Are you a parent who is struggling with back-to-school routines? No matter what grade your child started this year, there’s always a balancing act. As if the change in routine weren’t enough to jostle your day, now you have homework and afterschool activities to work into your schedule. And forget about “me” time. Or do you have to? With just a few minutes a day, you can integrate meditation for stress relief and regain a little peace and balance.
The Goal of Meditation
If you’re not one to sit still for 5 to 20 minutes, you may not understand the inherent benefits of meditation. At its core, the goal of meditation is to relax. It helps your brain to re-center and get back to basics. And did we mention that it helps to manage stress?
Meditation triggers a “relaxation response,” which has benefits for both body and mind. These include lower blood pressure and heart rate, slower respiratory rate, less anxiety, less stress, and more feelings of wellbeing. No wonder people have been practicing meditation for stress relief for more than 5,000 years!
Breath of Life
There are many types of meditation, but most center on the breath. When practicing breath meditation, you center yourself by concentrating on your breathing. And good news: It doesn’t take hours and hours to start meditating. You can get into the game with just five minutes, perhaps while waiting in your car for the kiddos.
One cheater way to learn more about meditation is to download the app Headspace. A calming voice will walk you through a brief meditation, taking away all the guesswork. If you have a Fitbit, you also have a breathing exercise (surprise: it’s meditation!) right on your wrist.
If you don’t want to use an app or gadget, just close your eyes and focus on your breath. In and out. Clear your mind and stay on your breathing. Be conscious of how your mind wanders (and it will) and just pull yourself back to your breath. No thoughts, no agenda; just breathe. Ah.
Meditation for Stress Relief Is a Practice
There is a reason meditation is considered a practice: because you’re always improving your skills. While you may start with a brief five-minute respite, we’ll warn you that this practice can be addictive.
And magic happens during meditation.
In addition to relieving stress, meditation can create a space for creativity. You may enter into meditation for stress relief and then find that it gets new ideas flowing. Advanced practitioners often begin a meditation session with a problem in mind, as they let their mind go, the answer comes to them.
You can also pair your mental exercises with physical exercise. Yoga is an exercise and practice that incorporates meditation to create a loving partnership that does wonders for your body and soul.
Create Space for Yourself
Once you have embraced meditation for stress relief, you may find that you want more “me” time. And that’s okay. Ask another parent to pick up the kids from school or take a long lunch and head to Bodify, Phoenix’s premier CoolSculpting boutique. You’ll have a full 30 minutes to yourself after our skilled technicians apply our patented applicators. During that time, targeted fat cells will be frozen to eventually be eliminated naturally.
Contact us today for your consultation so we can help you find a little me time and, while you’re at it, fit a little better into those gorgeous fall clothes.
