Raging at total strangers? Overwhelmed by your work to do list? Anyone can use meditation for stress relief. Stress causes a variety of health problems and ruins your day. Besides general anxiety, stress can also cause unwanted physical symptoms. Rashes, headaches, muscle spasms and tremors are all physical symptoms associated with stress. Yikes! Even Some people use stress as a motivator, but living with constant stress reduces your quality of life. It can also lead to severe problems after a long period of time. Learning to cope with and manage stress is important to avoid minor and major health problems or wigging out on innocent strangers. One easy, free technique to melt away anxiety and stress less is meditation. It’s a natural, drug free remedy. Meditation doesn’t involve a major overhaul or a change in diet and can even help you sleep better. You also don’t need fancy equipment or bank breaking prescriptions to start. You do need a quiet space and a few minutes. With those two things, it’s easy to begin meditating and find your om today.
How To Begin Meditating
1. Get into Position
To begin meditating pick a time and quiet spot where you won’t be interrupted. Gather any optional equipment you want to use. A mat, towel, blanket or pillow will be more comfy if you meditate on the floor. Turn off all of your tech and put away other distractions. No cheating. Giving in to all those “fun for the moment” apps and sites will wreck your meditation practice before you start. It doesn’t matter if you sit cross legged on the floor or simply sit in a chair. It’s important to be in comfortable position and in a relaxing space while meditating. Setting the mood before you start will set you up for overall success. If you’d like, you can add candles or soft music to lull you into meditation bliss.
2. Relax and Refocus
Relax and consciously let any tension in the muscles go. Roll your shoulders or neck, stretch or shake out if you need to. Start small. Even micro sessions will help you de-stress. Five minutes or less can boost your mood and help you slip into chill mode. You can gradually build up to the recommended 20 minutes or more. Don’t worry about how long you meditate! You’re trying to ban stress, not add another worry. Breathe in and out deeply, and focus on your breath. You can close your eyes if that helps with distractions. Don’t let your mind wander. Refocus back on your breath if you need to. Some people find it helpful to purposely mentally mark the in and out breaths by thinking In/Out while breathing. When you begin meditating use what works without feeling self conscious. Variations like 1/2 or other simple two word combos can help your focus until you can ditch those crutches. Focus may be the hardest piece of the puzzle because our minds tend to wander and multitask.
3. Use a Guide
Beginners can use a guided meditation for stress relief on CD or iTunes. There are meditation apps available for free or under $5 in both the Apple and Google Play stores. The advantage with guided meditation is that you don’t need to remember anything beforehand or worry about how you’re doing. It’s super easy; just follow the guide. Guided instructions can be the difference between you becoming a stress ball or a zen master. Time spent meditating is meant as a break from daily pressures. The point of meditating is to practice mindfulness and to become more aware of your amazing self. In that process, you can boost your mood, avoid a freak out and clear the mind clutter. Some meditation lovers use chants or listen to calming sounds like ocean waves while meditating. Others use meditation beads, called Mala beads, with their mantras. Add any of these extras if you feel they’ll do the trick.
Practicing meditation can become a daily habit. It helps you to clear your mind, relax and become more self aware. Try meditation for stress relief because it’s simple, free and can become a regular practice for you to bust stress.
Optional Equipment
- Mat/Towel/Pillow
- Guided CD or App
- Meditation Beads
- Relaxing Music/ Nature Sounds
Photo By: Alice Popkorn, CC by 2.0 via Flickr