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Meditation and emotional well-being

When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.

The emotional benefits of meditation include:

Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations

Building skills to manage your stress

Increasing self-awareness

Focusing on the present

Reducing negative emotions

Meditation and illness

Meditation also might be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress. While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, some researchers believe it’s not yet possible to draw conclusions about the possible benefits of meditation.

With that in mind, some research suggests that meditation may help such conditions as:

Allergies

Anxiety disorders

Asthma

Binge eating

Cancer

Depression

Fatigue

Heart disease

High blood pressure

Pain

Sleep problems

Substance abuse

Be sure to talk to your health care provider about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these conditions or other health problems. In some cases, meditation can worsen symptoms associated with certain mental health conditions. Meditation isn’t a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it may be a useful addition to your other treatment.

 Mayo Clinic Staff, Mayo Clinic; Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress, April 21, 2011, accessed on April 10, 2014;