There have been countless anecdotal claims about the benefits of practicing meditation since the Eastern tradition has become more popular in the West. Now, there’s plenty of Western-based scientific evidence to support them.

Meditation is to the brain what physical activity is to the body. We’ve found meditation to be an important facet of health care, both for prevention and maintenance as well as in the treatment of disease, including cancer.

One can experience sustainable wellness by developing a life practice grounded in the cultivation of awareness. This awareness is paying attention without attachment. The ability to be aware can be increased by a meditation tool called mindfulness.

Life is a constant series of adjustments, matching your inner being with your outer doing. One way to heighten your awareness is through practicing meditation.

There is plenty of new evidence that the resulting sense of balance and peace is not just a psychological effect – take a look:

Mindfulness meditation leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density: Recently published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, shows that measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress occurred with study participants who meditated for 30 minutes a day for eight weeks.

Meditation practitioners have longer attention spans: Published by the journal PloS Biology, a study analyzed people with three months of rigorous training and found that they gained a drastically improved attention span – not only longer, but less susceptible to internal or external distraction. They also showed improved memory and enhanced performance in several tasks, from driving a car to playing piano.

Reduces stress and blood pressure: Presented to the American Heart Association by researchers at the at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, a study including 200 high-risk patients for heart attack found that meditation reduced their chances for heart attack by 50 percent.

Studies involving people seeking to reduce stress and other problems in their lives via meditation will continue, as well as for those who want to enhance performance of various duties.

For those skeptical of the medical benefits of this Eastern practice, there’s now plenty of Western proof.

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Stress is a difficult factor of everyone’s life, but coping with stress in a positive way can make a huge difference in your health. A study conducted by Penn State suggests that eating 1.5 3 ounces of pistachios a day may reduce your biological response to stresses of everyday life, such as high blood pressure.

“We can’t avoid all the stressors in our lives, but my research has shown that eating nuts (such as pistachios, walnuts) and fruits and vegetables high in potassium can reduce your body’s biological response to stress,” says Dr. Sheila West, researcher at Penn State.

According to the American Psychological Association, stress can be a reaction to a short-lived situation, such as being stuck in traffic, or can last a long time if you’re dealing with serious traumatic situations. Stress becomes dangerous when it interferes with your ability to live a normal life over an extended period.

Who’s Stressing?

An APA poll on the causes of stress reports that two-thirds (66%) of Americans identify the economy as a significant source of stress in their lives and three-quarters (75%) are stressed by money. In addition, almost one half of Americans (48%) report that job stability is a significant cause of stress. Being aware of stress is important, but these triggers may be unchangeable.

“Stress affects the body physically just as much as it does mentally,” says Green Nut Ambassador and Livestrong.com Nutrition Advisor Alyse Levine. “When you can’t change your circumstances to reduce stress, the best thing to do is take care of your body through diet, exercise and adequate sleep.”

The Green Way to Cope

Alyse offers these tips to help combat stress in healthy ways:

Incorporate pistachios: A study conducted by Penn State suggests that eating pistachios may reduce your body’s response to stresses of everyday life, such as high blood pressure.

Swap out processed snacks and meals with unprocessed foods: Consuming fresh produce, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and lean protein is the best way to gain the nutrients that your body needs when under pressure.

Exercise at least three times a week: Not only does exercise keep you healthy and boost your energy levels, it’s a great alternative to snacking on unhealthy foods as a way to relieve stress.

Find a ‘happy place’: Finding a positive outlet for your stress can be very beneficial to your overall health. Instead of going out for a drink after work, go for a walk in the park, take a yoga class or meditate.

Spend time with others: Oftentimes when people are stressed, they cut out quality time with friends and family to make time for work. Making time for loved ones can be calming and restorative to your health, actually making you more productive when you get back to work.

For more information, visit www.thegreennut.org.

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One of the most powerful of all positive emotions is gratitude and it forms a solid foundation to help us experience more joy, happiness, hope and optimism. Since it focuses on what you have versus what you lack, gratitude – when practiced regularly – shapes our worldview toward noticing abundance versus scarcity. You bring positive energy to the conversation when you speak with others about what you are grateful for. We become better leaders, friends, co-workers and parents and are more content with the world when we practice gratitude.

Here are 10 ways to practice gratitude: … (Read more)

Take a look at Month 11 of the Self-Care Revolution™ for more on the Power of Gratitude!