We live in a very stressful world today – that would be the understatement of the year! The day I decided to write this article, the world once again was hit by the threat of yet another act of terrorism. Not only do we have the general day to day stresses, but we now have a threat even greater, one that promises to take away our free way of living.
Many people find raising a family and holding onto a well-paid job so stressful that their lives almost fall apart, they suffer bad health and just feel that they can’t cope.
So, how do we deal with the pressures and stress of life?
Meditation is not a miraculous cure for stress or any other illness for that matter it is simply, putting our mind into a relaxed state enabling us to understand and handle the stresses in our lives. The power of the human mind knows no boundaries and if we teach ourselves to control the way our minds work we can become more in charge of our daily lives.
Healthy soul and body
Using meditation to reprogram the mind is a step towards gaining a healthy soul and body. With regular meditation we can learn to relax, clear our mind of unwanted thoughts and focus on positive thoughts. Many of us need to learn about ourselves; why do we react the way we do to certain things; why do some things make us angry, why do other things make us happy or sad. By getting to understand our inner self, we can then start to change the things that cause us stress. Of course, we cannot always change events or happenings or avoid certain situations however, by learning to control our minds our reactions to those situations can be changed.
Control reactions
Meditation is one way to achieve control over our reactions, we can learn to accept people, situations, disappointments in a way that reduces the amount of stress we put on ourselves. Reducing stress not only makes our days seem brighter, but it goes a long way to preventing many stress-related illnesses, such as high blood pressure.
Learning how to meditate should never be a worrying experience. Instead, it should be approached calmly with an open mind and with no great expectations, to begin with. Many beginners find it almost impossible to empty their minds of thoughts and this is quite natural. Instead of becoming frustrated with persistent thoughts invading your meditation and you empty your frustrations on cushion, you should be aiming primarily for a state where you don’t give the thoughts and focus, just accept them and left them to drift away.
It is quite often helpful when starting to meditate to use a professionally recorded session. Always ensure you purchase from a well-known reliable source as the quality of these recordings can make or break your meditation experience. If you chose a recording that includes voice, you need to know that the voice actually assists you rather than annoying you.
Meditation has long been ignored as a therapeutic device in the West, but is now gaining favor as an effective treatment for a variety of conditions. This article will help you to understand the possible benefits of meditation and how you can access them.
Rewards And Benefits
Meditators experience a special state of consciousness — different from ordinary consciousness — where they feel an exalted sense of wellbeing, understanding, joy and serenity. They report a deepening awareness of life’s beauty and a powerful and intense sense of unity with all life.
It takes years of disciplined practice to achieve the greatest rewards (some of which are difficult to put into words), but it’s possible to start reaping benefits when just starting out.
Meditation may be helpful for those who have difficulty concentrating, breaking stubborn habits, or learning to relax. In addition, meditation may help with anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, chronic pain, anger and hostility, obsessive thoughts and low self-esteem. Meditation works as a self heeling for any kind of disease.
Mediation can be used as a therapeutic tool to help a client succeed in reaching therapeutic goals. Mindfulness meditation or Mindfulness app, for instance, has helped some clients to decrease depression.
Mindfulness therapy is a combination of cognitive therapy and mindfulness, and helps in reducing depression. It is not the mood that harms us, but the way we react to it. So, in mindfulness-based meditation we focus on altering our habitual reactions.
Or, meditation can be used as a general method of self-help, enhancing one’s inner horizons and leading to greater awareness and wisdom.
How To Learn
If you want to learn meditation to improve the overall quality of your life or as an anecdote for a particular condition or problem, you have several options:
1. Reading articles and books on meditation
2. Watching instructional DVDs
3. Taking meditation (or possibly) yoga classes
4. Working with a private instructor, teacher or coach
5. Engaging in counseling or therapy with a properly trained therapist
Meditation is worthwhile even if you have no special goal in mind. It is a restful and restorative experience that makes you feel so good, and one that can deepen your spiritual life.
Yet, meditation can be difficult for some people to learn because it involves sitting still and doing something they are not used to doing — quieting the busy, noisy mind and moving into the silence of inner spaces.
There are a number of methods used to gain successful meditation and you should choose the method you feel most comfortable with. Some people prefer the mantra chant while others choose soft relaxing music. Candles and/or incense can be helpful as a means of concentrating on something other than your thoughts.
Don’t keep putting it off, you will be so glad you decided to use meditation to either avoid or cope with the stresses in your life. When you become totally familiar with meditation you will be able to meditate almost anywhere, not just the cozy quiet relaxing corner you begin with. Probably the best thing about using meditation as a way of coping with stress – it is free and it is not drug therapy.
Meet the Author:
Rihanna holds a degree in health and fitness, has worked as a health instructor for over a decade at some very prominent health related organization and basically a writer by heart.Website: https://careactive.com/
