How to Handle Stress in a New Way!

Have you ever felt so stressed and can’t seem to focus on anything? If yes, have you ever found a way that helps you get passed that stress? For instance, sleeping, exercising, eating maybe? How about meditation? I’ve never actually thought that meditation can be so beneficial, but it is because it helps relax the brain and keep yourself focused.   

During meditation, we are able to “turn off” our brain and just let our minds wander for a little bit. The biggest part of your brain affected is the frontal lobe because it is the part of the brain that is responsible for our decision making and when we are put under a lot of stress with a bunch of different decisions to make, clearing your brain and letting everything evaporate for a little bit is very beneficial. Another part of the brain that is affected is the parietal lobe and the thalamus which are two regions of the brain that help take in the senses and help decode what the message is and helps get it to the correct area of the body, respectively. Mediation helps with these two areas by allowing them to slow the intake of senses allowing them to catch up or just rest for a little bit.

Other ways mediation is beneficial to your brain besides more focus and less anxiety is that it allows you to have more compassion and creativeness in everything you do. This is because while you are in the mediation state, the brain is able to “turn off” like I said before and a part of the amygdala, which is in charge of some emotional feelings, is slowed down so when you relax that part, you gain more compassion for the things you do.  Also mediation is shown to increase gray matter in your brain which can lead to more focus throughout the day and help put you in a positive mood. The last good thing about meditation that can be very beneficial to your brain and body is that it has been seen to slow down the aging process which is also caused by the increasing gray matter.

So if you are under a lot of stress, or just have some time to kill and don’t want to do anything, I would highly recommend trying meditation. All in all it’s a great way to just gather yourself before you have a huge test or meeting. However it is that you gain stress, I would definitely say try meditating even if its for a few minutes. Anything to clear your mind is good.