Are you stressed? There is a way you can reduce stress. Many of the things we take for granted were unknown a generation ago. The flow of entertainment, information, and consumer goods at our fingertips has enriched our lives.
Unfortunately, all of this abundance comes with a price. Many of us can find the pace of modern life too intense. The demands on our time and our attention can be overwhelming. The hours spent working to afford the things we think we need can be brutal. The work we perform might be unsatisfying. The result of all of this is stress. You can easily reduce stress with meditation.
Stress is such a commonplace part of modern life that feeling stressed has almost become a cliché. If you admit to stress, you’ll likely get a shrug in response. You’re certainly not going to get much sympathy. You can easily reduce stress with meditation.
When stress is everywhere, and everybody is stressed, individual stress becomes a part of the background noise of daily life. We may accept it as a”normal” part of life.
The prevailing attitude is that there’s not much that can be done about the situation, so the best bet is to suck it up and get on with life simply. Unfortunately, adopting this attitude can be a grave mistake because stress can have severe effects on both physical and mental health.
Hans Selye says it well: “It's not stress that kills us; it is our reaction to it.”
This quote reminds us that our response to stress is crucial. By managing our reactions, we can impact the negative effects of stress.
The Two Types Of Stress
Acute stress
Acute Stress occurs when you are confronted with a one-time event that may be potentially life-threatening. Encountering a bear while hiking in the woods is an example of acute stress. When you first see the bear, a number of things happen at once. Your brain begins producing several chemicals.
One of these chemicals is called cortisol. Cortisol is a powerful hormone that acts on the emotional centers of the brain’s cortex, producing a fear reaction. It also slows down your short-term memory while enhancing your long-term memory. This is why people in life-threatening situations often report that time seemed to stand still or several seconds seemed like several hours.
Your brain also produces adrenaline, which acts directly on the heart, lungs, and major muscle groups. Once you see the bear you immediately become frightened and more alert. Your heart rate and respiration increase, flooding extra oxygen into your system, and your major muscle groups become tense.
In other words, you are now ready to fight the bear or run away from it. You are in stress, but you are also prepared to do what you have to do to survive. Once the threat from the bear has passed, your body stops producing stress-inducing chemicals, and you return to a normal state.
Long-term stress
Long-term stress occurs when the body mistakes everyday non-life-threatening events for life-threatening, dangerous events. For example, a demanding boss, a troubled personal relationship, or even heavy traffic can become a bear in the woods. Your body floods your system with the same stress-inducing chemicals.
The problem is that the “danger” from the demanding boss, troubled relationship, or heavy traffic doesn’t pass. There is no way to fight or flee from these issues. Instead, you remain on “high alert” day in and day out. You can reduce your stress with meditation.
Over time, the constant barrage of stress-inducing chemicals and their effects on your body begin to damage you and wear down your health. At this point, stress itself becomes the real danger.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this vicious circle that relieves stress and promotes general well-being: meditation.
Meditation To Reduce Stress
Meditation is an ancient practice that quiets and focuses the mind, bringing about a calm, natural state that is the opposite of how you feel when stressed. Reduce stress with meditation.
While some people use meditation as a tool of self-enlightenment, others are pleased to use it as a simple means to eliminate the negative effects of stress. The benefits of meditation are physical, mental, and Spiritual.
It will lower your blood pressure, relax tense muscles, promote immune system health, and generally make you feel better.
7 Tips For A Meditation Practice
Depending on your previous experience with meditation, use these tips for guidance or as refresher instruction. Remember, there is no one “right” way to meditate. Choose what works best for you.
The vital part of meditation is the results you achieve, not how you achieve those results.
Tip 1 – Set Aside Time
Meditation, like anything else, requires practice. In order to get the best results, you need to make space in your schedule for meditation.
Set aside a specific time each day to meditate. You cannot let the rest of your day, no matter how hectic, interfere with a practice designed to release the negative effects of that schedule. Your health, happiness, and peace of mind are essential, so make sure that the time for meditation is also important.
Tip 2 – Set Aside a Place
While meditation can be performed anywhere, it often works best in a special place. Now, by “special place,” we’re not talking about a temple next to a waterfall surrounded by an ancient forest.
Just as you set aside a particular time to meditate, you should also set aside a particular place. This can be any place that is quiet, private, and comfortable. Any room in your home will do as long as it meets these criteria. Try softening the lighting in the room or using candles for illumination.
Tip 3 – Set Aside Distractions
The practice of meditation is all about quieting and focusing the mind. To effectively quiet the mind, you must also quiet as many potential distractions as possible.
This means that you need to leave your phone behind while you meditate. Ditto for all other personal electronic devices. If you wear a watch, take it off. Turn off any music and television.
If other people you live with know that you are meditating, ask them to respect your need for quiet, too.
Tip 4 – Stretch Before You Begin
Meditation aims to eliminate stress and promote a calm, centered existence. You cannot achieve this goal without actively bringing your stress into the meditation session. That is why it is so important to do a routine of a couple of simple stretches before you begin meditating.
One of the symptoms of stress is tight, sore muscles. A few stretches eliminates some of that tightness, as well as relieving the associated pain. Relaxed, pain-free muscles will help you concentrate during meditation by removing the distraction of muscle tension.
Tip 5 – Breathe
The essence of successful meditation is the breath. Slow, regular, and deep breaths are essential to emptying the mind. If you are a beginner you may be surprised to find how much “chatter” goes on in your mind.
Thoughts will come and go, each trying to distract you and break your focus. One way to beat this tide of chattering thoughts is to concentrate on breathing. Slowly breathe in, filling your lungs.
Hold your breath for a moment and then slowly exhale, again concentrating on the feeling of the breath leaving your body.
Repeat this process repeatedly, focusing only on the sensation of breathing calmly and fully.
Tip 6 – Don’t Fear Frustration
If meditating is a new experience, you can expect some setbacks during learning. The trick is not to let these setbacks frustrate you.
Remember the first time you rode a bike or went ice skating? You probably weren’t skilled, looked and felt clumsy, and thought you’d never get the hang of it. Well, the first few times you meditate will be the same.
The key is to persevere. Each time you meditate, you will develop more confidence in your abilities. It may take a few weeks, but if you keep at it, you will see measurable progress.
Tip 7 – Be Willing to Experiment
The most common misconception about meditation is that it is a rigid practice. Many people believe that meditation can only be accomplished when a person is in a specific position.
That position must be held at all times with a muscle moved. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that meditation is a very relaxed practice. You need to be able to meditate comfortably, in your way, to be successful.
So, don’t be afraid to experiment with positions. Meditating while sitting, standing, or lying down is perfectly all right. In some traditions, meditation is performed while walking or doing chores.
The goal of meditation is to clear the mind and gain serenity, not develop the ability to withstand physical discomfort. Find the meditation position that works best for you and use that position to further your ability to meditate successfully.
Far from being a demanding practice, mediation is easy to master and can be performed anywhere and in any comfortable position.
Let these tips refresh your meditation practice or help you start a meditation practice. The benefits to your health, well-being, and inner peace will be worth every minute.
Nancy Dadami is an Intentional Creativity Guide, Feng Shui Specialist, and cheerleader for your dreams. Her passion is to empower seekers, conscious creators, and entrepreneurs called to growth, learning, service, and freedom. This results in living the best version of themselves, creating a life of abundance, self-awareness, purpose, and inner peace. Linktr.ee/nancydadami
