Dealing With Stress

In the 1970's when many people were taking up the practice of meditation, a group of doctors at Harvard's Thorndike Memorial Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital in Boston conducted studies on the affects of meditation on people with high blood pressure brought on by the everyday stress of living. As a result of these studies, Dr. Herbert Benson wrote his popular book, The Relaxation Response.

The Relaxation Response is, in effect, the opposite of the "fight or flight" response to stressful or threatening situations which over time may produce hypertension, cardiac and other problems which may seriously affect our health.

It was found that relaxing just 20 minutes each day can be beneficial to both your physical and mental health. The Relaxation Response can be practised by anyone, at any time.

Here is what you need:

A quiet environment: This can be a quiet room at home or at the office, a place of worship, or a place outdoors where you can be completely alone with no distractions.
A comfortable position: Assume a comfortable position. Sitting with a straight spine is preferable, although you can also sit cross-legged or in the lotus position. Do not lie down as this may result in falling asleep.
A point of focus: This can be a special word or phrase which you repeat throughout the session. You can practise with your eyes closed or focus them on an object.
A passive attitude: Do not worry about your thought processes during a relaxation session. Distracting thoughts are difficult to eliminate. Just let them happen but continue to concentrate on your chosen point of focus.

There are a variety of methods to relieve your stress and you may need to explore different techniques to discover which one best suits you. Once you have found a technique that works for you, it is important to take the time and effort to make such practice a regular routine, as benefits compound over time. Here are a few of the relaxation techniques you may wish to try, all of which are a variation on the relaxation response: