a life full of conscious actions and kind decisions. When you truly consider the reasons for your actions, you are much more likely to make positive choices.

The process of getting an addiction under control in order to overcome it can be a long and complicated journey. It is also of course unique to everyone and no two people will go through the exact same experience. However, meditation is a tool that can provide some benefit to everyone who takes the time to embrace, experiment and enjoy it! Click here to read more about meditation and how you can get started!

[Creative]

Happiness is something that we all want to invite into our lives in abundance whenever possible! However, we often go about doing so in different ways. With each individual step on our journey to happiness, we may discover new and exciting things that help us to reach this goal. We meet new people, embrace new pursuits, and learn more about ourselves and what we are capable of. Some of these things may have a permanent influence on how happy we are, whereas some may turn out to not be as positive.

One indisputable way to create a mindset that enables happiness to thrive is by regularly engaging in exercise.

Some of the most obvious benefits of regular exercise are weight loss, weight maintenance and muscle building. However, there are also many advantages to be enjoyed by both the body and mind in other ways. When you exercise frequently, you will notice that your stress levels are lower, that you are less prone to anxiety and that your mood is better and more consistent. And, all of these things help to create genuine happiness!

Let’s take a look at why this is!

A Dose of Dopamine

When you are engaging in some kind of moderate intensity physical activity, you will stimulate dopamine production in your brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is necessary for feelings of happiness and pleasure.

Research* has suggested that our dopamine stores naturally become depleted as we grow older. Therefore, finding ways to continuously encourage the brain to make more dopamine as we age is essential if we are to continue being happy!

Happy Hormones

Getting our stress levels down is something that we can all surely benefit from. The negative effects of leading a stressful life are serious! Stress can make us ill, make us sad, make us irritable – all of which can lead us to treat those we interact with in a different way than we would like to. To put it simply, stress damages our mood and it keeps us from becoming the happiest that we can be!

When you exercise you are actually instigating small amounts of stress to occur within the body as your heart rate rises. This increase in your heart rate causes a change in the levels of hormones that are present, and can therefore have a knock-on effect on your mood.

When you regularly subject your body to small bursts of stress, it becomes much better able to cope with the larger stresses that are encountered in your day to day.

It has been suggested that aerobic exercise is the best way to enjoy the stress-busting benefits of working out, and you can try swimming, running or cycling to get started!

Fuel Your Focus

It is difficult to dedicate much time at all to being happy when your mind is cluttered with thoughts, feelings, worries and anxieties! If you have a busy schedule, or have pressures placed upon you for any reason, then happiness can often take a back seat to getting everything done.

Exercise has the potential to help you clear your mind of all of these stresses, and encourage you to focus more on what is actually important.

How Much Exercise?

When it comes to how much exercise we should be engaging in, there is good news for those who are short on time! One study* suggests that even engaging in a short 20 minute burst of exercise can enhance your mood for the following 12 hours. If this is true, then starting your day with something as simple as a 20 minute run could have a huge impact on how positive the rest of your day is.

At PAMA London we know first hand how fantastic exercise is for health and happiness. With our extensive range of activewear we wish to encourage everyone to get into fitness in a comfortable, stylish and sustainable way. Click here now to check out what’s on sale!