Did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month? Although we don't like to dwell on our stress and worries in life, this month provides a great opportunity to focus on improving your mental health. While you can limit stressors, get enough sleep, and exercise your stress away, meditation has also proven to be a great practice to help manage stress. It has been scientifically proven to help alleviate stress after just eight weeks of regular practice. Numerous studies have found that meditation is an effective stress-management tool, ultimately reprogramming the brain to handle stress in a healthier way. If you haven't tried meditation yet, take a look at how you can get started today.
If you haven't tried meditating before, it can be helpful to include periods of mindfulness into your day. Simply take 2-3 minutes to sit quietly and observe everything around you and your current state of being. You can also practice this while doing active movements, such as eating. Consciously thinking about what you are doing helps you to live in the moment and puts anxiety and stress out of your mind.
Begin with a short session of 5 minutes. Once you are comfortable with that, move to 10 or 15 minutes until you reach 30 minute meditations. With practice, this type of meditation becomes easier and more effective.
When you first meditate, you may have a lot of thoughts rush into your head about what you have to do next or how you're feeling. This is normal, and you will soon start to acknowledge when your mind as wondered and then return your attention to the body. Let thoughts pass through your mind without judgment.
If you can, choose a spot to meditate where you won't be distracted. It should be a calm and quiet place where you can sit comfortably. This will help you to focus your mind and body.
There are many apps today that allow you to practice meditation through your phone. Headspace is a great resource for those who want to try guided meditations, and they even offer meditation courses on Stress management to practice building up your skills.
From all of the team at Jack Stone Insurance Agency, we hope you can spare a few minutes to practice mediation this month! For all of your personal and commercial insurance needs, contact us today.
