Reduce Stress, Feel Better: Meditate
If you are living with cancer, you are no stranger to stress. The COVID-19 pandemic may be intensifying or complicating your feelings. To help you through this time, The Ghosh Center is creating a series of blog posts focused on ways you can reduce your stress and increase your sense of well-being and peace. This post on meditation is the first in the three-part series.
What is meditation?
If stress is causing you to feel worried, anxious and tense, meditation can help.
Meditation is a form of mind-body complementary medicine. It’s been practiced for thousands of years, and it’s a simple way to reduce stress and restore a sense of calm and peace. Anyone can practice meditation, and you don’t need any special skills, training or equipment.
During meditation, you focus your awareness ー on your breath, for example, or a single empowering word or mantra ー which slows down your stressful, incessant thoughts.
In meditation, you don’t necessarily stop your mind from thinking. It is the nature of the mind to think just as it is the nature of the eyes to see. But rather than identifying with your thoughts and letting them control you, you observe them without judgment, and mindfully move your attention back to your point of focus. This process can produce a deep state of relaxation that you can carry through your day.
How do I meditate?
There are different types of meditation, and features may differ depending on whose guidance you’re following. However, meditation usually includes these common features, and they are a good place to begin:
Take a comfortable seat. You can be sitting, lying down, or even walking, but you should be comfortable and able to breathe fully. Focus on good posture.
Minimize distractions. You may want to turn on calming nature sounds or meditative music, or if the weather is nice, sit outside or open the windows. Or, you may prefer silence. Eventually, you can practice meditating anywhere, even in places of stress like in traffic or waiting in a long line.
Relax your breathing. When you breathe, notice your diaphragm, belly and rib cage expand, while keeping your shoulders and chest relaxed. This is diaphragmatic breathing, and it increases oxygen levels. When we are stressed, we tend to use our shoulder, neck, and upper chest muscles to breathe, which increases tension.
Focus your attention. This is the most important part. You can choose different ways to focus your attention from the following options. When your mind wanders, and it will, draw your attention gently back to your point of focus. Let the thoughts gently float away, without judgment.
Focus on your breath. Notice the sensation of breathing, how it feels as it moves in and out of your nostrils, and the way your stomach rises and falls.
Repeat a mantra. A mantra is simply a word or a phrase that is personally meaningful or empowering to you, like “I am at peace,” “I am strong” or “love.”
Pray. Repeating a familiar prayer is one of the most common ways to meditate.
Guided imagery. Visualize a place of peace and relaxation. This method has been shown to be especially effective for people living with cancer. Your mind has a powerful influence on your body, and if your mind is relaxed, your body will be too. Get step-by-step instructions on using imagery to meditate here.
Meditation is simple in that it doesn’t require anything more than your attention, but don’t get down on yourself when your mind frequently wanders. Meditation takes practice, and as you practice, you’ll notice that you can maintain focused awareness for longer periods of time. Even a couple minutes of meditation can leave you feeling more at peace, calmer, and clearer.