How Meditation Reduces Stress

How meditation reduces stress – your questions answered

Is stress bad?

Stress can be very useful when you’re faced with a dangerous situation. The ‘fight or flight’ response helps you to act quickly, enabling you to run away, fight a fire, climb to safety and so on. This is called acute stress. Once the danger has passed, your stress levels reduce.

Chronic stress is far from helpful. When you have chronic stress, that fight or flight response doesn’t properly switch off. Your mind and body stay primed for attack, which isn’t mentally or physically healthy.

How do I know if I’m stressed?

There are lots of symptoms of chronic stress. You might feel overwhelmed and struggle to prioritise. You may also feel unfocused, lack clarity and just feel ‘foggy’ and dull-witted.

Family and friends may notice that you’re more irritable or mention that you don’t seem like yourself. Stress can also cause physical symptoms, including headaches, an upset stomach, muscle pain and nausea.

What’s the best kind of meditation for stress?

There are several types of meditation to choose from. The best one for you depends on your own preferences and circumstances.

Some people practise mindfulness – where you aim to be fully present and engaged with your surroundings and thoughts. Others prefer guided meditation, where someone talks you through each step. There are types of meditation where you focus on your breath, and others where you try not to focus on anything and instead observe your thoughts without judgement.

I teach Vedic Meditation, which is one of the easiest meditations to do. It doesn’t require an app or any specialist equipment. And, once you’ve learnt it, you can do it on your own at a time that suits you.

Most students find that it reduces their stress levels considerably within days, and that the benefits are long-lasting.

What if I can’t meditate when I’m stressed?

It’s not easy to focus on your breathing or quieten your ‘monkey mind’ when you’re feeling stressed. Luckily, you don’t need to with Vedic Meditation – the mantra does the work for you by calming your mind and de-exciting your nervous system.

However, a key benefit of Vedic Meditation is that it helps to prevent issues like stress from becoming overwhelming in the first place. It’s a self-care technique, like brushing your teeth and eating enough veg. Vedic meditators often say that they just don’t get as stressed as they used to.

That’s certainly the case for Myrta Galache, who told me, “Meditation has been a true and reliable companion throughout these nine months. I have no doubt it has really helped me stay calm and energised through events that could otherwise have felt quite stressful.”

How do I learn meditation?

Vedic Meditation is best to learn in a small group or individually, so that you can receive one-to-one support.

Find out more about upcoming meditation for stress courses in London.

What other ways can I reduce stress?

Exercise, spending time in nature, volunteering and connecting with other people can all help with stress. If work is stressful, you may want to prioritise tasks by writing them down and deciding which ones you can let go of. And don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to your team so that you have less on your plate.

The mental health charity Mind recommends trying to manage external pressures. It also has some great tips on how to develop emotional resilience.

The NHS has lots of suggestions on how to tackle stress.

If you feel that meditation could ease your stress, do sign up for a free talk on Zoom. I'll explain more about how meditation reduces stress and what the course involves.