Stress Relief: Coping with Divorce Stress

Q: I keep hearing how beneficial meditation is to body, mind and spirit, but I am one of those people who just never learned how.  I know you often talk about the many different ways one can mediate. I would love to. Is there a simple "starter" meditation I could easily learn to do?   

A: Absolutely! And you're right--there are many, many ways to meditate. But some require very little training. Simply defined , meditation is the practice of mindfulness. A deeply personal practice, individual style and belief systems will suggest various types of meditation that can create authentic, enriching experiences within or without a spiritual context. Refocusing in the present moment, we quiet the inner critic, and for a little while. . .just let go. 

I have seen meditation relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, headache, back pain, insomnia, chemotherapy, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, post traumatic stress disorder, phobias, blood pressure, pediatric hyperactivity, addictive disease and eating disorders, TMJ, compromised immunity (in both extremes of HIV and autoimmune response,) as well as accelerated burn healing, post-surgical recovery, addictive disease and limitless other applications. Guided imagery on CD or tape is a particularly easy, accessible meditation practice. 

Try this four-word, mni mediation.
Focus in this moment, replacing yesterday’s regret and erasing tomorrow’s worries. These words speak volumes, reducing by one word each time.

Slowly inhale.........Be Still. 
Slowly exhale........Know Peace.
Slowly inhale.........Be Still. 
Slowly exhale........Know peace.
Slowly inhale.........Be Still.

Many reach a meditative state in the rhythm of the ocean, focusing on the in-breath and out-breath, or a ‘mantra’ (soothing word/phrase), walking, practicing yoga, tai chi, even rocking a child, or rebuilding an engine. (Notice how many people have taken up knitting recently?) The hardest part is finding what feels right for oneself, then making time for that practice.  


Copyright 2000, 2007 Relax. . .Intuit (tm) LLC. All rights reserved. Federal law prohibits use of this material in whole or in part without the express written consent of Relax...Intuit™ LLC. Susie Mantell's Stress-Relief & Wellness Tips are intended as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, professional health care. Stress-relief expert Susie Mantell is the award-winning author of, "Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace." (audio book on CD) Featured in Fortune 500 companies, ABC, NBC, CBS-TV, Town & Country and Memorial Sloan-Kettering, listeners include The Mayo Clinic, Canyon Ranch (#1Spa,) The Betty Ford Center and other distinguished medical centers to relieve symptoms associated with stress, sleeplessness and depression. Subscribe to Susie Mantell's Free "dot-calm" e-Newsletter at http://www.relaxintuit.com/cd.asp. Learn more about Mantell at http://relaxintuit.com/.