Khaberni - Many people face increasing stress during the holiday season, with a rush of commitments and multiple daily tasks, which leads to the search for means to restore calm and achieve psychological balance.
In this regard, health experts highlight meditation as a way to relieve stress in addition to multiple health benefits, most notably contributing to lowering blood pressure.
According to Healthline, people who meditate regularly record lower levels of blood pressure, which reduces stress on the heart and decreases the risk of serious conditions, such as heart attacks and strokes.
In this context, a user from Reddit shared his personal experience with mediation, offering a set of tips for those who want to try this experience for the first time. He said he used to feel bored or sleepy during his initial attempts, or would be distracted by fleeting daily thoughts, before discovering simple techniques that made mediation more effective for him.
He explained that the most important advice is not to try to empty the mind of thoughts, asserting that the emergence of thoughts during meditation is natural. He advised observing them calmly and letting them pass without resistance, just like pop-up ads that can be ignored without interacting with them.
He also called for starting with small steps, by allocating one minute a day for meditation, then gradually increasing the duration. He recommended using breathing as a means to focus, by counting inhalations and exhalations regularly, which helps calm the mind and enhance mental presence.
The user emphasized the importance of linking meditation to a fixed daily routine, such as practicing it after brushing teeth in the morning, to make it a habit that requires no hesitation or daily decision.
He also mentioned that using calm music or natural sounds, like rain, might help some people to focus, confirming that complete silence is not a fundamental requirement for meditation.
He added that meditation does not require complex postures or sitting in a traditional way, explaining that simply staying still in any comfortable position is sufficient to achieve the purpose. He also suggested categorizing thoughts as they appear, such as considering them as planning for the future or fleeting memories, which helps reduce their mental impact.
He concluded by noting that meditation is not limited to sitting only; it can also be practiced while walking mindfully, or when eating with full focus and without distractions, such as phones or TV.
According to Healthline, the benefits of meditation extend to reducing stress and anxiety, improving the ability to concentrate and sleep quality, helping control pain, and reducing memory decline associated with aging.
Meditation can be practiced almost anywhere, whether at work, on public transportation, or while walking.
