Meditation is more than just a type of spiritual practice, it is also an effective tool for managing stress. Not only does it help you reduce your stress in the moment, but regular meditation practice can make you less likely to experience stress in the long run. If you are experiencing stress on a regular basis, you should try meditation. It’s easy to do wherever you are, whenever you need it, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

How It Works

Meditation involves focusing inwardly so that your mind is so distracted by concentrating that it does not think about the things that make you feel stressed. This distraction promotes relaxation and mental calmness. Because meditation involves mental and emotional relaxation, it’s very effective at relieving stress.

How to Do It

Meditation is surprisingly simple to do. It doesn’t require any special training or deep spiritual development. It doesn’t require you to spend hours at it. All you need is ten or twenty minutes of your time. Make sure that you are in a quiet environment. You should wear comfortable, unrestrictive clothes.

Once you make yourself comfortable in a sitting or lying position, close your eyes. Keep your attention focused on your breathing by counting your breaths. If it helps, say the numbers out loud to keep your mind from wandering.

You can also keep your thoughts from wandering by using the right imagery. All you need to do is focus on an image you find pleasant and relaxing. Music is another effective tool to help you maintain your concentration. You can use music designed for meditation, or any music that you find soothing. Some people find recorded nature sounds to be particularly effective.

Stress Relief Meditation on the Go

Setting aside a regular time to meditate every day is an important part of managing your stress, but sometimes it’s not enough. Stressful events can happen anytime and anywhere, especially at work. If you need to calm yourself at work, meditation can be a big help. You just need to make a few adjustments to the routine. For instance, finding a quiet moment can be easy enough to do when you’re in your own home, but if you need the help of meditation to deal with stress at work, you might want to get a pair of earphones to drown out the background noise. You may also only be able to snatch a few minutes, instead of doing a full 10 or 20 minute session. However, even just a few minutes can be a big help.

When you learn how to calm your mind, you can reduce your feelings of stress. It can take a little time to learn how to keep your mind from wandering, but once you’ve got that figured out, you’ll discover that it’s pretty easy to relax even when you’re overwhelmed by stress.