Introduction
Modern life forces people to think, act fast, and keep constantly in a survival mode. Since there is so much pressure on people to produce results in life from parents, education system, jobs, society in general, we tend to memorize most time efficient programs to rewire our subconscious minds into survival mode. Stress is a result of several factors, but being constantly in a survival/fear mode is a main reason why stress became a habit for modern day society.
Meditation as a powerful tool for managing and transforming stress
Meditation is a way to slow down from the fast pace we usually operate in, to slower mode where we can be more conscious of our experiences. Stress is caused by being in a fight or flight mode while opposite of it is rest, digestion mode, that occurs when we shift our Autonomous Nervous System from Sympathetic to Parasympathetic mode. In order for that shift to take place to reduce stress we must learn to become conscious of our nervous operating system through being more self aware.
Understanding Stress and Its Impact
Stress can be caused by many factors in our lives. It could be interaction with people, food, environment, thoughts of past or future or unhealed emotions for example. It has been proven in studies of epigenetics that the environment can influence our biology including genes, DNA, cell production. If we learn how to create an inner environment then we can logically change our biology and perception of what is stressful. Stress can make our immune system weaker, by signaling our cells in a wrong way. It can reduce our thinking capacity, emotional ability, and physical functioning by making us less energy efficient.
Chronic stress can cause many health deficiencies long-term. When we perceive our environment as stressful, we tend to produce more adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress related chemicals that deprive our bodies from healing correctly. Long-term effects can be psychological, physically influencing our ability to regenerate, communicate, think, feel, remember, enjoy life in general.
Common sources of stress in daily life
Common sources of stress in life are usually caused by our environment. Environment is created by what we feel, think, interact with, eat, perceive as real through our five physical senses. It can be a job, people, unhealthy habits, food we consume, pollution, our own thoughts and emotions.
The Science behind Meditation and Stress Reduction
Meditation has endless benefits for stress reduction. Some general increased benefits include: calmness, focus, compassion, memory, intuition, concentration, other positive emotions and thoughts. Meditation can scientifically heal stress by aligning our body systems. It can improve our immune, lymphatic, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, digestive systems. Immune system to release more white cells. Lymphatic system improves blood circulation. Cardiovascular systems slow heart rate. Respiratory system with more rhythmic breathing. Endocrine system to balance hormone levels. Digestive system to alter rest, digestion from fight,flight mode.
Physiological and psychological changes that occur during meditation
Many physiological benefits can occur based on scientific findings about meditation. Meditation can improve our physiology, psychology by making us less receptive to stress. Benefits for long term meditators include positive thoughts, emotions, mood, and a healthy body. Even meditators practicing short term, can experience many changes in their perceived environment by more positive thinking, feeling, taking a pause from everyday routines.
How meditation can rewire the brain and improve emotional resilience
There are many scientific findings there proving that meditation can improve our emotional resilience, brain functions. Some of those findings are being advocated by Dr. Joe Dispenza one of pioneers in brain research, neuro-chemistry field. He claims that meditation can improve our neuro hardware, neurochemistry. According to Dr. Joe Dispena we can rewire our neuro hardware, neuro chemistry by creating and using new neural pathways. Habit is a subconscious condition when body does something better than mind. Learning is making new neural pathways in our brains by acts of meditation, visualization, other positive habits. Practicing is putting those new neural pathways to work. Neurons that fire wire together according to Dr. Joe Diezpenza. Therefore we can rewire our neuro chemistry by aligning ourselves to desired reality through learning, practicing.
Different Meditation Techniques or tips for Stress Reduction
Meditation techniques such as mindfulness, guided meditation, and loving-kindness meditation
Mindfulness Meditation, guided meditation, and loving kindness can reduce stress in our lives. Mindfulness is practicing self awareness by being consciously present. Guided meditation can be done alone or in a group to elevate our thoughts, emotions through slowing down. Conscious presence can result from guided meditation, mindfulness shifting us from fear survival mode to loving, kindness, compassion state where we can generate more energy for ourselves and others to share with.
How each technique works and its specific benefits for stress reduction
Mindfulness can be practiced by doing different things. Even though meditation is one of those things, it can also be experienced through walking, exercising, reading or performing daily day activities by being more present at what we do. Guided meditation specifically focuses on taking us to slower brain waves therefore achieving higher states of self awareness, mindfulness by making us more conscious. Guided meditation can be practiced in multiple ways through mantras, group meditations, visualization, breathing and so on. Loving-kindness can also elevate our emotions and thoughts by making us more compassionate to the surrounding environment. Love is a state of energy in balance. In order to project loving-kindness, compassion we have to learn to generate, share positive energy within us first.
Tips for incorporating meditation into daily life, including finding the right time and creating a comfortable space
Meditation practice can be incorporated in less busy times of our daily calendars. Since our brains tend to shift to Beta wave – analytical, survival mode during day times while morning and evening we tend to be in Alpha brain wave state after, before sleep, then meditation can be more effective when our brains are in slower brain wave state. Our homes should be adopted to become comfortable for meditating. Since we tend to wake up, fall asleep in our beds then logically one should meditate close to those times, physical locations. Meditation tips such as setting up your room to be clean, free of noise will add comfort to your meditation practice. One can use different forms of imagery, sound at home to bring more inspiration to their practices.
Steps to Transform Stress into Serenity through Meditation
Step-by-step guide on how to practice meditation for stress reduction
Meditation can be done in many different ways whether alone or in a group. Deep meditation where we enter slower brain waves will be most beneficial for our mind, body and stress handling in the process. It is recommended to focus on slow conscious breathing, visualization, mantras in some cases to achieve those healing modes, where we can become conscious of old subconscious patterns.
Also Read: Mantra Meditation and its Benefits
Techniques for calming the mind, focusing on the present moment, and cultivating inner peace
There many different techniques one can use for calming mind, focus, cultivating inner peace. Meditation is a direct way to experience those things. Another way is deep slow breathing in for five seconds and breathing out for five seconds. Some other ways include body movements like tai chi, yoga, chi gong.
Tips for dealing with challenging thoughts and emotions during meditation
If challenging thoughts, emotions arise in meditation practice it is recommended not to fight those but simply observe them consciously and bring attention back to our body. If you attempt to fight those thoughts, emotions you simply create a counter ego to your already existing ego. By bringing attention back to our palms, back, head or other parts of the body we shift energy back to conscious awareness. Come back to deep, slow breathing and bringing attention back to your palms to bring focus back from wandering thoughts, emotions, external distractions.
Integrating Meditation into a Balanced Lifestyle
Role of meditation as part of a holistic approach to stress management
Meditation is a holistic most natural way to reduce stress in our lives. It has been known in the East for centuries, to be a natural way to bring alignment to our body systems, mind, emotions. Meditation puts us in an alignment with our planet, energy systems around us, internal physical functions that our Autonomous Nervous System performs. Our planet has electro-magnetic field that influences the ecology, physical environment we live in. Just like our planet, we have electro-magnetic field supported by our bio field to function. By being in alignment with earth electro-magnetic field we increase our own energy vitality. Increased energy levels means elevated thoughts, emotions, less stress in our lives.
Tips for combining meditation with other healthy habits such as exercise, proper sleep, and healthy nutrition
Exercise, sleep, and healthy nutrition can all be beneficial for improving meditation experience. Without proper sleep meditation is not possible. Exercise can be a natural way to train your posture for meditation, help your muscles to keep your body in check, improve heart function, better your breathing for example. Healthy eating habits will result in more vitamins, more energy to improve our physicality. Less acidic, organic food that contains more enzymes will help with digesting more energy for the body to receive. Food that contains less organic energy will be of less benefit to our body. Proper sleep, more exercising, healthier food will add extra energy input to our meditation practice.
Importance of consistency and commitment to a meditation practice
Just like exercising you can not see immediate results in meditation unless practiced on a regular basis. In order to achieve calmness, concentration, elevated states of emotions, and positive thoughts, we must make meditation consistent in our lives. If we stay more committed to practice, then results will become more visible. What we focus on grows, therefore meditation practice is an input for increased multiple benefits mentioned.
Conclusion
Since stress is a result of many factors but mostly the inner environment that we create, it can be cured or at least helped with meditation. Based on the meditation tips and many benefits mentioned above, scientific studies, we can improve our personal practices to modify our thoughts, emotions to eliminate stress from our lives. Meditation raises our energy levels to deal with stress, fear, and unpredictable outside factors. It can be used as an anchor similar to one in a boat drifting in the sea. Sometimes waves can be high or low tide but an anchor can keep us steady regardless of the weather. Meditation can be that anchor of mindfulness, self awareness, conscious navigation through all changing weather journeys in our lives.