E Magazine: Meditation- A Form of Stress Relief
Stress is an inevitable part of life. No one person is going to be calm all the time, and as we go through every new experience, we also go through periods of stress, whether it be positive of negative.
However, mental health disorders due to stress and anxiety have become largely prevalent in recent times, and especially in the adolescent community. Why is this happening? How can we treat it? What can we do to prevent it?
The answer to many of these plaguing questions lies in what we do on a daily basis. Most of us have a rigorous school day, followed by hours of homework, extracurricular activities, and making time for friends. And any one of these aspects of our life have the potential to cause stress: falling grades, doing poorly in a competition, or having conflicts with your friends and peers. However, I would like to introduce you to a simple and effective way to reduce stress in your daily life: the art of mindfulness through meditation and yoga.
Most people, when they hear these terms, immediately think of difficult poses, flexibility, and discipline. True, you must work hard and constantly to achieve a level of mental peace, but it is not as complex as you might think. In fact, simply dedicating 10 minutes a day for meditation can benefit your mind immensely.
When my mom first introduced the idea of meditation to me, I was, needless to say, not a fan. I knew that I was under a lot of stress, but I thought that taking short Netflix breaks was enough to calm my mind. Then, as my mom pointed out to me, I realized that even watching something uses your mind: your eye receptors are taking in the information, your brain is processing it, and your neurons are constantly firing, if you want to put in a scientific context. In fact, every so-called relaxing activity utilizes your brain: listening to music, exercising, reading a book, you name it. The only two that truly put your mind at rest are sleeping and meditating; and, as it is impractical to fall asleep for brief periods in the day, I highly recommend meditation as a means of coping with your stress.
The first step to meditation is adding it to your schedule. And I don’t mean when you can; I mean as a daily, or almost daily routine. Every morning, you can get up, brush your teeth, and before you do anything else, meditate. Personally, I like to shower before, and so sometimes I practice meditation in the evenings after my daily shower. It’s up to you when you want to include it, but you have to make it consistent; otherwise, you will forget about it, because it takes time and constant effort for any new habit to stick.
The second step is actually doing it! Make sure that for 10-15 minutes, you are not thinking about anything else, except for meditating. Be in the moment, focus on where you are right now, not where you have been, or where you’re going to be, and concentrate on the task at hand. Clearing your mind of what’s happening in the world around you helps to bring you into the mindset required for meditation.
And lastly, I will guide you through a simple beginner’s meditation routine that you can begin with in your journey to mental health and strength:
Make sure you are in a dark or dimly lit room, with no one around you and no distractions or noises. Your mind needs to be in a state of isolation.
Sit down on a flat surface, and keep your back straight. Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths to get started: count 4 inhale, count 4 hold, count 4 exhale
Continue taking deep, slow breaths and keep your mind blank. Do your best not to think about anything, except for your inhalations and exhalations.
Once your mind is relatively at rest, turn your thoughts towards yourself: Think about every part of your body, and trace your gratitude from your toes up to your head: thank your feet for carrying your body and allowing you to move, thank your knees for bending and enabling you to walk, run, and exercise, thank your stomach for digesting and taking in all the food you eat, etc. Gratitude is an essential part of meditation and mindfulness; it allows you to focus on the good in your life
Once you have finished tracing your body, once again empty your mind of any thoughts besides your slow breaths, and once you are ready, open your eyes.
I hope you are able to use this to better your mental health and find happiness in your life!
Happy Meditating!