Stress Meditation

Meditating is an effective method to help relief stress. Meditation is often encouraged by doctors and even psychologists to improve one’s health.

The art of meditation has been around for thousands of years and has many religious origins, such as the Hindu or Taoist religion. Meditation will help you to calm and sooth your nerves while focusing your thoughts. There are many types of meditations that have evolved through the years. Examples of meditation techniques are: mindfulness meditation, transcendental meditation, empty mind meditation etc. Although there are numerous meditation methods, all will improve your health and generally other aspects, such as your way of thinking.

Stress is inevitable, thus it is important that you learn how to reduce and relief its negative effects. You can do so by learning the relaxation response – a state of deep rest that is the opposite of the stress response. When you feel stressed, your mind gets “stuck” in a never-ending whirlwind inside your head. The stress response charges your body with chemicals that prepares you for a “fight” and makes you alert, but this sense of alertness will wear your body down when constantly activated.

The relaxation response can bring your body back into balance, but take note that relaxing is not about sleeping and lazing around. It is about being mentally active and relaxing the body; it is done while being awake; it can be trained and becomes more profound with practice.

Mindfulness meditation is a simple way for stress relief. Mindfulness is the state of mind where you are fully engaged in the present moment without over-thinking and analyzing. Mindfulness meditation helps you to focus your attention to what is happening right now. With regular practice, it will relax your body, which will work against the stress response.

You may try the following mindfulness meditation techniques:

1. Body scan

Body scanning focuses your attention on parts of your body, where you simply focus on the way each part of your body feels without labeling the sensations as “good” or “bad”. You need to start from your feet and work your way up.

2. Mindful eating

Most people tend to binge when they are stressed. Mindful eating involves sitting down at the table and channeling your full attention to the meal without any distractions. Start eating slowly, concentrate on each bite and fully enjoy the meal.

3. Walking meditation

This type of mindfulness meditation requires you to take a walk, or you could brisk walk if you like. You need to focus on the sensation of your feet as it touches the ground and the rhythm of your breath.

Other than mindfulness meditation, you can also try out visualization, or guided imagery. This method is used as a relaxation technique that involves imagining a scene in which you feel peaceful with. This will help you to release tension and anxiety. Visualization can be done with an audio recording or with the help of a therapist.

Start by closing your eyes and imagine yourself in a peaceful place. Try to picture it as vividly as possible and incorporate other sensory details, such as scent and sight. For example, if you imagine yourself in a garden, smell the flowers, hear the birds, feel the grass, etc.

Besides using meditation to relief stress, other exercises such as yoga and tai chi are effective too. However, when it comes to reducing stress, meditation is simple and can be done at home without extra guidance.