Take a Rest From Stress and Poor Health

Relaxation

Cover of Relaxation Response

Relaxing or meditating probably isn’t the first thing that pops into your mind when you are stuck in traffic, scrambling to meet a deadline or confronted by an angry spouse.

Your muscles tense, your breathing becomes shallow your heart races, your blood vessels constrict, your blood pressure rises, you start to sweat, and your digestive tract cramps up.  Unlike our primitive ancestors, we may not be able ;fight or flee—the two most natural responses to stress—when we’re in a modern stressful situation, such as a traffic jam.  So we remain chronically tense.

But calming yourself is what you should do, says Robert S. Eliot, M.D., Director of the Institute of Stress Medicine in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  “When you can’t fight and you can’t flee; you have to learn how to flow.

Proponents say there are literally dozens of ways to produce the relaxation response.  Some, such as meditation, are centuries old.

Meditation

Transcendental meditation, (TM), an effortless technique introduced and taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  During a seven-step course, practitioners of TM learn how to use a special, meaningless sound called a mantra.  Studies have show those practicing TM twice a day can lower blood levels of cortisol, an important stress hormone that in excessive amounts can inhibit immunity, raise blood pressure and cause other damaging effects.

To try a simple mindfulness meditation, find a quiet spot and sit in a comfortable position.  Take several slow, deep breaths.  As you breathe out, ask yourself;”Who am I?”;  Note the associations—”I am a mother,”;”I’m a husband,” “I’m tired or angry,”—that pop into your head without judging them.  Practice this 20 minutes twice a day at first.  Then as you become more proficient and more aware of your body’s sensations, you may find you can meditate less and still get the same effect.

What ever form of relaxation, you choose to perfect get started today.  It could mean your life!