Meditation, stress and your health

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Meditation has become one of the most popular ways to relieve stress by people from all walks of life. This age-old meditation practice, which can take many forms and may or may not be combined with many forms of spirituality, can be used in a number of different ways. The article will help you better understand the connection between meditation, stress and your health.
Meditation can be part of your daily routine and help you build your ability to reduce stress. It can be a technique you use to focus when you're under emotional stress. The doctors add: Meditation can be a quick stress reliever to help you reverse your body's stress response and relax physically. A form of meditation that can even be used in weight loss and healthier eating.
By learning to calm your body and mind, your physical and emotional stress can disappear. This helps you feel better, refreshed and ready to face the day's challenges with a healthy attitude. With regular practice over weeks or months, you can reap even greater benefits.

1. The benefits of mental exercises and relaxation

Meditation can aid in managing the symptoms of a wide range of health conditions such as: High blood pressure, insomnia, chronic pain, cancer, anxiety, asthma, headaches, back pain and stress ... It dispels all pent-up stress and brings miraculous effects to those suffering from depression.
Its power in reducing negative emotions is still the top reason people start with meditation and make it their primary coping mechanism. An even bigger benefit of meditation for you is the long-term resilience that can be had with regular practice. This is thought to be the result of the boost in positive mood that can come from meditation, with research showing that people who experience positive moods regularly are more resilient to stress. Other research has found changes in the brains of regular meditators linked to a reduced response to stress
Practicing refocusing can also help you redirect yourself Falling into a negative mindset can in itself reduce stress.

2. Meditation and stress

During the day, when we are stressed, our bodies automatically respond in a way that prepares us to fight or flee. This is the body's stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response. The ''adrenaline rush'' we experience is a result of the release of the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. They increase blood pressure and pulse rate, breathe faster, and increase blood flow to the muscles. In some extreme situations, this response is very helpful. However, this prolonged condition can cause damage to every part of the body.
Meditation affects the body in completely opposite ways to stress - by activating the body's relaxation response. It restores the body to a state of calm, helps the body repair itself, and prevents new damage from the physical effects of stress. It can calm your mind and body by calming stress-induced thoughts, helping to trigger the body's stress response. It reduces blood pressure, blood flow and other problems.
Relaxation response techniques include silent repetition of a word, sound or phrase that has special meaning to you, while sitting quietly with good posture and eyes closed for 10 to 20 minutes. This should be done in a quiet, distraction-free place. Sitting is preferred over lying to avoid drowsiness. Relax your muscles starting with your feet and working your way up to your face. Breathe through your nose freely and naturally.
During a meditation session, you should ignore or put aside worries or intrusive thoughts to the best of your ability by focusing on the sound, word or phrase. When you're done, sit still, first closing your eyes and then opening them, and gradually allow your thoughts to return to everyday reality.

3. Meditation versus other stress relievers

Meditation takes discipline and commitment to make it a regular habit. Some people find it harder to stick to it as a habit than as methods of enlisting the help of someone or something outside for extra motivation. If you encounter the above problem, then the advice for you is to choose a meditation class to solve your problem.
People with physical limitations may find it easier to exercise than strenuous exercise to relieve stress. Plus, meditation doesn't require any special equipment.
Some people may find it more difficult to free their mind from the thoughts of the day. This can make it more difficult than methods that involve focusing on these events, like journaling, or distracting methods, such as exercise.
Meditation is completely inexpensive and has to be paid, you just need to learn about it thoroughly and you can do it yourself without asking for help from anyone.
Unlike some methods that use drugs or herbal therapies, meditation has few potential side effects.

4. How long should I meditate to relieve stress?

10 - 15 minutes is the ultimate goal but as a beginner, start with what you can on a consistent and long-term basis. A nice number is about 5 minutes for the first time and then gradually increase. Many people like to meditate twice a day, 10 - 30 minutes each time. To make it easy without distraction, you should set a timer for each such meditation.
Everything depends on your stress level and your amount of free time. Remember that it is difficult to get results right from the start. Just be consistent and keep meditating every day. You'll do much better before you know it.

5. Some things to keep in mind

5.1. Consistency is key

Consistent practice is more important than long-term practice. This means you should meditate for 5 minutes at a time, 6 times per week compared to 30 minutes per week. The former may calm your body's stress response several times a week, while the latter may calm your body into a deeper state of relaxation, but it will only reverse the stress response. your straight once.
Alternatively, you can stick with a regular meditation practice if you can start with short daily sessions rather than trying to find time for longer sessions to practice. Most likely this pressure will lead to you not finding the right time to meditate, thereby losing motivation to try.

5.2. Practice doesn't mean perfect

Regular practice is more important than "perfect" practice. This means that, instead of worrying too much about your sitting position, what technique to try when you sit, how long you sit, or what time of day you should just sit and meditate. Being too perfectionist for everything will take you more time to prepare and time to implement.

5.3. Your mind can lose focus

Paying attention and redirecting your thoughts back to the focus of the meditation (the breath, the present moment, or whatever you are choosing to focus on) is the real point of meditation.
If you don't know where to start, you can simply focus on listening to your breathing for five minutes. To do this, relax your body, sit comfortably, and pay attention to your breathing. If you find yourself thinking about other things, simply turn your attention back to the breath.
Another simple way is to count your breaths. As you inhale, count "one" in your head, and then count "two" as you exhale. Continue as you breathe and start over from "one" if you find yourself distracted by other thoughts.

5.4. Staying in the present is hard

Even those who practice meditation for a long time find it difficult. This is difficult even for those who have practiced meditation for a long time. It is completely normal and part of meditation. Therefore, do not be discouraged.

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Reference sources: webmd.com, verywellmind.com, betterme.world