With natural disasters, designer meltdowns, economic downturns, celebrity downfalls, and Matthew McConaughey staying mostly clothed in his last movie, there’s no denying that these are difficult times. Stresses swell, anxieties accumulate, and we often end up releasing tensions with a bottle of wine, a carton of ice cream, and a Kardashians marathon.
But before calming down with a Cabernet, we suggest you try a healthier way to unwind: meditation. This practice is free, quick, and can be done virtually anywhere at anytime.
Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at New York Medical College, explains why just 20 minutes a day of meditation can help shed the stress.
Scrape Mental Plaque: Dr. Gerbarg relates meditation and proper breathing to basic hygiene. “It’s like brushing the plaque off our mind.” Normal daily worries cause stress to accumulate in our nervous systems. Consistent meditation can help reduce this anxiety.
Reduce Meds with Meditation: On top of reducing stress and lessening anxiety, meditation makes you focus and concentrate. In many cases, Dr. Gerbarg says meditation can significantly help the treatment of ADD, depression, anxiety and PTSD without the need for extra medication.
Meditate in Minutes: Meditation can take many forms, but newbies can start with the super simple. Begin with 5 minutes of gentle stretching followed by 10-15 minutes of slow breathing. Sitting in a chair or lying down on a bed, Dr. Gerbarg suggests breathing to a track from Respire 1, which plays chimes at 5-6 breaths per minute. During meditation, think about a word, an image, Jake Gyllenhaal, or nothing at all – or maybe Jake in nothing at all.
Remember – just breathe!
xx, The FabFitFun Team
