Meditation: A Simple, Fast Way to Relieve Stress

If stress leaves you feeling anxious, tense, and worried, try meditation. Even just a few minutes can help you regain a sense of calm and ease.

Anyone can practice meditation. It’s simple, accessible, and low-cost. No special equipment is required.

You can meditate anywhere. Whether you are out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting for an appointment, or even in a business meeting, you can meditate.

Understanding Meditation

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. It was originally used to deepen understanding of the sacred and mysterious forces of life. Today, it is most commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.

Meditation is often considered a mind–body complementary practice. It can help you deeply relax and settle your mind.

During meditation, you focus on just one thing. You quiet the racing thoughts that crowd your mind and generate stress. This process can improve both mental and physical well-being.

Benefits of Meditation

Meditation helps you maintain a calm, peaceful state of mind, which benefits emotional health and overall wellness. By directing your attention to something that brings ease, meditation supports relaxation and stress coping. It can also improve concentration and inner steadiness.

These benefits don’t end when a session is over. Meditation can help you move through your day more calmly and may also help you manage symptoms related to certain medical conditions.

Meditation and Your Health

Through meditation, you can reduce the effects of information overload that accumulates over time and contributes to stress.

Benefits for mind and body include:

• Seeing stressors from a new perspective
• Building stress management skills
• Increasing self-awareness
• Focusing on the present moment
• Reducing negative emotions
• Boosting creativity
• Improving patience
• Lowering resting heart rate
• Lowering resting blood pressure
• Improving sleep quality

Meditation and Illness

If you have a medical condition, meditation may help, especially when your condition is worsened by stress.

A substantial body of research suggests health benefits from meditation. Some experts note that more evidence is still needed.

Based on current findings, meditation may help manage symptoms of the following conditions:

• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Cancer
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Sleep problems
• Tension headaches

If you experience any of the above or other health conditions, consult a healthcare professional about the potential benefits and risks of meditation. In some cases, meditation could exacerbate symptoms related to certain mental health conditions.

Meditation is not a replacement for medical treatment. It can, however, complement other therapies.

Types of Meditation

“Meditation” is an umbrella term for many approaches to achieving relaxation. There are numerous styles, and many ways to use meditation to unwind. Everyone seeks inner peace.

Common approaches include:

• Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization. You form mental pictures of places or experiences that help you relax.

  Try to engage as many senses as possible, including smells, sights, sounds, and tactile sensations. A teacher or guide may lead the practice.

• Mantra meditation. You silently repeat calming words, phrases, or sounds to prevent unwanted thoughts.
• Mindfulness meditation. This approach centers on present-moment awareness.

  In mindfulness practice, you focus on one anchor, such as the flow of your breath. You notice thoughts and feelings as they arise, and let them be without judgment.

• Qigong. Often combines meditation, relaxation, movement, and breathing to restore and maintain balance. Qigong is part of traditional Chinese medicine.
• Tai chi. A gentle Chinese martial art. You move slowly and gracefully through a series of postures while breathing deeply.
• Yoga. You move through a series of postures while controlling your breath. This enhances flexibility and steadies the mind. Holding poses requires balance and focus, helping you return to the present and set aside daily busyness.

Elements of Meditation

Most forms of meditation share core features, which may vary depending on the teacher or program. Common elements include:

• Focused attention. One of the most important components of meditation.

  Directing attention helps you step away from distractions that cause stress and worry. You might focus on an object, an image, a prayer, or your breath.

• Relaxed breathing. A technique that engages the diaphragm to promote steady, deep breaths and expand the lungs. The aim is to slow the breath, increase oxygen intake, reduce reliance on shoulder, neck, and upper chest muscles, and make breathing smoother.
• A quiet environment. For beginners, a quiet space can make practice easier. Reduce distractions such as TV, computers, or phones.

  As you become more comfortable, you may be able to meditate anywhere, including stressful settings like traffic jams, tense meetings, or long lines at the grocery store. These are also moments when meditation can be especially helpful.

• Comfortable posture. You can meditate while sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions or activities. Aim for comfort so you can gain the most from your practice. Maintain good posture when possible.
• Open attitude. Welcome thoughts and feelings without judgment.

How to Practice Every Day

Don’t let finding the “right” way to meditate become a source of stress. You can attend sessions at a meditation center or with a trained instructor, but self-practice is also easy. Apps are available as well.

You can choose formal or informal methods. Some people integrate meditation into daily life. For example, they may meditate for an hour each day from start to finish. However, a few minutes daily is often enough.

Here are options you can try:

• Deep breathing. Great for beginners because breathing is innate.

  Focus all your attention on the breath. Feel and listen to the sensations as you inhale and exhale through the nose. Breathe slowly and deeply. When your attention wanders, gently bring it back to the breath.

• Body scan. Move your attention through the body. Notice sensations such as pain, tension, warmth, or ease.

  Combine a body scan with breath practice by imagining the breath’s warmth or relaxing energy flowing into and out of different body parts.

• Repeat a mantra. Create your own phrase or sound. It can be religious or secular. For example, religious mantras include the Jesus Prayer in Christianity, sacred names of God in Judaism, or the Om mantra in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern traditions.
• Walking meditation. A healthful, relaxing way to practice anywhere—forest paths, city sidewalks, even a mall.

  Slow your pace to focus on each movement of the legs and feet. Don’t focus on your destination. Attend to the sensations in your legs and feet. Mentally note “lift,” “move,” and “place” as you step. Notice the scenery, sounds, and smells around you.

• Prayer. One of the best-known and most widely practiced forms of meditation. Spoken and written prayers exist across faith traditions.

  Pray in your own words or read written prayers. For examples, check the self-help section of a local bookstore, or speak with a rabbi, priest, pastor, or other spiritual leader about resources.

• Reading and reflection. Many people benefit from reading poetry or scripture and contemplating their meaning.

  You can also listen to sacred music, spoken-word pieces, or any music that relaxes or inspires you. Write reflections in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual mentor.

• Loving-kindness. In this practice, you bring to mind others with feelings of love, compassion, and goodwill. This strengthens your sense of connection.

Building Your Meditation Skill

Avoid judging how you meditate—judgment adds stress. Meditation is a skill that develops with practice.

No matter how long you have practiced, mind-wandering is common. If your attention drifts while you’re trying to calm yourself, gently return it to your chosen focus.

Experiment with different methods to find what suits you best and adjust as you go. Remember, there is no single “right” way to meditate. What matters is that meditation helps you relieve stress and feel better overall.