Meditation improves state of mind, physical well-being, quality of life and self-awareness. For patients with adrenal fatigue, meditation can support stress management for normalization of cortisol levels. Remaining present and observant under challenging situations can improve the stress response. Strengthening your meditative abilities can also reduce the negative physical effects of stress. Other benefits of meditation include reducing pain, anxiety, and depression, strengthening the immune system, improving concentration, and decreasing blood pressure.
Although setting aside time for meditation can be challenging when you first start your practice, in the long-run, it will improve your productivity and overall mood. Meditation can be defined as focused, contemplative time. It is usually practiced in a quiet location, affecting the entire body in a positive way. Meditation can be practiced lying down, sitting, or walking, as long as you can achieve a calm and positive state of mind.
Below are a few tips to get started:
- Set aside just 3-5 minutes per day. Schedule it into your day when you start your meditation routine. Once you get used to the amount of time you have allotted, challenge yourself to an additional 1-2 minutes. Continue this until you can work up to 20 minutes per day (even if it takes you a year or more to get to this time length).
- Embrace your location and get comfortable. Meditation can be practiced anywhere. Choose somewhere that you will have limited interruptions. If one location does not work for you, try another.
- Take deep breaths. Focus on breathing deeply. It helps some to count breaths or repeat a mantra.
- Be kind to yourself. If you find your mind wandering, bring it back to your breathing and how your body feels.
- Reflect. After meditating, take a deep breath and think about how you feel. Do you feel different? Are you more relaxed? Don’t get discouraged after the first session, if you don’t feel significant results. Meditation takes practice, just like everything else.
- Figure out what works for you. Meditation is a very personal experience. What may work for your friend, will not necessarily work for you.
For more information about Meditation, make an appointment with Molly, our registered dietitian and yoga teacher. Health + Harmony is also offering HHW members free one hour guided meditation sessions. For more information, call our office.
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