stress relief and meditation

Stress Relief and Meditation

Stress Relief and Meditation

People have been meditating for thousands of years and while many people have different reasons for starting this ancient practice, there is no denying that it can come with a number of different benefits. While people long ago may have started meditating as part of developing their spirituality , today, many people choose to meditate because of the stress-reducing benefits that come with it.

If you experience a great deal of anxiousness, or tend to be tense and worried most of the time, meditation can be a powerful tool to help you overcome that stress and find a sense of calm and peace in your life. One of the great things about using meditation for stress relief is that it is simple, free and doesn’t take long. More importantly—it works!

Meditation 101: Why It Works For Stress Relief

Meditation is a simple process that encourages you to focus your attention on the present moment and to push out the thoughts that cloud your mind—more pertinently the thoughts that cause feelings of stress and anxiety. With focus, silence, a clear mind and deep, relaxing breathing, meditation can help you gain a tranquil mind and enter into a state of deep relaxation.

One of the great perks of using meditation as a stress reliever as opposed to alternative methods, is that you can meditate virtually anywhere, and you don’t need any special equipment, meaning it can be a more practical tool in your stress-relieving arsenal. You only need to practice for 10-15 minutes at a time to start seeing results. The key is to make it so easy and comfortable that you start meditating every day.

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Benefits of Meditation

Meditation not only helps you gain a clear mind during your practice, but it can actually give you a sense of calm that can last throughout your day. Just 15 minutes in the morning can help your entire day be more stress-free and manageable.

Meditation can also help with your overall emotional well-being and how you handle the world around you. Other stress-eliminating benefits can include:

  • Becoming more in-tune with yourself and confident in who you are
  • Developing new skills that help you manage stress
  • Gaining a different perspective on the world and on the stressful situations that come your way
  • Learning to become more focused on the present instead of stressing about thing in your past or future that you can’t control
  • Finding a sense of calm that allows you to reduce negative feelings
  • Achieving a state of mind that allows you to become more patient and tolerant and less susceptible to stress

How to Stress Relief and Meditation are Connected:

You can actually get started right now with stress relief and meditation. All you need is a few minutes and a quiet space to practice. Here’s how to get started.

  • Sit in a comfortable position, preferably on the ground, with straight posture.
  • Take a big deep breath in and then a big deep breath out to cleanse your mind and body and get ready for your session.
  • Take a deep breath in, imagine you are catching all of the stress in a big net as you breathe in. Breathe in the anxiety and the stressors in your life and hold them there for one moment. You are removing these stressors from your body and creating a space for positivity.
  • Once you have help your tension and stressors in, take a big, deep, relaxing breath out. Release the tension, allow your body to relax and imagine you are breathing out all of the negativity in your life.
  • Continue this process with deep, cleansing breaths in and out for 10-15 minutes. Don’t think about anything specifically that stresses you out, just focus on eliminating the tension. If your mind gets caught up in stressors of the day (and it will), just focus back on your breath and how it travels through your body.

The process is truly that simple and that effective. Start slow, if you can only do 5 minutes the first time that is alright. You can build to 15, 20 or even 30 minute sessions. The only thing that is important is that you start practicing stress-relief meditation now and start making it part of your daily life.

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