If you don’t deal with stress timely, it takes a toll on your mental and physical health. There are several stress-management tools that you can incorporate into your daily time. You must have a healthy routine and diet to cope with stress.
Talking about your problems and stressors to a therapist can also help you deal with stress. Reuben Burke is an outstanding Therapist. San Rafael residents can benefit from his practice at Black Minds Matter Psychotherapy. Here, people can receive therapy for coping with stress, anxiety, and depression via personalized treatment plans for individual needs.
Waking up in time, eating healthy, cutting down on carbs, and making exercise a part of your daily routine are things that not only have a positive impact on your productivity and performance throughout the day but also help you cope with stress
Studies have shown that meditation is also a great way of dealing with stress. According to a survey, meditating over 10 days reduces stress by 14%.
This blog covers what meditation is and how it helps reduce stress.
What Is Meditation?
People often associate meditation with turning off all their thoughts and feelings. While in fact, it is quite the opposite. While you meditate, you learn to observe your feelings and thoughts without judgment, which later on helps you understand and cope with them. It enables you to develop your awareness of the present moment.
Meditation is a skill that requires a lot of practice. It involves sitting in a relaxed position and focusing on one particular thought. You can focus on your breathing, counting, or a mantra. While you meditate, you must relax your mind and concentrate on that one thing while clearing the rest. All you have to do is find a quiet space, close your eyes and focus on breathing.
Steps Involved in Meditation
Meditation is a great way to relax your mind and block out all the negative thoughts that cause you stress. Here are a few steps you can follow to meditate for stress management.
1. Find a Quiet Corner
Before starting, you must ensure that the place is quiet to allow complete focus and concentration. Put your phone on silent and remove all distractions.
2. Focus on Your Breathing
For beginners, this is an excellent way to practice meditation. Practice deep and even-paced breathing. Take in more oxygen as you break in.
While doing this, ensure that you reduce the use of your shoulders, neck, and upper chest muscles. This will allow for more relaxed and efficient breathing
3. Correct Your Posture
While you are meditating, it is essential to maintain a proper posture. Keep your shoulders broad and back straight, and ensure that you are comfortable enough.
4. Focus on a Particular Thought
Allow thoughts and feelings to pass through your mind, but without judgment. Focus on one particular thing and try to relax your mind. You can repeat a calming word in a low tone to allow complete focus. You can even concentrate on a specific thought or phrase to prevent distractive thoughts.
You will feel a calmer and more relaxed state as you practice this. Be consistent, and you will notice a decrease in your stress and anxiety level.
Ways in which Meditation Reduces Stress
Here are five ways in which meditation is excellent for stress management.
- Meditation relaxes your mind and frees it from all stressful thoughts. It helps you connect to a place of inner strength, reducing stress overall. It allows you to put away all the negative thoughts and emotions that crowd your mind and negatively impact your mental and emotional well-being.
- Meditation is like active training for the mind. It trains your mind to focus all the attention on achieving a calm mental state with positive and happy emotions. With consistency, this is known to reduce stress.
- Studies have proven that meditation reduces activity in the “Me Center” of the brain. It reduces all the negative thoughts in our minds, and our brain wanders and self-reflects. The default mode network or DMN is responsible for our reason walking when not doing anything. Meditation reduces this activity.
- Mediations allow you to distinguish between things that require your attention and emotions to be invested in and the things that are not worth your thoughts. This clarity gives you a sense of relief you no longer spend extra time pondering over things that cause you stress.
- Meditation also increases our brain’s resources and ability to change and adapt to things in life which significantly reduces stress.
Conclusion
If you are looking for ways to cope with stress, assess your routine and cut down on unhealthy habits. A healthy practice makes for a healthy mind that eventually becomes critical for dealing with stress. Understand and navigate through feelings that cause you stress with the help of a therapist. San Rafael and Orlando residents can trust psychotherapist Rueben Burke’s experience and expertise in such matters.
Reuben Burke is an excellent therapist who will help you cope with stress. If you want to deal with anxiety and stress, Black Minds Matter Psychotherapy provides a safe place for black people where you can share your thoughts, knowing your therapist has your best interest in mind.
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