Brilliant tip to beat lockdown stress
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the world, bringing with it new levels of stress and anxiety. The psychological ramifications of living under strict isolation are more prevalent than ever.
With more than 30 years of hypnotherapy experience, meditation expert and developer of the Mindfree app, Mark Stephens, says mindful hypnotherapy is a helpful and effective way to reduce anxiety during these difficult times and can be a fast and easy approach to tackling the stress of the COVID lockdown.
“When you meditate you relax, slow down and step away from the mental overload of everyday life,” said Mr Stephens.
“This allows you to focus on the present so you can view stressful situations differently and release pent up worries.”
For anyone experiencing stress and anxiety, Stephens recommends the following practices:
- Step 1 – Allocate 10-15 minutes to sit back or lie down in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.
- Step 2 – Listen to the sounds around you with your eyes closed, but do not name the sounds. Pay attention to how you are feeling and your thoughts without judging or applying a story to them.
- Step 3 – Listen to and feel your breath going in and out of your body. Don’t force the breath – just watch, feel or listen to it fall in and out of your body at its own pace and rhythm. Focus your energy and concentration into your breathing.
- Step 4 – As you inhale, quietly repeat an affirmation like the word “peace” and, as you exhale, repeat the word “release”. Feel peace flowing in with each breath and allow your body to release any tension as you exhale. Repeat this for several breaths.
- Step 5 – As soon as you feel yourself reaching a state of deep relaxation, use your imagination to envision and feel yourself overcoming any challenges or hardships. Mentally visualise yourself achieving your goals and making positive changes in your life.
Have you tried meditation to mitigate the srain of lockdown?
This is what I generally use for meditation…but one can use a chair as long as your back is held straight and does not touch the back of the chair...
We often hear amusing stories about people who profess to meditate then minutes later, they attack someone or kick the cat. Those who practice meditation tend to be more relaxed, happy, energetic, healthier and above all positive. One can tell at a glance who really meditates or not.
I have been practising meditation and yoga since I was a teenager and give free classes, during Summer on the beach, because I believe it is one of the most important tools to get people through life. I wish it would become the norm in schools...I'm putting in my two cents' worth in that direction and hope to see results!
Regardless of what anyone says, getting the hang of meditation is difficult and something you have to practice each day..it’s now a way of life for me. So lockdown does not bother me. As a matter of fact I sometimes put myself in voluntary lockdown because I love my own company.
It’s never too late to learn anything..so lockdown is a very good time to start as long as it’s practised daily!
Namaste!
Quote: "just a bit of brain training that like every other new thing takes time and practice - but requiring not much more than breathing and being with your thoughts."
The whole idea of meditatiion is to be without thoughts. That is what meditation is.
How can you not know that after reading all those books!!
NAMASTE!
I usually meditate with my Doberman, when we both get tired we fall asleep and start all over again. My guru told me to find inner peace you have to make your mind quiet, but it takes time like a good bottle of cognac.
You can do a lot of things to empty the mind of thoughts, if you already have an empty mind then you have a great head start.
Concentration, meditation, mindfulness, and other techniques, help you empty your mind from thoughts. Clearing and emptying the mind is a skill that requires work but the rewards are great. If you wonder whether this might lead to stupidity and lack of the ability to think, then you need not worry. If you’re already stupid, you’re more than half way there.
A mind that can filter out unnecessary thoughts and can stay calm, is a powerful and strong mind, with greater capabilities than a restless mind which cannot stop thinking. My swami also says people who can’t empty their minds of thought have monkey minds, jumping from one banana tree to another banana tree without stopping to eat the banana.
Yes Banjo...there is a great difference between Thought and Awareness. Might add, there are many things you cannot learn from Google and one of them is Meditation.
Meditation is about awareness, and many people mistake this awareness for thinking. Thinking and awareness are two different aspects of mind. Thinking is based on the perpetuation of thoughts from their arising to the next thought, and the next and so on.
Awareness is when your attention is focused on the situation simply observing with your senses. You are aware through what you see, hear, feel, smell, taste. Thinking separates us from the immediacy of the situation. Awareness gives us direct perception of the situation and allows us to perceive it more accurately.
I won't be drawn into a pointless harangue with Shetso...I'm off to see the tulips at Araluen Botanical Park.
Couple of interesting books ...
Happy reading!
I wouldn't worry about Shetso, she's probably off to find a new guru now that she knows Google has failed her LOL. This is a good start and great for meditating.
you can't debunk something that's thousands of years old ya daft banana. For the last time - meditation is meditation, relaxation techniques is relaxation technques and dat's dat.
So Flamma Flamma isn't working for ya, try this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiSkMxltu00 and if this doesn't work, try this ROFL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TKb-hABwfg
For any interested persons...it is best to meditate without any distractions. Sitting upright, preferably on a meditation stool, allows one to breathe easily and freely and helps with alertness.
The breath is what one has to be aware of during meditation. It will take a while to get the hang of meditation..but practice is the key. It took me a year of daily practice!
Here's a short meditation, no distractions..there is a timer which tells you when to begin and when the 10 minutes are up. No music, just silence.
NAMASTE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBNwm0yqxjw
I guess I have meditated in my own way throughout my whole life -- by being in quiet and relaxing natural places and not having any noise around me. I don't sit in that manner but can do it under most circumstances