Meditation in Mental Health: How Important is it?

Have you ever been affected by the stress of life? Have you ever felt like there was

nothing you could do to cope with it? Well, luckily, there are various practices and coping

mechanisms to help you get rid of the weight on your shoulders; however, I’ll be focusing

on one in specific: meditation.

These days, a lot of people are easily stressed by how the world may work, their day to

day life, or their internal struggles. This doesn’t mean it’s only adults who may be

stressed, but teenagers and kids too. The pressure to excel academically, or to ‘fit in’ is

something that may leave teens in distress, especially in this phase of life.

However, did you know that 32% of teens feel stressed during the school year, 26% use

drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism, 30% feel sad or depressed due to their high

stress levels, 23% skip meals because of stress, and 34% of teens expect stress to increase

in this upcoming year? (TEENS). According to this data, one could assume that teenagers

are led to unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance abuse or an unhealthy diet that

can later affect them in life. Nevertheless, that can be changed with healthier ways to deal

with their stress, such as meditation.

Meditation by definition is “a practice in which an individual uses a technique, such as

mindfulness, focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity, to train

attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable

state” (Saxena). This practice is one that may be beneficial to a lot of teenagers

especially during this time of year onced the winter comes around and school is just

wrapping up the first semester, thus, one thing to take note of is the role it plays in your

mental health.

The impact meditation can have on your mental health is significant and there are so

many benefits to practicing this coping mechanism daily! For example, according to an

article from meditate.com, it is stated that when practiced, meditation can help empower

people, help them feel heard, validate their dignity, and be more empathetic (Fowler). In

addition to this information, many psychologists or life coaches may recommend their

clients meditation as a way to take a break from the stress they’re dealing with, meaning

it's been proven effective by the research that has been shown, demonstrating that

meditating even for as little as 10 minutes increases the brain's alpha waves (associated

with relaxation) and decreases anxiety and depression (Meditation).

Ultimately, meditation does play a very important role in the mental health of teenagers

everywhere. From the stress that is due to life itself, work, school, peer pressure, etc.

many can use meditation as a resource and coping mechanism to escape and decrease the

stress induced anxiety they may feel. The role of meditation in one's mental health is

vital, and is recommended to be used daily to clear your mind and focus on yourself.

Therefore, your mental health is always valued and put as a priority, especially with

meditation, and is a great coping mechanism for yourself and others that is guaranteed to

result in better habits, a happier life, and an improved state of your mental health.

Works Cited

“TEENS.” The American Institute of Stress, www.stress.org/who-gets-stressed/teens/.

Fowler, Clare. “The Impact of Mediation on Mental Health.” Mediate.com, 22 Oct.

2022, mediate.com/the-impact-of-mediation-on-mental-health/.

“Meditation.” Psychology Today, 2024,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/meditation?msockid=1bcccdb0ab9066cb26ecde

c8aa986709. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.