There are many different ways to decompress when the pressures of life become too stressful for you to handle. One of the best practices to adopt when you’re feeling overwhelmed is meditation. This ancient technique is meant to ground you and help you live in the moment without being overcome by feelings of anxiety or worry. However, there are a number of different ways to go about meditating. Review these popular meditation styles and find the best option for your lifestyle.
Becoming Mindful
Do you ever find yourself fixating on problems that are out of your control? Plenty of people obsess over issues that cause stress, which only makes the negative feelings worse. One of the best forms of meditation to combat this problem is mindfulness meditation. This is a practice where you are meant to sit and allow your thoughts and feelings to pass through your mind without dwelling on them. Mindfulness meditation is also about putting a focus on your breath to aid you in finding a sense of serenity.
Finding a Focus
When you feel stressed, you are predominantly living within the confines of your mind. Focused meditation is a practice meant to break this habit. With this technique, you are meant to sit and pay attention to your senses. This can include lighting a scented candle or incense to ignite your olfactory system, playing music that is pleasing to your ears, or simply thinking about how the air feels against your skin. The ultimate goal with this type of meditation is learning how to live in your body when your thoughts are making it difficult for you to focus.
Discovering a Mantra
Many forms of meditation ask participants to pay attention to their breath. However, some people find this difficult. One popular alternative is mantra meditation. A mantra is a specific sound, word, or phrase that holds some type of significance to you. The idea is to repeat your mantra over and over as you meditate so that you are not fixating on any thoughts that might be causing distress. If sitting in silence is not helpful for your mental state, repeating a mantra could be a perfect solution.
Moving Your Body
Not all meditation techniques require you to sit still. In fact, there are a number of styles that require participants to get up and move their bodies. Movement meditation puts an emphasis on slow, deliberate actions that can calm the nerves and focus the mind. Some popular types of movement-based meditation include tai chi and yoga. You can even explore this type of meditation by taking a long walk in nature, taking a dance class, or planting some flowers in your backyard. The focus of this practice is to create a stronger connection between your mind and body.
Learning To Love
Stress and unhappiness can often come about due to negative feelings you are experiencing about other people. If you have a rude boss or a careless significant other, a sense of resentment might be bubbling up inside you. Compassion meditation is a practice meant to rid you of these emotions. The idea is to focus on all the love you have in your life and the people you care about. By thinking about those who make you feel happy or comforted, you will learn how to better extend kindness and compassion to those who cause you unrest or anger.
Picking the Right Technique
When stress makes it impossible for you to feel connected to yourself and the world around you, meditation can be one of the best solutions to explore. Give yourself time to research different meditation styles to find a technique that best reflects your spiritual needs. Make your preferred form of meditation into a daily habit and find the sense of peace you deserve.