How Meditation Helps You to Deal with Stress

Many people have stressful lives today. But, some people seem to deal with the stresses of life better than others. What is their secret? It might be meditation. Medication has been scientifically proven to be helpful for dealing with stress.

Here is how meditation can help. It certainly will not hurt you to give it a try.

Provides Quiet Time to Reset – Everyone needs some quiet time where they’re unplugged from not just technology but from all the things that cause some form of stress (even good stress) during the day. When you meditate, you essentially “unplug” from all of that and give your mind time to reset and be calmer.

Increases Your Mental Resources – Studies show that regular meditation helps you think more clearly and become more creative. That’s because meditation is sort of like cleaning your hard drive on your computer, giving you more space for better things and less space for the stressful things.

You’ll Become More Capable – When you have a powerful tool to help you deal with stress, you will suddenly become much more capable of handling stress. That reset period allows you to deal better with stress when it comes to you than when you have no tool to help you.

You’ll Increase Your Focus and Clarity – When you have a way to let go of circular thoughts that cause stress, you’ll be able to better focus on any problem or issue with clarity and purpose. In fact, you can have a meditation session almost any time once you are accustomed to doing it.

You’ll Have a Method to Handle Sudden Stress – If something happens at any point during the day that causes you stress, the fact that you’ve developed a meditation practice will come in handy. It’s not that you must meditate each time you’re stressed; it’s that the ability to become mindful and in the present will serve to help you deal with stress as it’s happening.

You’ll Have Less Anxiety and Depression – Studies show that like deep prayer, regular meditation changes your brain chemistry so that you will have less anxiety and depression overall. It doesn’t mean you’ll be rid of it completely, but you will have less.

You’ll Be Able to Sleep Better – Most people who practice meditation also tend to fall asleep more easily and faster. You can make it a habit to meditate twice a day; once to promote energy and once to promote sleep. In the evening before you’re ready for bed, do five to 15 minutes of meditation to help you wind down for the day.

You’ll Reduce Your Stress Hormones – The stress hormone cortisol has been shown to be reduced through regular meditation. Too much cortisol can interfere with good sleep, cause daily anxiety, and even cause you to gain weight around the belly – risking your heart health. Anything that will reduce your cortisol levels is good for you.

You may not be able to get rid of the things that stress you. But, you can learn to deal with the stress better by learning safe meditation practices and techniques.

6 Tips for Building Resilience to Stress

Stress is all around us in the modern world, and can really wear us down if we are not careful, leading to all sorts of personal and health issues. Whether it’s the stress that can come from having to find a new job or dealing with all that is involved in Christmas people find many different situations stressful. Building up your resilience to stress is one of the best way of coping with it, so that you bounce back more quickly from tough times rather than get swamped by them. Here are several ways you can build resilience to stress so you don’t burn out.

1. Put together a powerful support network

Studies have shown that those with the best support network are often the most resilient. They know their friends and family will help them in stressful times and are not afraid to ask for assistance for fear of seeming weak. They say what they need and will return the favor whenever the other person needs it.

2. Practice good self-care

Stress can have an extremely negative effect on both physical and mental health. Eating right, exercising, getting eight hours of sleep a night, and avoiding negative coping behaviors (such as smoking tobacco, using illicit drugs, or drinking alcohol) can all help them avoid burnout.

3. Learn from past experiences

Dealing with stress successfully often means dealing with stressful situations and learning from them, so the next time something similar happens you will be prepared. It sounds terrible to say it, but it is only through the illness and death of a loved one that a person will really learn how to cope with these types of situations.

Through getting support and overcoming these issues, you set a pattern for success. You don’t feel powerless – you are able to take action and produce the results you wish for.

4. Be flexible

A lot of stress comes from an “Oh, no!” attitude that makes you tense and unable to deal with the situation in a calm manner. Being flexible – that is, rolling with the changes through understanding that change is a natural part of life, can lower your stress response and make it easier to deal with issues in a calm, practical way. Stuff happens. Deal with it. Then move on to the next challenge.

5. Don’t sweat the small stuff

If you stress over every little thing, you will always be stressed. That being the case, learn to let go and not stress over things that in the long run will really make very little difference. If you get upset, think, “Will I remember this issue a week from now? A year from now?” If the answer is no, deal with it as best you can and move on.

6. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude

When we are under stress, it’s easy to focus on the negative and the present struggle we are facing. But if we take a moment to think about all we are grateful for, it can add a whole new appreciation for life. Thinking about the best things in your life you are grateful for can change your perspective and mood completely.

Stress nowadays is an inescapable part of life, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Work on building your resistance to stress and see what a difference it can make in your life.

Ten Healthy Habits That Can Help You Fight Stress

We hear a lot about stress nowadays and the profound impact it can have on an individual and those around them.

Whilst there are many degrees of stress and some can have a crushing impact on our lives and require medical intervention there are ways to deal with the normal stresses of home and especially work. If recognised early then that stress in the workplace doesn’t have to get you down. Instead, learn to handle it from the word go. The first step is to take control of your life. Below are ten healthy habits that can actually help you fight the threat of stress.

Stress can prove to be harmful when the effects are prolonged. The body sustains a lot of wear and tear, leading to degenerative illness. But, it doesn’t have to get that bad. A few proactive steps can lead to a greater balance overall.

Ten Habits to Cultivate for Stress Reduction

1. Find a sounding board – Friends and trusted family members are great for this. Let them know what they are in for before depending on them for this much-needed support.

2. Laughter is the best medicine – Laughing releases endorphins and helps you to smile more often. Read a funny book or watch your favorite comedy movie. A laugh a day could keep the doctor away.

3. Reduce your workload – Plan for activities only one day each weekend. Plan to leave work at a certain time each day as often as you can to begin family time and leave the office behind.

4. Find a physical activity that you like – Exercise should be beneficial and fun. The “fun” part is what will keep you coming back for more. The release of endorphins improves the mood, and stronger muscles protect you as you get older.

5. Organize your life – Set time to get things done as well as time to spend alone in pursuit of relaxing activities. You could actually get more handled in a day when you plan well.

6. Volunteer – Sometimes, getting out of your own head is the best way to reduce your stress levels. Pay attention to someone else who needs it more.

7. Eat a balanced diet – Food, especially raw and fresh food, can provide your body with antioxidants and vitamins needed to keep your body working in tiptop shape.

8. Get enough sleep – Depending on your age, the amount of sleep needed can range from six to as much as nine or ten hours a night. During sleep, the body shuts down all non-vital systems in an attempt to repair itself. A restored body can handle whatever the new day brings.

9. Take a breather – It is okay to take a mini vacation. It could be only a weekend, but use it to clear your head so that you can move forward with your life.

10. Acceptance – Everything is not within your control. When you accept what you can’t change, a weight is lifted. Stress over worrying about unnecessary issues is wasted time and energy. Channel your efforts into more constructive pursuits.

Fight back against stress in the best way – with healthy habits.