Benefits of meditation in the poker player
Something undeniable is that the world of poker can be frenetic . So much so, that sometimes it is impossible to deal with all the demands that this card game requires without falling into a state of stress that can harm us.
In addition, this is added to other areas of life such as work or family duties, which absorb practically all of our energy. At this point, it is time to stop and recover a series of personal care that are essential for anyone.
In this sense, with the aim of somehow repairing the stressful lifestyle, human beings continue to devise new forms of self-care. Yet few wellness methods have lasted longer than meditation .
This centuries-old mindfulness practice originating in Asia has been a recurring theme in health and wellness circles for hundreds of years. On this occasion, we will talk about a specific type of activity related to this area: focused meditation. Likewise, we will describe the benefits that it can bring you as a poker player .
What is focused meditation
What are the benefits of focused meditation
Even though this type of meditation uses a slightly different approach than other varieties of meditation, it does provide many of its benefits . Next, we are going to take a look at the different ways in which focused meditation can help you regain that balance that is so necessary in your life and, of course, essential when playing poker.
Reduce stress
One of the most common problems in modern society is stress . Living in a world as fast-paced as ours, the impending danger seems impossible to avoid.
However, numerous investigations have shown that meditation can reduce levels of cortisol, a primary stress hormone that causes different damages in a person’s mental and physical health. In this way, meditation will not only help you reduce stress, but it will help you manage situations of disadvantage in a more calm way at a poker table or tournament, for example.
Improves mental health
Emotional problems, more specifically those related to emotional regulation, can wreak havoc on our quality of life.
Focused meditation has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improve self-confidence and reduce negative thoughts . These effects are achieved through a deliberate practice of concentration that takes us away from the incessant internal dialogue that keeps us in a swarm of negative thoughts.
As we shift our focus elsewhere, we begin to observe our thoughts and emotional experiences instead of getting lost in their confusing and chaotic din. This improves our sense of control and allows us to gain a new perspective on how to approach certain problems. For example, it helps us not to consider as something insurmountable the fact that we have had big losses in a real money poker room .
Improves attention span
It is not surprising that a practice whose goal is focus is effective in increasing attention span . After all, small daily concentration practices improve attention in the same way that hours of practice playing poker will improve your abilities as a player.
In addition, focused meditation also influences the improvement of other problems related to a short attention span , such as worry or restlessness. This is a great benefit for people with attention deficit, who would have serious problems in showing their best performance playing any variant of poker .
Reduces memory loss
Stress reduction, better emotional regulation, and increased attention span can also help us keep our brains young and therefore more prepared to play poker.
There are studies showing that participants with age-related memory loss showed better results in certain neuropsychological tests after practicing focused meditation.
Since this type of meditation helps with attention and mental clarity, it can be an effective tool to keep the brain more active and intelligent and, therefore, better predisposed to face the many problems that you will find in a poker freeroll game or tournament. poker .
Meditation, an aspect to consider in poker
Although meditation can be somewhat elusive and difficult to explain, it offers many benefits for our quality of life, which, consequently, will help you to play poker in the best rooms online or in person in a more balanced way .
Doing a focused meditation session won’t be a big change in your plans, since you can do it almost anywhere and it will take about 10 minutes of your time. This is well worth it considering the many benefits it offers not only to poker players, but to anyone.
