Stress, it’s all around us. Every day is a rush. From the alarm screaming to wake us up in the morning, to ads with bright colors designed to stimulate our brains, to important deadlines, to bills, to housework. It all takes a toll on our bodies. Top it off with constant guilt due to our lack of exercise and self-control with dietary choices, and it seems like the beat down from our stressors will never end. All of these things wreak havoc on our physiology due to an immense increase of cortisol. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is kind of like a bittersweet friendship. It’s there when you need it, and even more when you don’t. With all of these stressors bogging us down, how can we muster enough strength to work on becoming healthier? The simple answer is to do nothing. How can doing nothing reduce stress? By being mindful of our own body’s capability of dealing with cortisol. Some call this process meditation, and it’s one of the most simple and effective ways of lowering stress levels.

What is Meditation?

Before instantly thinking of a whole bunch of people chanting while sitting cross legged in a circle and praying to Buddha, let me explain what I mean by meditation. Meditation, or mindfulness, is a process where one focuses on their breathing, body awareness (contact between their body and the object they’re in contact with), and other physical sensations like itches or the warm sunlight on their skin. They also concentrate on their surrounding environment, such as noises of cars driving by, smells, etc..

Google dictionary describes mindfulness as “the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something,” or “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”  Sound like some sort of hippie voodoo? Then maybe it’ll help you to realize that mindfulness has been shown in studies to reduce cortisol. In one study, thirty students, who were in their second year of medical school, had blood drawn at eight o'clock in the morning before and after a four-day mindfulness program. Before the meditation practice began their average serum cortisol levels were 381.93 nmol/L and after four days of practicing mindfulness their average serum levels were 306.38 nmol/L showing that there was a significant drop in cortisol after a mindfulness practice.  Given the results, this study shows it is possible that meditation can treat diseases which are typically caused by stress such as migraines, psychiatric disorders, and peptic ulcers. (Iyer, Burroughs, Anand, Souza, & Aravind, 2017)

What It’s Like

The first few times I meditated, the best description of the experience I had was sheer euphoria. While in the process I was able to let go of my senses, and by the end of the video, it felt as if I was floating, hovering above my body. By focusing my mind on my immediate physical environment and on my own breathing, I was able to escape my inner thoughts and learn to be at ease with myself. It was an out of body experience, one of the few I’ve ever actually had. Other times when I’ve meditated I fall asleep, so I always set an alarm for 12 minutes from the time I start meditating, just in case. The purpose of a mindfulness practice is not to fall asleep, however, due to my sleep issues it’s just what happens at times. Regardless of if I fall asleep or not, after meditation, I feel much more relaxed and better able to put things into perspective. Mindfulness helps mitigate the feeling of constantly being anxious, worrying about daily life and responsibilities, which in of itself, makes it worthwhile.

How To Do It

There are many different types of meditation and differing techniques that people use. The easiest way to begin creating a good habit of practicing mindfulness is to make use of an app like Headspace or Calm. Both of these apps help people by providing a voice guided experience where the host tells you exactly what to do and how to do it, so that you gain the best experience possible. I have completed the Headspace “Take Ten” challenge and have meditated many times since. The challenge is done by using the first ten basic Headspace videos, which all last around ten minutes long. These are entertaining videos and a voice guided mindfulness process is provided making it a simple, easy, and enjoyable task. Given the simplicity and convenience, making meditation a habit should become a welcomed change in pace to our hectic, stress laden lives. Taking time out is not only important but it’s imperative for one’s health, and there’s no easier way than by simply being mindful.

Yours In Health,

Aaron

Iyer, L. M., Burroughs, A. M., Anand, S., Souza, R. F., & Aravind, L. (2017). Polyvalent Proteins, a Pervasive Theme in the Intergenomic Biological Conflicts of Bacteriophages and Conjugative Elements. Journal of Bacteriology,199(15). doi:10.1128/jb.00245-17