Don’t Let Stress Control You: The Benefits of Meditation

By Delores L. Mason

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When was the last time you got upset about something? If you’re like most people, you can count off in hours—maybe minutes—instead of days. Life seems to be filled with stressful moments, from navigating your way through rush hour traffic to working alongside impatient colleagues to managing children that selectively choose to no longer understand the language you’re speaking. Stress and tension are a part of life.

Paying attention to your well-being is essential to a healthy, balanced and fulfilling life. If you’re like most people, you don’t take care of yourself, and that means you can’t do a good job of taking care of your loved ones. Well-being isn’t about eliminating stress from your life. It’s about learning ways to help you manage the stress in your life.

One of the best gifts you can give yourself is to find and practice ways to soothe your mind, body, heart and spirit. Meditation is an age-old, effective way to do just that. Many people hear the word “meditation” and immediately picture themselves sitting cross-legged in a vast field of flowers or on an isolated beach contemplating the universe. That is one way to do, but for most people with busy lives and hectic schedules, that image feels like an impossible dream. It discourages people from taking advantage of this proven method for learning how to calm yourself during tension-filled moments and taking control of how you respond to stress.

Meditation is a process for you to gain awareness of your present moment—a respite from the dozens of thoughts racing through your mind, the turbulent emotions trying to rise up, and the physical tension that leaves you feeling stiff and uncomfortable all day long. You can learn to meditate whether you have a few minutes, ten or a half hour to spare every day.

Humans are emotional beings. Your brain is wired to trigger your feelings before your logical, thinking self can catch up. When you respond emotionally to any tense situation, you’re less likely to make sound decisions or have the presence of mind to listen and understand the message someone else is trying to convey to you.

Through the practice of meditation, you can teach your body and emotions to synch faster with your rational thoughts. If you practice daily, the ability to manage stress will become an unconscious act—something you won’t even have to think about to engage self-soothing and encourage rational thought.

Deep breathing is one of the simplest types of meditation. When you’re feeling threatened, blood is directed to your heart, lungs and muscles in preparation for confrontation or escape. This phenomenon is called the “fight of flight” response. It served us well back when we had legitimate predators to fear. It doesn’t serve us as well today when we’re stuck in the middle of a traffic jam. There is no real predator, and yet your brain responds as if there is a physical threat. You’ve probably witnessed an example of “road rage” or struggled to control the impulse in yourself to become confrontational and aggressive or to find a way to escape the situation.

It only takes a couple of minutes a day of deep breathing (inhaling for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 2 seconds and exhaling for 4 seconds) to reap the benefits of learning to calm yourself during stressful times. Deep breathing calms your racing heart and encourages normal blood flow back to the brain, fueling your ability to be rational, logical and make better decisions.

There is a variety of meditation methods accessible to you for practicing. The short- and long-term benefits have been studied and confirmed by psychology and medical experts for years. Passive meditation is generally done while sitting down, focusing your thoughts on one thing to calm your hyperactive brain. Active meditation includes activities like yoga and T’ai Chi where your body performs slow, repetitive motions while you focus on breathing and calming your thoughts. Mindful meditations often combine specific goals you can focus on like envisioning your ideal future, developing your self-awareness or strengthening your positive outlook on life. You can learn more about these types of meditation on sites like http://www.2YourWell-Being.com and find other valuable resources as well.

You have tons of activities to choose from and are bound to find what fits your life and your lifestyle. Go online and you’ll find hundreds of resources available to you. Choose one or more meditation activities that work for you and make the time to practice daily. The greatest benefit is making meditation an unconscious habit—the normal way you respond to stress. Over time, you may find that your body, heart and mind crave that break in the day from all the hustle and bustle of life.

Disruptive emotions like fear, anxiety, insecurity and envy will not control your actions when you take steps to manage your response to tension-filled situations. Give yourself the gift of well-being. Invest time and effort in living a balanced, healthy life. Adopt a meditation practice that helps you manage your life’s stress so you can give your full attention and love to the people you care about.