Mental Health

Meditation can not only improve your mental health, but it builds resilience to help solve problems. Here are seven ways meditation benefits your mental health.

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In the U.S., Latinos tend to have stronger religious ties than most racial and ethnic groups. As such, faiths, largely Catholicism and Protestantism, often play a significant role in their lives, including the ways in which they cope with adversity. For some, healing comes solely through prayer and biblical scripture rather than traditional wellness practices like therapy and meditation, which are sometimes deemed blasphemous. While a shift is beginning to take place in how Latinos, including religious members of the community, view therapy, there still remains some skepticism and taboo around meditative practices.

Posiblemente, los mitos más persistentes con respecto a la meditación son que es difícil, implica lucha o enfoque tipo láser, o que está reservado para unos pocos privilegiados que poseen la estructura mental o genética necesaria para calmar la mente. Sin embargo, ninguna de estas creencias es cierta. La cultura popular no enciende una luz a la práctica de la meditación porque muchas veces parece inalcanzable, de otro mundo, cargada de atavíos filosóficos o místicos, o velada en secreto. Afortunadamente, la comprensión más profunda del bienestar de la mente y el cuerpo, y la desmitificación de las tradiciones de sabiduría del mundo, han ayudado a quitar el polvo de las visiones obsoletas de la meditación que la mantenían fuera del alcance del público en general.

Possibly the most persistent myths regarding meditation are that it’s difficult, it involves struggle or laser-like focus, or that it is reserved for a privileged few who possess the mental or genetic makeup necessary to settle the mind. However, none of these beliefs are true. Popular culture has done meditation practice somewhat of a disservice by often making it appear unreachable, other-worldly, loaded with philosophical or mystical trappings, or veiled in secrecy. Fortunately, the deeper understandings of mind-body wellness and the demystification of the world’s wisdom traditions have helped to blow the dust off the outdated views of meditation that kept it out of reach of the general public.

En las comunidades latinas, los estigmas culturales en torno a la salud mental y las barreras estructurales a la terapia, han impedido durante mucho tiempo que muchos busquen y obtengan la atención necesaria. Sin embargo, a medida que las generaciones más jóvenes rompen los estigmas y más profesionales latinos ingresan a las industrias terapéuticas y de bienestar, estamos viendo un cambio gradual y positivo en la atención de salud mental entre la población.

Cuando muchas personas piensan en la salud, sólo consideran sus cuerpos físicos. Si desea una vida vibrante y saludable, asegúrese de prestar atención también a sus cuerpos espirituales, mentales y emocionales. Aquí puedes aprender cómo.

In the US, Latinos are experiencing a growing mental health crisis. According to Mental Health America (MHA), about 8.9 million Latinos living in the country have a diagnosable mental illness. However, data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) show that just 10% of Latinos who have symptoms of a mental health disorder actually seek specialized treatment. The reasons for the disparity are numerous, including several cultural myths and stigmas as well as systemic and financial barriers.

The world is changing in ways you could have never imagined. At the same time, you have been given the opportunity to renew your mind, body, and spirit.