The Benefits of Meditation for Self-Management

1. Enhancing Attention

Meditation is a practice of focusing attention and observing the flow of one’s awareness, leading to improvements in daily concentration as a long-term benefit of regular meditation. Beginners often start with “breathing exercises” — focusing on the breath. Slowly inhale and exhale, directing attention to the nose. If the mind wanders, gently bring attention back without self-criticism, as distraction is natural. Meditation quiets the “buzzing bees” in the mind, allowing us to observe and train their tendencies. The foundation of meditation is to train focus, which involves concentrating on the rhythm of the breath and being aware of distractions, then refocusing.

2. Reducing Anxiety

Although a professional explanation is needed here, the mechanism is fascinating. With increased meditation practice, anxiety gradually decreases. Research shows this is due to the weakening of certain neural pathways in the brain. It may sound like we are losing something, but that’s not the case.

3. Enhancing Creativity

If you’re a designer or writer, creativity is certainly important to you. Studies have shown that meditation can influence creativity, but it’s not something easily learned. Researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands studied both focused meditation and open meditation. They found no significant improvement in creativity-related tasks among those who practiced focused meditation. However, those who practiced open meditation performed better in creative tasks and generated unique ideas.

4. Increasing Compassion

Research has found that people who meditate regularly exhibit stronger empathy and compassion. In an “empathy meditation” experiment, participants viewed images of people displaying positive, negative, or neutral emotions. It was found that meditators could attentively observe the images without becoming overly emotional, yet still showed strong compassion for those who appeared distressed.

5. Improving Memory

Meditation is also linked to rapid memory recall. Catherine Kerr from the Osher Research Center and the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging found that individuals who practiced focused meditation could more quickly adjust their brain waves to enhance performance when faced with anxiety or distraction, compared to those who did not meditate. This ability to swiftly manage distractions explains meditators’ exceptional memory recall and cognitive integration skills.

6. Reducing Stress

Focused meditation has been shown to help people perform better under stress. In a 2012 study, a group of HR managers was divided into three groups: one practiced focused meditation, another practiced physical relaxation, and a third did no training. After eight weeks, all participants underwent a multitasking stress test. The group that had practiced focused meditation showed lower stress levels than the other two.

7. Aiding Effective Decision-Making

The founder of Cooper Investments believes Zen practice helps him make successful investment decisions: “As an investor, you need to extract very little relevant information from a vast amount of data. Meditation helps me filter out the fluff and focus on information that adds long-term investment value.” Similarly, Steve Jobs’ office, spanning over 200 square meters, was almost empty except for meditation cushions. When making decisions, Jobs would place related plans and designs around the cushions and meditate with closed eyes to decide what to choose or discard. When thoughts settle, intuition becomes clearer, and inner wisdom can arise.

8. Heightening Awareness

William George, a board member at Goldman Sachs, has practiced meditation for nearly 40 years. Frequently traveling for business, he often meditates during flights, which not only provides deep rest but also clears his mind before meetings. Besides breath awareness, he also practices awareness of the present moment. For example, when brushing his teeth, he notices each movement and the pressure applied, and feels the toothpaste’s taste and texture. When walking, he senses the contact between his feet and the ground, the movement of each step, and the shift in balance, staying aware at all times.

Emotions manifest physically, such as rapid breathing or chest tightness. When emotions arise, meditators can focus on their physical sensations, observing emotions’ rise, persistence, and dissolution objectively without reacting impulsively (e.g., venting or arguing). This makes explosive emotions feel like they unfold in slow motion, giving meditators more space and time to respond wisely rather than being led by their emotions.

9. Practicing Decluttering (“Danshari”)

“Danshari” is a concept of life organization proposed by Japanese organizing consultant Hideko Yamashita. It involves understanding oneself by organizing personal belongings, clearing mental chaos, and using decluttering as a technique to feel at ease. In other words, cleaning up physical clutter can help calm inner anxiety, leading to a happier state of mind. It’s not just rooms or desks that need tidying; the mind also requires rest and resetting. Meditation is a way to clear mental clutter and restore inner peace.