Between balancing work, family, and other responsibilities, life can be stressful. And now more than ever, you may feel overwhelmed and concerned about the new coronavirus pandemic, which has affected the daily lives of millions of people. Although you can’t avoid everyday stressors, sometimes just pausing to breathe and rest your mind through meditation can be exactly what you need to relieve pressure.
Numerous studies have shown that meditation can be an effective tool for managing stress. In fact, science has even found that meditating can have a more lasting effect on stress reduction than rest and relaxation on vacation.
Mindfulness meditation
A broad term, mindfulness meditation encompasses techniques that train the mind to focus on compassionate, non-judgmental awareness of this moment as it is, here and now, and not as we want it to be or believe it should be.
Mindfulness can focus on bodily sensations, thoughts, feelings, sounds, images, or breathing . But focusing on breathing is particularly valuable in relieving stress.
The practice of paying attention to breathing in the belly activates the vagus nerve, which coils in the brain and sends a message of safety. In other words, it tells the part of the brain that it is constantly alert for danger that it is time to relax.
In fact, mindfulness meditation can even change your brain. A May 2013 study, published in PLOS ONE, examined people who practiced mindfulness, and their MRI scans indicated a reduction in the amygdala, the brain structure responsible for fight-or-flight and fear responses.
The researchers theorized that this could help explain why conscious people are less reactive to stress.
Even a brief mindfulness workout can have a major effect on how you manage stress. A March 2018 study, published in Mindfulness, found that meditators who completed 10 introductory mindfulness sessions (each approximately 10 minutes long) in a smartphone app reported less irritability and stress.
How to practice mindfulness meditation
- To start, find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. If you are sitting, make sure your back is relaxed but elongated, allowing freedom of movement for complete breathing. Close your eyes to bring your awareness inward.
- Start noticing the rise and fall of your breath without trying to change anything. Just be curious. Be aware of where you are most aware of breathing. Maybe it’s the nose, chest or belly. Just watch the movement and sensations for the next five to six breaths.
- Now place both hands gently on the belly to attract your attention there. Watch the belly expand like a balloon as you inhale and release and contract as you exhale. As best you can, stay focused on this movement and the sensations in the belly.
- Your mind will probably wander. That is what minds do. There is no need for judgment. Just notice that your mind has wandered and refocus on the next breath. Each breath offers an opportunity to start again.
Guided images
Guided imagery uses the power of imagination to calm the brain and body. And, believe it or not, conjuring up peaceful images in your mind can be quite effective in combating stress and negativity.
That is because our brain responds to our thoughts and imagination as if they were real. With guided imagery we can provide a quiet space and relief for the mind and body so they can relax, just as they would if you were really on an idyllic vacation.
In fact, a study published in the spring 2014 issue of Biofeedback found that a guided imagery exercise reduced participants’ levels of cognitive and emotional stress along with their heart rates.
How to practice guided image meditation
- Start by finding a comfortable place to lie down. Take a few deep breaths in the belly, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth with a sigh. With each breath, allow the body to free itself and relax on the floor below you.
- Now let an image of a quiet and relaxing place come to mind. This place can be real or imaginary. It can be indoors or outdoors. Maybe it’s a beach, mountain, forest, meadow or just curled up on a comfortable sofa in a cozy room, wherever you feel drawn.
- Your mind can bounce off different possibilities and that’s fine, but eventually allow yourself to settle into a space.
- Once there, use all your senses to fully enjoy your surroundings. See what’s around you: the light, the colors, the time of day, the time of year. Feel the temperature on your skin, maybe the breeze, the sun. Observe any familiar sounds, any familiar smells.
- Allow yourself to spend the next few minutes fully immersing yourself in the peace of this space.
Body Scan Meditation
The body scanner is a meditation that systematically moves through the body with intentional focus and curiosity, noticing any sensations that may or may not be present.
By tuning into the body and attending to its sensations, we step out of the stories of the mind, calm the nervous system, and deactivate the sympathetic fight-flight-freeze response that is amplified particularly in times of stress, uncertainty, and interruption.
Science has examined two types of body exploration meditation, one that emphasizes physical relaxation and the other conscious awareness , and found that both techniques were associated with stress reduction, according to a June 2018 study published in Psychosomatic Medicine.
However, another August 2012 study, published in Mindfulness, found that people who practiced body scanner meditation for three weeks reported an overall improvement in psychological well-being.
How to Practice Body Scanner Meditation
- Start by noticing the temperature of the hands. Observe the feeling of whatever the hand may be touching. Tune in to your fingertips and see if you may feel a tingling sensation. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. The point is not to judge or maintain expectations, but just to be curious.
- Now begin to raise your arm noticing any sensation in each segment of the arm: forearm, elbow, upper arm, and toward the shoulders.
- Moving to your neck, watch any tension there, breathing in what you find, not trying to change anything, but just concentrating with curiosity.
- Move your attention to the base of the skull, the back of the head, the top of the head and the forehead, again pausing and noticing the sensations.
- Shift your awareness to the eyelids, eyes and space behind the eyes. Observe the nose and the sensation of the air passing through the nostrils, perhaps even noticing which side of the nose is more open and receives more air. Look at the jaw, tongue, back of the throat, and the front of the neck.
- Shift your focus to the chest, becoming aware of the rise and fall of breathing, noticing areas of tightness or openness.
- Follow the breath and the sensations to the abdominal and abdominal region. Observe the rise and fall of the belly. See if you can feel your organs and the space around them.
- Scroll down to the pelvis and genitals, noticing the movement even here of breathing and any other sensations. Shift your focus to the upper legs, knees, legs, feet, and toes.
- Bring your leg back up to the sacrum, feel the weight of your body resting here and the movement with your breath.
- Move to the lower, middle and upper back, noticing areas of tension and tension and breathing in them.
- Finally, he returns to the arms and hands, noting how the sensations may or may not be different from when he started.
Conscious walk in nature
If you prefer the outdoors, you can practice another powerful meditation technique: conscious walking in nature.
Like other forms of meditation, walking in nature allows us to be fully present in our bodies and calms the nervous system. Spending time outdoors also reduces anxiety, boosts immunity, and improves mood.
A May 2019 study, published in Ecopsychology, found that people who strolled outdoors while practicing mindfulness reported a decrease in negative mood (and a greater connection to their surroundings).
How to consciously practice walking in nature
- Find a park or forest and start your walk by slowing down your movements and noticing that your body is moving through space.
- Focus on the sensation of your feet connecting to the ground, the movement of your legs, and the movement of your arms back and forth.
- Shift your focus and start tuning into the space around you with all your senses. See the colors and patterns of the sky, trees, grass, and flora.
- Listen to the sounds around you: the wind, the birds, the rustle of the leaves, the sound of your own breathing and the heartbeat creating a symphony.
- Smell the air, the trees, the flowers. It touches the texture of a tree or the ridges of a leaf. Feel the air, the sun and the wind on your skin.
- Allow all of your senses to be fully open and receptive.
Tips for starting a meditation practice
For starters, spend some time in shallow water before jumping to the bottom.
The best way to establish a practice is to start small. Maybe commit to practicing every day for just two minutes when you wake up to create a relaxing anchor for your day, and two minutes before bed to help you sleep.
From there, slowly add a little more time each week.
