Everyday I deal with stress. Whether it be problems at home, financial crap, tons of school work to complete, or dealing with rude customers at work, stress is unavoidable to me! But, I know there are ways to help me deal with all these stressful situations. My go-to stress reducer is taking a walk around my neighborhood and listening to my iPod. Music is my escape and being outdoors in the fresh air helps me feel a lot better. Going to shows (when I can) also helps with any stress. Loud music and feeling the music in my body just makes me forget about all my problems, even if it's for a few hours.
I decided to try something new, meditation. It only takes a few minutes out of my busy day and the most awesome thing about it, it's FREE! And you can do it anywhere. Before I went to bed, I sat down on the floor of my room, in silence. I read about some techniques online and some say that keeping your eyes closed while meditating is more effective. I tried both open and closed eyes and I preferred closed. I sat there for about 10 minutes, using one technique called guided meditation. You imagine different places or situations that you find calming or relaxing. I began thinking of outdoorsy places, like the last time I went to Yosemite and the beach. Breathing is also a big part of meditation. I didn't really notice my breathing but I guess it was just more relaxed(?).
After about 10 minutes, I felt completely relaxed, and sleepy (haha). I got a good night's rest and slept through my alarm, making me miss class today (oops!). I tried not to stress about it but oh well. Anyway, physically, I didn't feel as tense as I usually do. Mentally and emotionally, I just felt happier and a little less worry free. I definitely will try to keep doing this as a nighttime routine before bed.
Website reference
I agree that meditation is a powerful tool to help us to reduce stress. I have tried mediation before, and it is so relaxing. It is s like an encounter with our self giving us calming, relaxing and peace. I am glad that you find these wonderful techniques to try them at home. I also should try to do meditation more often. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI love that your meditation brought you to such a relaxed place that you over slept your alarm!! What a blissful state you must have been in. :) As to your original stress reliever- music is a wonderful way to escape into someone's words. My favorite is having the music so loud you can feel it humming in your bones!
ReplyDeleteI don't know whether to congratulate you on sleeping through your alarm or chastise you for causing more stress by missing class. Either way, I'm scratching one more comment off of my to-write list.
ReplyDelete