Letting Go: Manage Your Stress with Meditation
Louann Vertrees
Published by Smashwords
Copyright 2009 Louann Vertrees
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/louannvertrees
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: What is Meditation?
Chapter 2: Stress and the Mind-Body Connection
Chapter 3: Thoughts and Emotions
Chapter 4: Mindfulness
Chapter 5: Meditation
Introduction
People are drawn to meditation for many different reasons—to increase energy and awareness, to achieve inner balance, to quiet the mind, or to further their spiritual growth and development. Increasingly, people are also turning to meditation as a way to relax and manage stress. For most of us, life is busy and full. Our crowded schedules leave us little time to stop and reflect on what is going on around us, or how we feel about it. Multitasking has become a way of life, yet we are still unable to get things done. Taking on too many obligations can leave us exhausted, overwhelmed, and unable to effectively cope with life’s challenges.
Stress has become a significant health issue throughout the world, but particularly in the United States. In a 2008 American Psychological Association poll, almost half of the people surveyed reported that their stress levels have increased over the past year, and 30% rate their stress levels as “extreme.” We need a certain amount of stress in our lives—it motivates us to accomplish our goals, and it makes life more interesting. But too much stress impairs our ability to think clearly and manage our emotions, and leaves us more vulnerable to illness and disease.
People who begin a program of regular meditation are often surprised at how quickly they begin to feel healthier and more relaxed. Many report improvements in memory and concentration, more restful sleep, and fewer stress-related symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, and digestive problems. Meditation helps us to gain a new perspective on life and its challenges. When we are able to choose where we focus our attention, it is easier to find more effective ways to resolve our problems. In meditation we learn what it means to be truly aware, or mindful of the present moment, not stuck in the past or anxious about the future.
Anyone can meditate. The meditation technique described in this book is very simple, but effective. Use it as it is, or modify it to fit your needs and lifestyle. Meditation does not require years of study and discipline, or sitting for hours in an uncomfortable position, and it does not require that you withdraw from the world. Through meditation you learn to live more fully in the world, and to make awareness and inner balance a part of your daily life.
Chapter 1
What is Meditation?
Meditation means many things: it means turning inward; it means quiet observation, reflection and awareness of ourselves; it means to be conscious of consciousness, to become a detached observer of the stream of changing thoughts, feelings, drives, and visions, until we recognize their nature and their origins. -Lama Govinda
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. It is believed to have originated in India over 4,000 years ago, and soon spread to China, Japan, and Korea, and eventually throughout the world. It was initially developed to encourage spiritual growth among devotees of Eastern religions, but references to meditation are also found in the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The written history of meditation only goes back about 4,000 years, but the practice is probably as old as mankind itself. The urge to go deeper within ourselves as a way to better understand and cope with life seems to be an instinctive human trait.
Meditation became popular in Europe and North America during the 1960s, and it was during this time that researchers first became interested in the healing aspects of meditation. In early studies, doctors found that during periods of meditation a person’s heart rate and blood pressure decreased significantly. Since that time, there have been hundreds of studies that demonstrate the health benefits of meditation, and it is now widely accepted in the medical community as an effective way to reduce stress and manage chronic pain.
Most of what we believe about meditation has come to us through the Eastern monastic traditions, and sitting perfectly still for hours, emptying the mind of all thought, and detachment from material things are all worthwhile activities for monks who choose to withdraw from the world. But meditation has much to offer those of us who live in, and are a part of the world. In meditation we develop a better understanding of ourselves, and of the world around us. We learn to be focused, but relaxed, as we deal with the complexities of life, and work toward our goals.
Meditation teaches us to live in the present moment; to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the world, as well as the difficulties and challenges. Many of us feel a sense of urgency about time. When we are looking forward to something, time seems to pass too slowly, but having too many obligations, or too much to do, can lead to an uncomfortable feeling that time is passing too quickly. We get so caught up in worrying about or anticipating the future that we are often only partially aware of what is going on around us. Living in the present moment does not mean that we stop making plans and setting goals for the future, but we do those things without the distractions of worry and anxiety. When we begin to understand that the only time we really have is the present, we are able to direct our attention to what is important to us in that moment, whether it is writing a business proposal, or teaching a child to fly a kite.
In meditation we develop a new way of paying attention to ourselves in a non-critical, non-judgmental way that carries over into our daily lives. We often find that we become more attentive to, and more tolerant of the people around us. Stress can cause us to take out our frustrations on the people we love the most, but when we learn to treat ourselves less harshly we begin to treat others with more sensitivity and understanding as well. When relationship problems do arise, we are able to resolve them in a healthy, respectful way. Meditation is not about escaping, or ignoring our problems, it is about working through them with the kind of calmness and clarity of mind that leads to effective solutions.
While meditation is often part of an individual’s spiritual life, it is important to note that it does not have to be connected to any particular religion or ideology. It is a state of mind, a state of awareness, or mindfulness that can be beneficial whether you have a strong belief in a higher power, or none at all. There is nothing mysterious about meditation. It does not involve losing consciousness or going into a trance. You have probably experienced being in a meditative state without even realizing it. It is the feeling of peace and relaxation that comes over us when we experience the beauty of nature, or become completely absorbed in something we enjoy doing. When you practice meditation regularly you learn to take that relaxed feeling with you into your day.
Chapter 2
Stress and the Mind-Body Connection
Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. -Chinese Proverb
Stress is typically defined as the body’s response to anything that we determine to be threatening, challenging, or physically dangerous. The stress response, or fight-or-flight response, is activated anytime the brain determines that some sort of threat exists. Signals from the brain cause the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol to be released into the bloodstream, and energy is diverted to the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, and the muscles of the arms and legs. The heart begins to pound, blood pressure rises, and breathing becomes shallower and faster.
Our ancestors would not have survived without the stress response, which prepared them to either fight off or run away from predators. The threats and dangers we face today are different, but we respond to stress in the same way. Because the stress response begins in the brain, our thoughts and perceptions play a key role in its activation. For some of us, just thinking about an upcoming job interview or important exam can activate the body’s stress response. A certain amount of stress is necessary and even helpful to us, as it motivates us to set goals and accomplish tasks, but unrelieved worry and tension exhaust the mind and deplete the body.
There are two types of stress: acute and chronic. Being verbally or physically threatened by a stranger, or narrowly avoiding a car crash, are examples of acute stress. The stress response will be activated in these situations, but once the immediate danger has passed, the body begins to return to normal fairly quickly. Because acute stress is relatively brief, there is no extensive damage to the body’s organs and systems. In chronic stress however, the levels of stress hormones remain elevated over a period of time and do considerable damage to the body.
Chronic stress occurs when we find ourselves in ongoing difficult situations, such as being unemployed, suffering from a chronic illness, working for a difficult boss, or dealing with a messy divorce. We often feel we have little control over these types of situations, and the unrelenting daily pressure is much more harmful to the body than the relatively infrequent episodes of acute stress.
As Dr. Daniel Goleman points out in his book Emotional Intelligence, we do not have to be in physical danger for the stress response to be activated. Threats to our dignity or self-esteem, such as being insulted, humiliated, ignored, or treated rudely will bring on the stress response, as does being frustrated in any way. Being cut off in traffic or ignored by a salesclerk are relatively minor events, but there may be times when we take them personally and become upset. These are not full-blown episodes of acute stress, and unlike chronic stress they are not long-term, but they can occur often enough to add to our overall level of stress.
When the stress response is activated too frequently or goes on too long, the resulting damage to the body can be very serious. Elevated levels of cortisol increase blood pressure, which damages the blood vessels. Cortisol also increases the levels of fatty acids in the bloodstream, leading to a buildup of plaque, and eventually a narrowing of the blood vessels. Narrow blood vessels make it difficult for the heart to pump a sufficient supply of blood throughout the body, increasing the likelihood of a stroke or heart attack. Prolonged high levels of cortisol also interfere with blood sugar metabolism and insulin production, linking stress to the development of diabetes.
In addition to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, chronic, unmanaged stress has been linked to anxiety, depression, asthma, ulcers, weight gain or loss, fatigue, and inhibited thyroid functioning. Increased cortisol levels also impact the body’s immune system. Temporarily elevated cortisol levels seen in acute stress have a positive effect on the immune system in that there is an increase in white blood cells, which are necessary to fight infection in the event of an injury. But studies show that prolonged high levels of cortisol actually suppress immune system functioning, lowering the body’s white blood cell count and making us more vulnerable to colds and infections.