Meditation – what it is and why does it matter?
By now you’ve probably heard a lot of buzz around the idea of practicing mindfulness through meditation. Contrary to popular belief, meditation isn’t just for yogis or even religious people. The purpose of meditation is to help train your mind to improve your awareness and get a better understanding of perspective.
Meditation can help you confront your feelings and thoughts, instead of running away from them. Though at first, it may seem like you’re trying to shut out your emotions, what you’ll learn instead is how to observe those feelings without judgment. As a result, meditation can provide you with a sense of calm and balance that can benefit both your emotional and mental well-being.
An app to help you meditate and sleep?
Meditation dates back to as early as 5,000 BCE, according to Psychology Today. To some that can seem daunting to try and practice a method that has been around for literally thousands of years. The good news is, just as there is for just about anything else, there’s an app to help you meditate.
Though there are a ton of different apps for meditation, one of the more popular ones available is called Headspace. Headspace is an app that provides guided meditations for mindfulness, stress, and even sleep. The idea of this app is to help make meditation simple for all while teaching you mindfulness skills in just a few minutes a day. So where does sleep come into play? Headspace has different features to help improve your sleep such as breathing exercises, mindful body scanning, movement-based meditation and even visualization. Additionally, there are medications that are specifically catered to help you with stress and anxiety.
Headspace: Pros and Cons
Headspace sounds like a really cool app – so what’s the catch? Well, here’s a pros and cons list to help you decide on whether or not Headspace is worth it for you.
Pros
- Includes a buddy feature, great for accountability
- The app works for both iOS and Android users
- Built-in app reminders and daily notifications
- Workout videos are included as a form of meditation
Cons
- The monthly subscription can be a little pricey
- It’s easy to turn off notifications and fall off track
- Not the best app for experienced meditators
- Can take some time to adopt app usage
Is Headspace worth it for college students?
Before diving into this question, it’s a good idea to first acknowledge the different benefits meditation can have on college students.
For starters, meditation can help you be more mindful of your surroundings and circumstances. Whether that’s helping you focus in class, or improve your stress management skills, practicing mindfulness through meditation could be worthwhile for college students. Headspace also offers tons of short meditations you can practice during times of panic or high stress, sort of like carrying a therapist around in your pocket.
So what’s the verdict on Headspace? Well, if you feel like you could use a little more zen in your life, it’s a great app to get you started in all things meditation. It’s an easy-to-use app and very beginner-friendly. Not sure if you want to commit just yet? The good news is Headspace offers a seven-day free trial. It’s the perfect way to try the app and see if it’s a good fit for you!
