Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress Reduction

Are you still in search of stress managing practices or methodologies? Wait, here all your questions about stress, its causes and reduction strategies will be answered clearly.Do you know? A  stress hormone Cortisol is produced in your body when you go through any physical or mental stress condition. But you surely don’t know that this Cortisol promotes a chemical cytokines, which disturbs your sleep first of all then increases your blood pressure and in result you face depression and anxiety. Many of you take pills and consider it the best remedy but it is harmful. Taking stress relieving pills will cause you more harm. Come to meditation. It’s also a very popular practice to reduce stress. Its benefits are amazing and have no side effects. Do you want to know about meditation? OK, You have to train yourself to focus your mind and thoughts. It is not a hard task. Recent researches introduce a new method called Mindfulness Meditation. It is also practiced by many people and proved a magical solution to your stress.

Mindfulness and Meditation improves your capability to handle depression easily by limiting the cytokines and it  helps you to stop negative thoughts in your mind. Negative thoughts are the straight way towards anxiety. So, by knowing yourself through self inquiry can play a vital role in stress management. 

Understanding Stress and Its Impact   

What is Stress?

Let’s understand stress! Your body is a complete systematic machine. It receives different signals through your surroundings and is directly affected by stimuli such as any grief, any sudden trauma, any traffic jam, any fear of being insulted, any fear of leaving someone special, the illness of any dear one, low income, high expenditures. These are some stimuli which actually trigger stress in your mind and body. Any one of these can trigger the production of inflammatory stress causing hormones in your body. These hormones cause negative thoughts, disturb your focus, cause fatigue and cardiovascular disorders.

Actually, when you face any unexpected situation, fight and flight system of your body comes into action and produces hormones which make you capable of going through those stress and unpleasant situations safely. This system is helpful and beneficial for your safety and survival. But the recurring and frequent shocks of fight and flight mode can put you in difficulty. The increased level of stress managing hormones leads you to anxiety, irritability, depression, insomnia and digestive disorders. Some these have been discussed below in detail;

Negative Impacts of Stress

Digestive Disturbance: Stress may cause harm to your digestion system. your autonomic nervous system directly stops the functioning stomach, increases heart rate and breathing rate during this your stomach is filled with acid and leads you towards heartburn which ultimately affects your hunger and you lose appetite. Your liver under stress release more sugar in your blood which may sometimes not be handled by your body hormones and thus your body under stress conditions suffer from diabetes.

Sex problems: Long term or short term chronic stress is  dangerous for male sex stamina and health. In men, stress causes the low production of testosterone hormone which results in limited sperm production and infertility and leads towards  impotency. It may increase the risk of infection in male gonads.

In females, stress may cause early menopause. Chronic stress is the cause of disturbed menstruation and severe period pain.

Mindfulness is A Path to Stress Reduction

Mindfulness is the sense of awareness of Right or Wrong and it is achieved  by the collaboration of our thoughts and body response. When you  meditate with a peaceful mind and go deep into your thoughts while thinking about a specific incident, you judge it on merit. You  just see your present activities and not consider the past.

Roots of Mindfulness are found in Buddhism. But in recent centuries it has prevailed in American and British societies rapidly. In 1979, the University of Massachusetts, had launched a program of Mindfulness meditation technique under the supervision of Kabath-Zinn. He introduced many useful mindfulness technique to reduce stress. Since that time, after some successful experimentation, this technique has been implemented in schools, hospitals and prisons as well.

Techniques of Mindfulness enables a person under stress to get rid of past memories and make it possible focusing on future thoughts. Furthermore, it develops the sense of acceptance of the present without judging that negatively. Having patience, living in present and making your senses strong are the main goals of mindfulness. There Are many mindfulness techniques followed by people  now a days but the best ones are Mindful Breathing and Body Scan.  These two terms are interconnected,  while performing these you will sit calmly at a quiet place and inhale deep through your nose, feel the sensation of your body, then release air through nostrils slowly and make your body muscles relax  after this you will must feel more comfortable and reduce irritation. Good sensations can help you to be focused  more and more on your breathing . This practice will involve your full attention. In the body scan mechanism, you keep an eye on every single part of the body, any feeling of pain , comfort or aches is noticed by your mind and body. It is the best way not to relieve the pain but also to release tensions.

Science and Mindfulness have close relations. At Massachusetts General Hospital, an experiment has been performed on many people having stress problems. Some people were treated with cognitive behavioral therapy and some other were given medication. Results were surprising  people who practiced mindfulness felt more satisfaction. 

Meditation: A Tool for Stress Management  

What is meditation? It involves a repeated pattern of being focused by your mind and redirecting your thoughts as well. Researches show that meditation is the way to promote calmness and peace in your body and mind. It also helps to reduce anxiety and stress. It may be like concentration within yourself. Some Historians found its roots nearly 3000 BC. But, studies show that its roots meet with a Hindu sector Vadentism. Some researches reveal Meditation is a Latin word meaning to ponder.

Different Meditation Practices include Mindfulness, Yoga, Walking Meditation, Guided Meditation, Zazen, Transcendental Meditation and Loving kindness Meditation. These are some famous kinds of meditations. 

Mindfulness Meditation is actually an approach of living in the present with positive thoughts.

Loving and Kind Meditation means to spend time memorizing your beloved person. By sitting at a lonely place, breathing gently thinking about your beloved one will give you great comfort.

Transcendental Meditation is the practice to repeat some type of mantra or words for some time to seek comfort. Nowadays, people are more aware. They know which technique is good and which has side effects. So, many people have stopped to believe in medication for stress management.

In the modern era people consider that Meditation is the best and the most comfortable technique of stress management. It is the most popular technique because meditation reduces stress by improving your focus and memory. It triggers the brain to produce relaxing waves throughout your body.

The Synergy of Mindfulness and Meditation 

Mindfulness and Meditation are two sides of the same picture. How closely related? Let’s know about these two phenomenon. Actually, mindfulness supports meditation and meditation adds up in mindfulness. Both are beneficial to improve your focus, make your systems relax, and promote awareness in yourself. Though it is proven that people practicing meditation  have more mindfulness and more power to stop thinking negatively. Mindfulness and meditation both work together more effectively to keep your thoughts in present and to keep your actions non judgmental. Here is an example for you to understand this synergy. When you exercise you pay full attention to each and every muscle of your body. You may be able to point out any discomfort in any muscle during exercise. Even you can identify the aches or pain in stretching any muscle. But if you think about other life matters during exercise you will just workout and nothing else will be in your mind. 

You can easily incorporate mindfulness and meditation in your life. 

• First of all, take a comfortable start with breathing.
• Start meditation during your routine chores.
• Start meditation early in the morning.
•  Don’t forget to meditate before sleeping.
• Meditate regularly to achieve your goal.

Additional Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation 

It is obvious that the psychological condition of awareness and focus will prove best for managing stress. Mindfulness and meditation both are the best source to provide this facility. No one can find more easier way to relax other than this.

Improved Emotional Well Being: No doubt that meditation and mindfulness decrease emotional reactivity to enhance emotional well being. Researchers have discovered through a series of experiments that people who meditate with mindfulness have more tendency to let it go from bad incidents and situations.

Better Sleep and Concentration:

Studies show that stress disturbs your sleep and concentration. Meditation and mindfulness work together to keep your mind peaceful, help to forget terrible and irritating incidents. This makes you sleep better. Good sleep promotes energy and a good mood. All of these results in concentration enhancement. By practicing mindfulness, you will make yourself a self- observer which enables you to be in the present moment. This quality will also promote your cognitive skills.

Managing Anxiety and Depression:  If you practice mindfulness meditation, it will reduce stress in your body and mind. Through different studies, we have concluded that this therapy raises positive thoughts and decreases depression and anxiety. The researchers have found that the participants of an experiment who were practicing  mindfulness meditation have less tendency to be stressed or pressurized. They have less anxiety as compared to control group.

Getting Started with Mindfulness and Meditation 

At first everything seems to be tough to start but routine setting is the key to success. Similarly, if you want to meditate with mindfulness you have to do some things to get in touch with this practice. Never lose your temperament, be patient and think about your  goal. What is your aim? You want to have a relaxing life without stress. So, let’s start mindfulness meditation.some things you have to to keep in mind, in this regard

Choose A Suitable Practice to Meditate: According to your choice. Choose an activity which refreshes you most.

When you start meditation, you will not need any more gear. It is not expensive. Just select a practice of your choice and get started.

A complete flowchart to follow is here,

Perfect Place: Find a seat for you in a peaceful area

Time Duration: Select a limited duration at first, so that you may concentrate keenly. After some days you can increase the duration. But time selection is very important. You have to follow it carefully.

Use Your Senses: When you have a seat, sit on it calmly and quietly. Feel your body position. Concentrate on every organ of the body. Try to understand any irritation, if there.

Breathing: Now, start gentle breathing. Feel inhaling and exhaling sensations.

Focus :Observe carefully the moment when your mind starts to wander and your thoughts get scattered.

Patience: Don’t panic. It’s natural. Deal your mind gently and start again.

Kindness for Yourself: After some time, open your eyes, look around smoothly, feel any interruption or sound in your surroundings and now again focus on your thoughts.

Practice: Try try again. Concentrate on your thoughts, bring your mind back to meditation again and again with patience. Control your wandering thoughts to get the best results.

Books, Apps and Online Resources for Guidance: Mindfulness and Meditation are two helpful strategies to limit your work stress. Many obstacles may you face in learning and starting meditation but the use of modern and digital technologies can make it easier for yourself. Books, mobile apps and online sources are available for your guidance. Some expert’s favorite apps for mindfulness meditation: 

• One-moment meditation is a graphic app for meditation.
• Art of being Human is another helpful app for mindfulness guidance
• ACT Coach is only an iPhone app, managing your interaction with other people interested in mindfulness.

Incorporating Mindfulness and Meditation into Your Routine 

Here are some guidelines for you to incorporate Mindfulness and Meditation in your routine life:

• Be thankful to others
• Keep an eye on your body health
• Observe your heart and other organs working
• Make Your five senses sharp
• Take regular exercise
• Focus on breathing
• Control your scattered thoughts
• Stop wander with your mind
• Eat with mindfulness

Do you know meditation is not a temporary or day to day task.it is a regular practice. It should be involved in your daily routine work.there are a variety of techniques to include meditation in your routine. You can n meditate while doing routine chores, while walking, while breathing, while taking exercise, while listening to music.

Tips for Consistency:

•  Maintain your daily habit
• Choose the practice which you would perform alone
• Try to beware of yourself
• Be gentle to your wandering mind

Conclusion 

Meditation and mindfulness are the two  practices to relieve your stress. These are the most  convenient and approachable strategies for stress reduction. These can be included in your daily routine easily. Both the methodologies need only concentration on your body and mind without any external aid. Just for guidance you can use some guidance sources through books or online programs of your choice, otherwise these two practices are free of cost and have no side effects. These techniques help you to reduce stress and get rid of medication which may harm your nervous system.

Mindfulness And Meditation are examples of therapy by yourself. Of course, it is 100 percent correct because while you meditate your blood pressure, pains, aches, and depression goes down. It influences your heart rate directly. As a result, a smooth heart rate lowers the oxygen consumption and also decreases the carbon dioxide concentration in blood. It is a simple therapy which is actually the healing process of your body muscles.