Hello folks!! This week, I have been dealing with what I believe is a fairly common problem- lots of stress! Between school, work, and organizations, I feel like my life has been running 100 miles an hour! Not to mention just general emotional stress as I attempt to stay close to my friends and family and take care of them when they need it too!
In order to reduce stress, I've been doing some research on meditation (ok, "research" may not be the best term-- I've been googling). Meditation has some fantastic health benefits- including lowering blood pressure and reducing your risk of anxiety and depression! See here. As a practicing Christian, I have also been exploring many websites about Christian meditation vs Buddhist meditation, and I think that the Christian faith is definitely compatible with many aspects of meditation.
First of all, the basics of meditation. I began at this website. Some of the information seemed like it was for people at more advanced stages of meditational skills, but I really liked the idea of the breathing meditations. In this type of meditation, you sit comfortably (but sit up so you don't fall asleep!) and focus on your breath. You don't need to change your breathing pattern, just pay close attention to the feeling of the breaths leaving your body. Some sites suggested mental imaging- picturing that you are breathing out black smoke (representative of negative emotions) and breathing in white light. In this way, you can eventually clear your mind.
Now, many websites about Christian meditation criticize Buddhist meditation for focusing on emptying the mind, rather than filling the spirit. However, I feel that it would be very difficult to allow God to fill your spirit when your mind is a complete mess (as mine has been recently). So, when I meditate, I try to empty my mind, clearing a pathway for God to reach my spirit.
Additionally, I try to choose a Christianity-centered mantra to concentrate on. For instance, sometimes when I am focusing on clearing my mind, I focus on the phrase "God is good" or "Jesus saved me." I try to keep it simple, but you can easily find a phrase that works for you! The idea of the mantra is that you begin to automatically associate this phrase with the clearing of your mind. So, when you are stressed and overwhelmed, repeating your mantra inwardly will automatically get your body into mind-clearing mode.
I plan on using meditation to help me relax, to focus more on my prayers, and to help keep my spirit open to receiving God's word, love, and blessings.
What methods do you use for stress relief? Has meditation worked for you? Let me know!
