Meditation To Relieve Tension and Stress

The stresses and strains of everyday life can bring with it a variety of emotional health problems. These can include depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritability and panic attacks. In this article I write about each of these potential problems and suggest solutions to overcome them.

I am sure that we all become depressed at different times of our life, I certainly do. It is easy to let things and people get us down. We can start to feel sorry for ourselves and to think that the world is working against us.

The brain has two halves, positive and negative. In these periods of depression the negative side assumes control and it can become very hard to get out of this rut.

I see the positive side of my brain as an apple and the negative side as a pear. If I only ever eat pears, I will not be able to experience the joy of eating apples. In short I have to give the positive side a chance to help me to reach a state of happiness and I need to learn to ignore the negative.

Anxiety and panic attacks

At times people start becoming anxious about their future or even about their present situation. This can in certain cases even lead on to panic attacks.

In my opinion worrying does not help the situation, it only makes things worse. I have to say that I do worry and that the cloud of doom does descend over my life at regular intervals. When this occurs I try very hard to break the cycle and I even talk to the demons in my head. I have a battle of wills with them. I tell them that they will not win and that I will not stress anymore. This is not that simple but is what I try to do.

Insomnia

Having trouble with sleeping at night can happen for a number of reasons, the main one of which is stress. Other causes are snoring, an intake of too much caffeine, a noisy environment or depression.

I have written about stress and depression already, it is also time to cut down on the coffee. A simple suggestion in potentially solving insomnia, is to read a book in bed before attempting to get to sleep. This book should help you to get your mind away from any anxieties you may have, it should relax your body and should also tire your eyes.

Irritability

When people lose sleep or work to hard they can become over tired and this can lead to irritability. This can cause people to have a higher pulse rate, making their muscles feel tight and can leave people also feeling anxious and lethargic.

It is important to therefore ensure that you obtain a good amount of hours sleep per night (at least seven)and that you only work a certain amount of hours per week. Money is important to people, however in my opinion health should be the priority.

I have come to realize that I need to treat myself from time to time. I have always found it difficult to relax and would often feel stressed and under pressure.

I now use various methods at different times of the year to help me to chill out a bit and to reward my body. These include aromatherapy, using herbal products, attending tai chi lessons and I have even tried Yoga. I must admit I could never get to grips with Yoga, however have heard it can prove to be very beneficial to people who can.
My favorite form of relaxation is by meditating. I do this by sitting on a straight back chair and by basically concentrating with my eyes closed. I pay particular notice to my breathing and it has certainly helped me to see things in a much clearer way.

In conclusion there are many ways of reducing emotional health problems and with determination you are able to see your way to a better and brighter future.

Positivity With Meditation For Good Success

When you finally decide to change your mind and seek higher things, you set yourself up for good success in every facet of life.

You have the ability to create your own mindset. Whether your attitude is positive or negative, is up to you. The ability to change your environment, circle of friends, and attitude, is within your control.

Just like a computer absorbs raw data, so does your mind. Within your mind a culture, within itself, has grown. Many people feel like they have no control of their own mind, because this culture has become negative. The negativity is a result of past experiences, being in a negative environment, or being under the influence of nonconstructive ideas.

Similar to a computer virus, you have to identify it quickly, to avoid letting it spread within your mind. You can also pass this virus of negative thinking to people around you. As a result you are spreading negative energy around, like “weeds in a field.”

Much like a farmer, you cultivate too. The energy in your mind is the crop, and it is up to you, whether it is weeds or wheat. If you have a farm and let a field take care of itself; you will be lucky to have any kind of a crop, from it.

This is the same with the energy within your mind.

You have to option to pick quality seeds: Information, in the form of books, eBooks, DVD’s, CD’s, lectures, courses, workshops, and seminars. This is learning, for the sake of self-improvement, and it results in a positive mind-set.

However, your work is not finished, because you must still reinforce the lessons, and keep everything in a focused order. This might be compared to fertilizing, watering, and “weeding the mind.” You have to work at it continually or the weeds will grow back. This, my friend, is meditation, and one of the reasons why we meditate, in the first place.

Meditation is controlled focus on an object, thought, or task without judgment.
This process makes it possible to look at all situations objectively. You can find solutions, turn negative situations into positive learning experiences, and create your own positive mindset. As a result of this you will make new friends, reach goals, handle problems easily, and develop an indomitable spirit.

Remember the last time you made an accomplishment. That feeling, and that ability, are within all of us. It is a formula for success, but you have to take action. Action is something that the vast majority of people will never take.

Learn to separate yourself from “the pack,” through education, meditation, and action.

Ways To Start The Meditation Process

Not exactly sure how to start? Try these tips as a stepping off point.

After a day's hectic schedule of meeting deadlines, attending meetings, preparing different documents, and so on, you will always be looking forward to going home and relaxing. There are many ways to relax, and one method that is quite effective is meditation.

How will you do it? Perhaps you've already heard other people talking about meditation. It's not as hard as you think. The idea revolves around focusing your thoughts to a certain relaxing thing over a sustained time. This way, your mind is able to rest, and your thoughts about stressful things are diverted elsewhere. Your body can recuperate and relax through meditation; toxin build ups are also cleared away.

You will notice that while you're meditating  your breathing slows, your blood pressure is reduced, the muscles relax, anxiety and irritability are reduced, stressful thoughts and lactic acid are eliminated, clears your way of thinking, headaches and stress are also lessened, and you can now concentrate and focus fully.

Focusing on just a single thing is the true essence of such activity. This is an active process unlike that of hypnosis. All your mental faculties should be concentrated on the meditation's subject. Meditation is usually done for about 30 minutes, so be sure that you're in a comfortable position. You can lie on your bed, sit on your favorite couch, or choose any position that you're really comfortable with.

You can focus on different things when you're meditating like breathing, an object, a sound, or even imagery. Whichever you choose, it is very important to remain focused. If you experience any distractions and external thoughts, strive hard to drift them out. This is natural when you're just a beginner; you will always find your thoughts wandering but as you continue practicing meditation, you will soon improve.

You can try these relaxation exercises and incorporate it in your meditation so that you can achieve total relaxation.

1.    Tense Relax – start by clenching your fists, and then pull forearms firmly against the upper arms. Keep your muscles tensed, as well as that of your leg muscles. Now, your jaws must also be clenched and your eyes shut tightly. While holding those tense, breathe deeply and then hold for about 5 seconds. Then let go of everything at once. Feel the sensations while your tensions are being released.

2.    Heaviness/ Warmth – this is done by feeling your legs and feet getting heavier and warmer by the second. Imagine that it's like wearing lead boots. After that, try to imagine that your central body portion is also getting warm… warmer and relaxed.  Tell yourself that you're forehead is getting cooler and relaxed. Breath easy and regularly. Just feel all the heaviness and warmth spread over your entire body.

3.    Ideal Relaxation - close your eyes and try to create an ideal relaxation spot inside your mind. Choose any place whether it's imagined or real and furnish the place according to your own preference and style. Wear comfortable clothes and imagine that you're going to that place. Feel mellow and at ease in your imagined and ideal relaxation place. Enjoy that special moment for about a minute.

These are just simple relaxation and meditation exercises that you can do. If you're feeling stressed and tensed, do these exercises.

And don't forget to download our free meditation ebook that has lots more tips for effective meditation.