Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is a structured practice of directing attention to present-moment experience, breath, sensation, or thought, without judgment. The evidence base is strong: consistent meditation practice helps reduce perceived stress, supports emotional regulation, and may lower anxiety and depression scores in clinical populations. A landmark 2014 meta-analysis (JAMA Internal Medicine) found mindfulness programs showed moderate improvements in anxiety, depression, and pain versus control conditions. It benefits individuals managing chronic stress, anxiety, or sleep difficulties, and is increasingly used alongside therapy for mood disorders. Rare adverse effects (depersonalisation, increased anxiety) have been reported in intensive retreat settings, standard daily practice (10-20 min) carries negligible risk. PGSS take: Free, accessible, and genuinely evidence-backed, if there is one non-supplement intervention on PGSS worth taking seriously, this is it.