Meditation to De-Stress for a Better You
By Rebecca Waldron
Right now, you hold the key to reducing stress and feeling better. All it takes is simple meditation techniques. Don’t worry. If you’ve heard meditation is only for gurus, that’s not true. It’s easy, painless and can help you wherever you are. There are a few steps that will assist you in becoming a real pro at using meditation to center yourself and de-stress.
Benefits of Meditation
The benefits of meditation are many. According to the Mayo Clinic, "meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health." Meditation can help with stress levels, therefore giving your body a break from tension. Also, if you have conditions or illnesses that are exacerbated by stress, meditation is doubly helpful. Basically, meditation has no drawbacks. It’s the perfect addition to your health regimen.
Prepare Your Body
One of the first things you should do to prepare for meditation is take a full body check. This means mentally and physically going through each muscle group to see where your tight spots are. Start with your feet. Are they tensing or curled? If you can’t tell if they are tensed, point your toes as hard as you can. Then, relax them. You’ll definitely feel the difference. You can continue this tense and relax method all the way up your body. You will eventually get to the point that you’ll know whether your muscles are tensed or not. It will become second nature.
Time to Chill
One of the simplest ways to meditate is use the five senses. The best is simply hearing. Close your eyes. Slow your breathing down. Take deep breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Continue to breathe deeply and gently. Begin to hone in your hearing on every little sound you hear. It doesn’t matter what it is. Just listen to each noise and mentally name it such as “desk fan” or “air conditioning,” for example. These sounds are just your normal white noise. Allow the feelings of comfort to come to you. Once you get used to this type of meditation, you will be able to do it in any situation with any sound. That is the aim.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states, "some research suggests that practicing meditation may reduce blood pressure, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression, and insomnia." These are reason enough for anyone to at least attempt meditation to see how they like it. So go chill out for a while!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Lakewood, Co.