If Only STRESS Wasn't A Problem

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by mariah26 on December 13, 2008 at 11:23am

LIFE is filled with worries, stress and agonies. Any family dispute, job difficulties or disappointment may generate stress or anxiety that results in muscle tension, disturbed sleep, poor concentration, tremors and dryness of mouth.

Once stress starts, it persist as the person is unable to get rid of it completely. In these situations, some people assume that they are having a heart attack or there is some kind of other serious ailment. For the treatment of the symptoms of stress or anxiety, people try various therapies but without much success. Initially, few remedies work for a while. Sometimes they get better and this is short-lived and anxiety still lingers in the background. Due to the attack of anxiety or panic, people have a hard time maintaining a stable and peaceful life. They may not be able to keep a job or continue their studies. Stress generally responds well to both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, but, unfortunately, only a few sufferers learn to manage it through self-help. One of the best coping strategies is meditation.

For scores of people, the idea of “meditation” is loaded with cultural or religious connotation, some of which are strange and disconcerting. Everyone is acquainted with the stereotypical image of several people at the top of a mountain, sitting in a cave or in the desert. These images are misleading to some extent. Meditation is not just for specialise persons, anyone can practice it. Meditation, creativity, dreams and may be even premonitions are said to be about tapping into the super conscious mind that may be like a cerebral Internet, or it may be a separate entity in itself, much more powerful than any of us, to which we are tenuously connected through our own individual subconscious minds.

This is very simple exercise and does not require expensive equipment or place; all that is required is that you breathe.

It is well known fact that our breathing pattern is closely attached with our psychological state of mind. When under stress, the breathing rate increases automatically and it becomes shallower. The affected person may even hyperventilate. On the contrary, in a relaxed state we breathe more slowly, regularly and deeper. What is interesting is that in a tense condition, by stopping for a while to pay attention to breathing, a person can send a signal to the mind to step down from a state of high alert. Meditation is, at its heart, simply stopping to observe our disturbed breathing and to produce a relaxed state both physically as well as mentally.

It sounds easy, doesn’t it? Undoubtedly, it is simple. But it is far from easy to concentrate on our breathing for more than a few seconds, without other intruding thoughts that comes in our mind. Try it right now: sit up straight, and focus on your breathing. See how long it is before you turn back to your thoughts, or began to worry about the work you need to do. Five seconds? Maybe ten? So how do we meditate?

First make sure that you are comfortable and are not going to be disturbed. Breathing is something that we tend to take for granted. Distracting thoughts will frequently come up. You should not try to repress these feelings, rather try to label them as “thoughts of boredom”, “thoughts of worries”, “thoughts of pain and agony “, “thoughts of boredom again” and then again focus on your breathing. With time and practice, you will find that the labelling of thoughts and turning back to concentrate on breathing becomes involuntary. With practice it will become easier to meditate for a long and extended period of time. The longer you meditate at a time, the quieter the distracting thoughts become, perhaps even to the point that we can watch our breathing with full concentration for many minutes at a time. At this point you may find a thoughtful sense of peace — and don’t forget to label “thought of peace” and return again to the breathing.

Meditation can be done anytime and anywhere, but the first rule in meditation is to find the appropriate time and place. As much as possible, the place should be free of distracting noises or other disturbances. Find only a few minutes, preferably twice a day. Most people find that the best time to meditate is early in the morning, before most of the world is awake. This requires a difficult commitment to get up every morning earlier. A person can take up any posture that suits him and can meditate lying down in bed, standing, sitting in a chair, sitting on the floor, even jogging or driving a car — but most people find that sitting upright in a comfortable, stable position, in a chair or on a cushion on the floor, is the best position.

Settled down in any comfortable chair, rest your head on the back of it and put your arms and hands where they are comfortable, place your feet, a little apart, on the floor. Turning your face to north may also be beneficial as it is claimed that some sort of magnetic rays are travelling from north to south that help generate peace and tranquillity. Now consciously relax your body, you may attach any word or phrase to relaxation, whenever you feel tension repeat the word or phrase that results in relaxation.

Now take a few deliberate, deep breaths through the nose, and allow the chest and abdomen to expand as much as they can. This will result in stretching of the diaphragm muscle, it also sends a signal to the brain and the body that it is time to pay attention to breathing. After a few moments, expel air from the mouth. After a few deep breaths, let your body breathe for you while you simply observe. Perhaps you will notice the sound of air moving through your nostrils and throat to the lungs or the rise and fall of the abdomen. You should pay special attention to any tension that restricts the free flow of the breath. As non-breathing thoughts arise, just label them and return to your breathing.

Meditation is an exercise that needs to be practised regularly, no one becomes an expert overnight. Practice this exercise when you feel relaxed and stress-free so that when you feel stressed, with the help of meditation you will be able to restore peace, calmness and tranquillity almost automatically with minimum effort and only in a few moments.

When people first start meditation, they may not find it beneficial at all. In fact, some people find that in the first few weeks of meditation, they worry more. This is because of all those distracting thoughts that arise as the person tries to focus on breathing well. But after a few weeks, the person may experience moments of deep relaxation during meditation. After a few months, they may begin to perceive that some of everyday things that use to disappoint are now not hard to deal with. Mental peace, produced through meditation, results in the ability to concentrate, thoughts become clearer and decision-making becomes easier. Emotionally, one feels quieter, calmer and confident.

The key to meditation is to practice, practice, and practice. After learning meditation gradually without any efforts on your part, your body and mind will relax, and you will feel peace and tranquillity in yourself and in the surrounding environment.

• ▶ Reply