No doubt this Fall continues to feed a sense of stress and anxiety in many of us. With escalating rhetoric and war in Ukraine, important upcoming elections, and inflation clouding our economic prosperity, it’s no wonder many of us are nervous these days. But as we’ve discussed in previous posts, you’re not without strategies to keep your mind calm and your stress levels in check. Practicing mindfulness and meditation are two ways to support your brain, limit your stress, keep yourself present and aware of your surroundings, and support your mental health and well-being. For a review of the connection and contrast between meditation and mindfulness, turn your attention here.

There are likely many who feel as though they’ve tried and “failed” with meditation. Perhaps you worry that it requires an unattainable level of commitment or your mind wanders whenever you’re told to concentrate and focus. Maybe you feel to date you’ve not seen any benefit so what’s the point? Well, before you give up, consider the advice of Tara Parker-Pope, previously a health columnist with The New York Times and now the Well+Being Editor at The Washington Post. In her recent column, “Meditation for people who think they can’t meditate,” Parker-Pope suggests even being aware of your wandering mind is a meditation success. After all, she states, “If you’re struggling, remind yourself that at its core, a meditation practice is about helping you to learn how your mind works.” She goes further and offers some tips for meditation success, including apps to help you through the process, recommendations about when you should try meditation (mornings are best), strategies to control your breathing and tips to train your senses to be part of your presence. As well, a recent post from Medical News Today provides an explanation of 8 different types of meditative practices. With everything from breath awareness to loving kindness meditation, you’re sure to find something that clicks with you. So sit up, place your hands in a prayerful position, and read here.

Along with existing proven health benefits from meditation, new research reports additional positive health benefits. First, from a study published in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, researchers report that mind-body practices can effectively lower blood sugar in people who have Type 2 diabetes. According to this research, yoga had the most effect in lowering blood sugar but all gentle mind-body practices, including meditation and breathwork, can have a powerful impact on lowering blood sugar, with “almost the same effect you would see from pharmacologic intervention.” While no one is suggesting you replace your current diabetes regimen or medication with yoga or meditation, these practices may be powerful additions to your diabetes control strategies by helping you cope with stress (which may itself derive from dealing with diabetes) or leading you to be more mindful of your self-care. For more on this study, read here.

Finally, one additional new study is worth noting when it comes to mindfulness and meditation. According to a new study out of UC San Diego and published in the journal Pain, mindfulness meditation appears to disrupt the communication between areas of the brain where pain sensations arise and those that produce a sense of self within you. That is, while pain may be present, you would not necessarily experience the pain as yours and thus would feel less pain. Given that 1 out of 5 American adults experience chronic pain (pain felt most days or every day) this could be a powerful, non-opioid adjunct therapy to help individuals lessen their sensations of pain. So put aside the Advil, and read more here and here.