Introduction
In our day to day lives, we encounter numerous stressors. Some people tend to be more susceptible to stress than others, however, everyone experiences stress at some time in their lives. If stress isn’t well handled it could lead to serious health conditions such as depression, poor health and in severe cases suicide (Greenberg, 2011). The following report is on the use of meditation as a relaxation technique for stress management.
Benefits of the technique
The technique I used for stress management involved meditating for 10-15 minutes every morning. Meditation is beneficial in that;
- It increases once focus. Meditation involves an act of focusing our attention. Through frequent meditation, one is able to improve their focus even when they are not meditating.
- Less anxiety. Meditation loosens our neural pathways (Greenberg, 2011). In our brains there is the medial prefrontal cortex. The cortex which can be referred to as the “me cortex” in lame man’s language is responsible for processing information about the self and the experiences encountered. The neural pathways to the medial prefrontal cortex are usually very strong and when an individual experiences scary situation the individual is likely to have anxiety even after it has passed. Meditation gets rid of this.
- Increased creativity. Meditation leads to increased creativity. For this purpose open meditation as opposed to focused meditation is more efficient in improving creativity. Creativity is a difficult thing to improve on and open meditation is just the thing for it. it can be very helpful especially for individuals whose careers revolve around creativity like designers, architects and business people.
- Better memory. Practicing meditation enables an individual to adjust the brain wave that blocks out distractions. The fact that one gets less distracted enables the person to remember more of what is taking place.
- Reduces stress. Meditation improves the ability to work under pressure without getting stressed. People who practice meditation are less likely to get stressed whether at work or at home. They also handle stressful situations better.
- More Grey matter. Meditation leads to increased grey matter in the frontal lobe and the hippocampus. Increased grey matter can lead to increased emotional stability, heightened focus and more positive emotions (Olpin & Hesson, 2010).
- More compassion. Meditation leads to increase compassion and empathy. They are also able to control their reactions more. By the 7th day of the meditation I felt more aware of other people’s emotions.
Below is a chart showing stress levels on subsequent days of the meditation regime.
The stress levels steadily decrease during the meditation regime.
Challenges
The meditation may be difficult to carry out on mornings where one wakes up feeling good and in a good mood since one may lack to see the need to continue doing it yet it’s something that should be continuous in order to maintain the desired state. I have to wake up earlier in order to perform the meditation technique and on days when I wake up late I may have to forego it.
The meditation routine requires self-drive and self-discipline which one may lack sometimes. An individual needs to be dedicated and motivated in improving their life and reducing their stress levels (Olpin & Hesson, 2010). It is hard to carry out the regime since it requires that I meditate everyday yet sometimes I feel discouraged to do it especially when the previous day didn’t go so well. Developing a positive attitude about meditation may be difficult. During the first days of the start of the meditation regime I had trouble with a negative attitude during the meditation regime which is demotivating.
Future aspirations
I hope to continue using meditation as a method of relaxation since it is easy to do. It doesn’t require too much time and depending on the meditation technique one is using, it can be done anywhere. Meditation has no negative effects and doesn’t require one to incur any expenses. It can be done at the comfort of one’s home. Also, meditation provides a solution for stress in the long term. It has both mental and physical health advantages. Meditation is an enjoyable experience as after the session in feel motivated and full of energy to go about my day to day activities. It also reminds me of who I am as a person and this way I am able to live my day to the fullest. By the 15th day of my meditation routine, I felt so much better than I did before I started it.
Conclusion
Eliminating all the stressors in our lives would prove impossible. Stress can have huge detrimental effects on one’s mental and physical stress. A lot of people under stress have lost control of their lives and some have resulted to suicide. Stress gives one a sense of hopelessness and helplessness which is a recipe for disaster. In the 21st century, stress is even greater with the difficult economy and higher expectations imposed on each individual from parents, family and colleagues. People need awareness of stress coping strategies to help deal with the stressors we come across in our day to day activities.
References
Greenberg, J. S. (2011). Comprehensive stress management, 12th Ed. New York: McGraw-
Hill.
Olpin, M., & Hesson, M. (2010). Stress management for life: a research-based, experimental
approach, 2nd Ed.. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.
