A strong meditation is an internal tool you can use to help you regain your calm, and help you deal with the stresses life throws at us.
A powerful meditation can be practiced anywhere and can be extremely rewarding. It doesn't have to be time-consuming, doesn't need special equipment, and can be done by anyone who feels the need to control rising anxiety and stresses.
Meditation can help relieve any negativity that may be taking your focus. It is a self-healing tool. A resource to use when your body goes into fight or flight mode, a way to clarify your thoughts when they go out of focus as a result of challenge. It is a method of applying increased cognitive control over your own emotions, putting you back in the driving seat of your state of mind, which includes your reactions and your responses to external stimuli.
There are many benefits to meditation. For one, it helps improve quality of sleep. Meditation helps to boost your immune system, can help lower cholesterol, reduce your blood pressure and can help protect against heart disease.
Meditation can positively impact your productivity too, helping to improve your focus, increase your concentration levels and improve your memory function. I also makes you happy!
I don't need to tell you about the devastating effects of stress - I speak about it regularly. Stress is a killer. It is prevalent amongst us, and is increased by change - the world as we know it currently is a stew-pot for stress. Meditation can help us cope with the challenges life keeps throwing at us these days. The result? Enhanced physical and emotional wellbeing.
It isn't a religious practice - it is mindfulness. Simply, a way to ensure a healthy mental and physical wellbeing. Even just a few minutes of meditation will reap immediate benefits.
I suffer from anxiety. More so, these days with the goings on in the world. I have suffered for a while - a byproduct of a very messy previous relationship that effects me even today. I find my body goes into fight or flight, sometimes for no apparent reason (although, of course the reason is there, subconsciously). Following a conversation about this reaction I am having, my therapist suggested a new meditation to try that will support me during times of high anxiety; the grounding method.
Grounding (sometimes called "Earthing") is a technique used for mindfulness, only, whereas mindfulness is being in the present moment, grounding brings you back there in times of high anxiety and stress. Grounding prevents your anxiety and stress from hijacking your body. It gibes you control bac.
There are times, as panic attack will hit me out of the blue and hit me that hard, I cannot breathe.
I was told to practice doing this during times I feel calm and collected; the idea being that if I master the act during times of calm, it will come easily to me during times of stress and high anxiety.
Makes sense.
The Grounding method is all about bringing you back to the present moment, its a technique to distract your mind from what has it in panic mode, and pull your back. It is a team effort using all of your senses.
Start by taking a deep breath and looking around you and noticing 5 things you can see. Acknowledge them, recognise the., say their name out loud if it helps.
"So, right now, i can see my coffee table, my sofa, the rug, the printer and the lamp".
Next, state 4 things that you can touch.
"I can touch my jumper, my laptop against my knee, my pen and the power cable plugging it in."
Now, 3 things you can hear.
"I can hear traffic outside (it sounds busy), the tapping of my keyboard, and the rain on my window"
2 things you can smell...
"Cat's breakfast and the flowers (lily's and roses) in the vase on the mantle"
and lastly, one thing you can taste...
"My coffee".
You can go into as much or as little detail as you need. The more you immerse yourself in this sensory list technique, the more you are resisting your minds attempt to take over with negative energies, negative thoughts, fear, panic - you are distracting and regaining composure by focusing on tangible sensations around you.
By acknowledging things in a sensory list, we are returning ourselves back to the present moment, we are distracting our mind from the fear it felt to go into panic mode and we are calming ourselves down in a steady, methodical way. We are using our senses to help ourselves move past the distress.
By practicing this, we can use it to help return to the ground when our anxiety is high, obtain clarity, reduce stress levels, clear our minds and live happier and healthier in the moment. By doing this practice in times of calm, we are refining the art, we are getting better practiced at noticing the sensations we have, we are honing this practice as a tool to use, so it is there, at our disposal when we need it.
I hope this helps.
Stay safe!