EFFECT OF MEDITATION ON MENTAL HEALTH- A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Meditation is increasingly being practiced as a therapeutic technique. It is a practice where an individual uses mindfulness, focusing on a particular object or thing, feeling or thought to train themselves and increase the self-awareness to achieve calm and a clear mind to attain a stable state. Effects of meditation have generally been positiveits estimated that 200–500 million people meditate worldwide. Over 14% of Americans have meditated at least once. Meditation also increased lately and the number of people practising has increased rapidly. There have been several articles, researches and books which have been released. Meditation will help the individual change attitude towards life, and provide peace of mind and happiness. It helps to achieve a better understanding of themselves as well as others. This review focuses on studying and understanding the negative and positive effects of meditation on mental health and how meditation helps in reducing anxiety. It focuses on pros and cons of meditation as well. Meditation depends on individuals and each one of them has a different experience. People have experienced both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.