Meditation to get rid of stress?

[Gladiolus23]

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[joonage]

Took me the longest time to see that this was mediTation and not mediCation.

Don't know much about meditation but I've heard focusing on your breathing is an important part. Take slow deep breaths and focus only on your breathing while zoning everything out around you.

Also, perhaps meditation doesn't work for you cause of too much energy. Maybe go running or participate in a sport, which many people do to relieve their stress. I, for one, like to cook to relieve stress. Pretty much, you just need to find something that works for you. If meditation isn't work, try finding something else!

 

[Ismet]

Meditation is not for everybody. Everyone has their own methods for getting focused and relieving stress. Some people exercise, some people play music, some people play video games, etc. If you really want to try meditation or something similar, maybe check out yoga? I did yoga up until I broke my ankle several months ago, and it combines a good workout with stretching, breathing, and usually guided meditation at the end. I always feel amazing after a class, refreshed and ready to take on the day. Find a place to do yoga near you, or there are several websites that offer free yoga classes online.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I meditate daily, if only for ten or fifteen minutes. It helps me to open up my mind for a bit and just soak in the environment.

 

[deleted407021]

I have practiced regular meditation for about 5 years. I never get very stressed out and I am able to handle stressful situations with calm efficiency. It is a very good skill to have IMO.

You don't necessarily have to focus on breathing, but that is a common point people like to concentrate on because steady breathing is important for proper meditation. I just let my body perform that finction automatically. I like to listen to music through good headphones and use that as my focal point. I recommend Eric Whitacre's Light and Gold Chior music. Some people like to sit. I prefer Shavasana (corpse pose) . This is a laying yoga pose and is fine for breathing. I relax every skeletal muscle in my body one by one. The eyes and the wings of the nose are important and can be tough to keep relaxed. I let gravity help me. Look online for detailed instructions about how to perform Shavasana.

I listen to the music and let my mind relax and slowly focus on the sound. It is not so much a concious endeavor to relax you mind as it is a natural one. It will happen if you let it. Once I reach the point where I am consumed by the music, I can begin to examine it in detail. In a meditative state, I can isolate and follow several different musical parts (instruments, chords, voices) at one time. I can't really do this outside of that state. I can let this go one for as long as I want, though my focus can break with the end of the piece. When I finish, I feel as if I just woke up from a good sleep. It takes practice, but it is worth the little bit of effort. It has a real world impact on how you deal with stress. Good luck!

TL DR Listen to music and chill.

 

[Gauss44]

I did it before the MCAT and it worked wonders. I hired a psychologist for some guided meditation and used youtube videos like this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPm4w4YckoU, to reduce some short term test anxiety. I would just relax, exhale slowly, listen, and visualize. For me, the more relevant the words in the mediation, and the more articulate the speaker, the easier it is to pay attention.

 

[tewpac]

When trying to go about meditating for the first time, often you will have a very difficult time trying to calm your mind. No one is expecting to you to reach a state of enlightenment or become the next Buddha, only be consistent.

What works for me is waking up 30 minutes earlier than when I would normally wake up. I know for these thirty minutes I do not have anywhere to be and it is early in the morning so I will not be interrupted. Pick a time that works for you and stick with it.

As far as being able to sit for extended periods of time, find some meditation techniques that interest you and try them out; you're in what I like to call your trial and error period until you find something that works for you. I personally go for breathing techniques that help release tension and slow the heart rate down. When my mind starts to shift, I focus on my breathing. Become aware of your body, feel the air entering through your nose, imagine the path it takes through your body; feel your heart beat, imagine your blood flowing to each limb.

When I first started, I could barely sit for five minutes. That's perfectly normal, just stick with it. Eventually you'll find yourself able to take a step back from your mind and just watch your thoughts flow like movie reel.

Also, the day you don't feel like meditating, is the most important day to meditate.

 

[Cartoons]

I haven't tried controlled breathing or anything, but I like to get lost in the woods and the like for a while. Spending a few hours with dirt and grass and raccoons does wonders in the way of putting the world in a romantic perspective.

Maybe I'm just a granola person at heart, but it's hard to stay stressed while you're loafing around an ecosystem that's happy to go on without you and your business thank you very much.

It's probably worth it to just get a quiet room and even out for a few minutes every day, though! We're living in a high-paced society on a high-strung track to a job, after all.

 

[ChiapetBrownie]

Depends on the person. I tried meditation but sleep seems to provide much more gratification. I do take about a minute a deep breaths staring at the ceiling when I first wake up though, that's always nice.

 

[cookiemonsters]

I have tried meditation but I think it only works on Asian people.

 

[Varaneka]

www.brainsync.com has excellent mp3s and one on stress relief called stress-free forever

you can sample it on youtube here and here is the headphone version full length

good luck!

meditation saved my life