The functional medicine lifestyle change I adopted was meditation, which is a form of mindfulness intervention. Meditation is an activity performed to increase one’s sense of awareness. It entails focusing the mind for a specific period of time to have greater control over mental processes. My goal in this exercise was to use meditation to manage anxiety and stress and improve my general mental well-being. I am not accustomed to meditation and had to turn to YouTube for guidance. On the first day, I tried meditating using a video I found online. Once I had a better understanding of how to meditate, I realized that I preferred to do it outdoors rather than in front of the television. After two weeks, I experienced lower anxiety levels and generally found it easier to control my thoughts. I experienced more calmness and was able to focus my mind easily to avoid wandering.
Some studies have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of mediation on mental well-being. In particular, Crowley et al. (2022) studied how meditation impacts happiness, mindfulness, and anxiety. The researchers found that meditation increases mindfulness and subjective happiness. This means that meditating is likely to improve a person’s ability to relax and pay attention to a specific thing without engaging in other preoccupations. Additionally, Crowley et al. (2022) concluded that meditation leads to decreased anxiety levels as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Students may experience stress due to academic, personal, or social issues, and meditation could help alleviate stress. When I conducted my two-week functional lifestyle change, I noticed an improvement in my psychosocial well-being. Thus, people who experience anxiety and stress should try to incorporate meditation into their daily routines.
Reference
Crowley, C., Kapitula, L. R., & Munk, D. (2022). Mindfulness, happiness, and anxiety in a sample of college students before and after taking a meditation course.Journal of American College Health, 70(2), 493-500. Web.