If stress is causing you anxiety and tension, try meditating. Even just a few minutes of meditation can help you restore inner peace and balance. It is an entirely free and simple, yet most importantly, effective way to combat stress that you can use wherever you are – on the go, on the bus, in line, stuck in traffic, or even during a difficult work meeting.
What is meditation?
Meditation has been known to us since ancient times. Throughout history, this technique has primarily been used for self-awareness. However, recently, scientists have discovered that meditation also helps cope with the negative physiological effects of stress. During meditation, you focus your attention on the present moment and stop the flow of tangled thoughts and worries that drain your mind and lead to stress. This method can significantly improve your physical and mental well-being.
What are the benefits of meditation?
Through meditation, you clear your mind of the overload of thoughts and information that accumulate every day and contribute to the development of stress reactions.
The benefits of meditation include:
• It helps you see a stressful situation from a new perspective.
• It reduces the intensity of negative emotions.
• It improves creativity and imagination.
• It increases patience and tolerance.
• It helps reduce an increased heart rate.
• It helps lower high blood pressure.
• It improves sleep quality.
• It strengthens your focus and attention.
It has been proven that meditation can be beneficial for:
• Anxiety disorder.
• Depression.
• Chronic pain disorder.
• Irritable bowel syndrome.
• Migraine.
• Insomnia.
Of course, meditation will not replace traditional treatment for these conditions, but it can be used as an adjunct therapy.
Click to learn how to meditate.
Types of meditation
Meditation is a general term used to describe various methods for achieving inner peace. There are many ways to meditate:
• Guided meditation. It is sometimes also called visualization. In this method, you focus your attention on internal mental images of places or situations that you find calming. In addition to visual imagery, other senses, such as smell and hearing, are also used. The meditation process is often guided by another person, such as a therapist, which is why it is called guided meditation.
• Mantra meditation. During this type of meditation, you silently repeat a specific word or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts from arising.
• Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation helps you focus on the present moment. Most negative emotions are linked either to unpleasant situations that occurred in the past or to the anticipation of negative events that may happen in the future. By concentrating on the present moment, you can stop unpleasant emotions related to the past and the future.
• Yoga. During a yoga session, you assume specific poses that require concentration. In this state, you focus more on maintaining the position of your body than on thoughts and worries.
• Classical meditation. During this type of meditation, you focus your attention on your breath. We recommend starting with this simplest form of meditation. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
Step 1. Find time for meditation. The greatest effect comes from regular daily meditation. There is no strict rule about how long you need to meditate, but 20 minutes is more than enough. In the first few days, you can start with 5 minutes, gradually increasing the duration to 20 minutes. You can use a timer or an alarm on your phone to track the time. If possible, it is best to meditate at least twice a day: in the morning, before starting your workday, and in the evening — to relieve the stress accumulated throughout the day.
Step 2. Find a comfortable place. You don't need any equipment, just a place where it's quiet and comfortable. You can meditate sitting on the floor, on a chair, on a sofa, or in bed. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable.
Step 3. Focus on your senses. Once you're settled comfortably, close your eyes and focus sequentially on your senses. Start by feeling the floor or chair beneath you, then pay attention to the sounds around you, and then shift your focus to the smells. By concentrating on your senses, you shift your attention from thoughts, plans, inner dialogue, or memories to the present moment.
Step 4. Begin the meditation. Once you have distanced yourself from thoughts and focused on the present moment, shift your attention to your breath. With your eyes closed, feel yourself taking a natural inhale and silently say "inhale." Do the same for the exhale: breathe out and silently say "exhale." For the next 20 minutes, keep your focus on this rhythmic process.
Step 5. Continue the meditation. During meditation, your attention will inevitably drift away from the breath. Thoughts will intrude and distract you. For example, you might suddenly remember that you need to pay your utility bills, or you might be distracted by external sounds, or unpleasant events from the past might resurface in your mind. This is completely normal. The main task is to notice these distractions. Do not judge these thoughts or memories. Remember, you are just an observer. If you get distracted 10 times during the session, gently bring your focus back to your breath 10 times without getting involved in the thought process.
Step 6. Gently finish the meditation. Do not abruptly end the meditation. Once the time you allocated for the session has passed (for example, the alarm rings), continue sitting with your eyes closed for a couple more minutes. End the meditation as you started it. Feel the floor beneath you again, then shift your attention to the sounds and smells around you. Slowly open your eyes, sit quietly for a moment, and then you can stand up.