Stress Reducer #4: Practice Meditation Regularly
We’re just beginning to learn the amazing benefits of meditation, but we know enough to say that this is one powerful stress reducer. Meditating for even just a few minutes may immediately put you in a more calm, present state, with your stress response turned back to pre-stress levels. Those who practice meditation regularly can find even greater benefits, including but not limited to the following:- Perspective: Those who meditate regularly become well-acquainted with a quiet part of themselves, and become adept in shifting their perspective from being heavily focused on the challenges they face to being focused on the present moment. When people stop worrying about the future and fearing what might happen, they can often come up with more creative solutions and confidence to carry them out, because they are operating from a place of strength rather than from a stressed state.
- Reduced Stress Reactivity: Studies on those who practice regular meditation have found actual changes in brain reactivity and stress response that enable frequent meditation practitioners to be less reactive to the stressors that they experience. That’s part of what makes this stress reducer so powerful — meditation reduces stress in the moment, and in future moments.
- A Host Of Other Benefits: Meditation can bring a host of other physical and psychological benefits as well. See this article on the benefits of meditation for a more thorough list.
Read on for more highly effective stress reducers, and if you find this resource helpful, feel free to share this.
