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This post is a part of the "Mindfulness" category in my month long series of "Count down to the New Year" to help you come up with your new year's resolutions. I'll be presenting one hot new idea for self-improvement every day until January 1st. See here for a complete listing of posts in this series.
Not again!
A deadline is coming up, and you're barely half way through. It's 10 in the evening and you're still at the office. Your home's a mess, dishes piling up in the sink, an overflowing laundry basket. No time for groceries, you've been eat out for the last week or two. Paired with the lack of sleep, you're beat. But the work has to be done! Time for that... fifth? sixth? ummmm you've lost count already... cup of coffee...
Does that sound familiar? I'd imagine so. It's a fast-paced world out there for most of us. Some how we're always rushing around trying to keep up with everything. So much stress and pressure! My shoulders are pretty tensed up at the moment just thinking about it. As you can imagine, prolonged high levels of stress's bad for your health. What do health professionals recommend? Believe it or not, meditation and relaxation techniques.
Why meditate?
Meditation is described as "the art of blanking the mind, relaxing your body and focusing your awareness deep inside of you". It used to make me think of monks sitting sitting cross-legged in a monastery, hands placed palms up on their knees, with closed eyes. Perhaps they might be humming "ohmmmm" under their breath. But now meditation has become quite a popular relaxation and calming technique for the urban crowd.
When you're stressed, your body's sympathetic nervous system gets activated. This is coined the fight or flight system. From the days of the cavemen, it turns on when you see that saber tooth tiger stalking you. Your pupils dilate, your heart starts to beat faster, blood rushes to your muscles to prepare you to fight or run away from the tiger. The perfect survival mechanism... in the prehistoric times. Today, the fight or flight response can be maladaptive, especially when it's continuously turned on.
1. Stress suppresses the immune system
The mechanism of immune suppression during stress is well studied. The gist of it is that your body has a limited supply of resources. When you're stressed, your energy is poured into the sympathetic system, devoted to keeping you alive. If it's turned on for too long though, you start to run out of steam. One of the first things to go is your immune system. It makes you more susceptible to colds and other diseases. Those are no fun to have around!
2. Stress increase the risks of angina and heart attacks
The sympathetic nervous system directly stimulates the heart. For people with preexisting heart conditions. Stress is bad news. Taking blood pressure and heart rate lowering medication like beta-blockers can help. But, reducing stress and practicing relaxation technique deals with the problem at its source.
3. Stress eventually zaps your energy
The fight and flight responses are for dealing with short term dangers. If it's always turned on, we easily become too tensed, tired out. Insomnia might arise. It's a vicious cycle. The more tired we feel, the stronger the sympathetic system activation and the poorer our sleep. The cycle can only be broken if we actively practice relaxation techniques.
Meditation and relaxation techniques shuts down the sympathetic system
One of the key aspect in meditation is slow controlled breathing. Empty your mind and inhale slowly and deeply. Hold your breath for 4 seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth. While you're exhaling, try to relax all your muscles. I find my shoulders get very tensed when I'm stressed. Actively lowering my shoulders while exhaling relieves some of the stiffness that I didn't even know was there. Empty out your lungs and hold for a count of 8 before the next breath. At the same time, clear your mind about your worries and focus solely on relaxing yourself and counting your breathing. Repeat at least 10 times. Try it now! Doesn't it make you feel better?
How does this work? Well, your respiratory system is directly connected to your autonomic nervous system. Deep breathing signals activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the rest and repair system of the body and it directly counteracts against the sympathetic system. Slow controlled breathing tells your body that you are out of immediate danger and the fight or flight responses can be turned off. So if you work in a high pressure environment, consider making these exercises a part of your new year's resolution. Mind over body techniques work better than you think!
Your thoughts
How are you enjoying this series, "Count down to the New Year", so far? Remember I'm still looking for suggestions for the last 5 ideas for potential new year's resolutions. Please add your ideas in the comments.
Not again!
A deadline is coming up, and you're barely half way through. It's 10 in the evening and you're still at the office. Your home's a mess, dishes piling up in the sink, an overflowing laundry basket. No time for groceries, you've been eat out for the last week or two. Paired with the lack of sleep, you're beat. But the work has to be done! Time for that... fifth? sixth? ummmm you've lost count already... cup of coffee...
Does that sound familiar? I'd imagine so. It's a fast-paced world out there for most of us. Some how we're always rushing around trying to keep up with everything. So much stress and pressure! My shoulders are pretty tensed up at the moment just thinking about it. As you can imagine, prolonged high levels of stress's bad for your health. What do health professionals recommend? Believe it or not, meditation and relaxation techniques.
Why meditate?
Meditation is described as "the art of blanking the mind, relaxing your body and focusing your awareness deep inside of you". It used to make me think of monks sitting sitting cross-legged in a monastery, hands placed palms up on their knees, with closed eyes. Perhaps they might be humming "ohmmmm" under their breath. But now meditation has become quite a popular relaxation and calming technique for the urban crowd.
When you're stressed, your body's sympathetic nervous system gets activated. This is coined the fight or flight system. From the days of the cavemen, it turns on when you see that saber tooth tiger stalking you. Your pupils dilate, your heart starts to beat faster, blood rushes to your muscles to prepare you to fight or run away from the tiger. The perfect survival mechanism... in the prehistoric times. Today, the fight or flight response can be maladaptive, especially when it's continuously turned on.
1. Stress suppresses the immune system
The mechanism of immune suppression during stress is well studied. The gist of it is that your body has a limited supply of resources. When you're stressed, your energy is poured into the sympathetic system, devoted to keeping you alive. If it's turned on for too long though, you start to run out of steam. One of the first things to go is your immune system. It makes you more susceptible to colds and other diseases. Those are no fun to have around!
2. Stress increase the risks of angina and heart attacks
The sympathetic nervous system directly stimulates the heart. For people with preexisting heart conditions. Stress is bad news. Taking blood pressure and heart rate lowering medication like beta-blockers can help. But, reducing stress and practicing relaxation technique deals with the problem at its source.
3. Stress eventually zaps your energy
The fight and flight responses are for dealing with short term dangers. If it's always turned on, we easily become too tensed, tired out. Insomnia might arise. It's a vicious cycle. The more tired we feel, the stronger the sympathetic system activation and the poorer our sleep. The cycle can only be broken if we actively practice relaxation techniques.
Meditation and relaxation techniques shuts down the sympathetic system
One of the key aspect in meditation is slow controlled breathing. Empty your mind and inhale slowly and deeply. Hold your breath for 4 seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth. While you're exhaling, try to relax all your muscles. I find my shoulders get very tensed when I'm stressed. Actively lowering my shoulders while exhaling relieves some of the stiffness that I didn't even know was there. Empty out your lungs and hold for a count of 8 before the next breath. At the same time, clear your mind about your worries and focus solely on relaxing yourself and counting your breathing. Repeat at least 10 times. Try it now! Doesn't it make you feel better?
How does this work? Well, your respiratory system is directly connected to your autonomic nervous system. Deep breathing signals activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the rest and repair system of the body and it directly counteracts against the sympathetic system. Slow controlled breathing tells your body that you are out of immediate danger and the fight or flight responses can be turned off. So if you work in a high pressure environment, consider making these exercises a part of your new year's resolution. Mind over body techniques work better than you think!
Your thoughts
How are you enjoying this series, "Count down to the New Year", so far? Remember I'm still looking for suggestions for the last 5 ideas for potential new year's resolutions. Please add your ideas in the comments.