For weeks my stomach has been on fire and my face HATES me. By my face hates me I mean my skin is dry, broken out and I’ve just recovered from a cold sore. I could NOT figure out what was going on until I sat down in meditation.
The thing is I couldn’t sit.
My thoughts were out of control, running faster than a toddler from bath time. I tried to breathe but when I actually took notice, my breath was shallow and quick. Breathing that should be taking place in my belly was all in my chest and I couldn’t calm my heart, breath or mind down.
In the weeks prior, of course I noticed my jaw hurt because I’ve been clenching it. Of course I realized that I haven’t had a good rest for months. Of course I realized I’m always out of breath, but what I didn’t realize is these are all warning signs against stress.
I’ve never been “stressed” have I? When I struggled to sit and breath I realized all of my skin issues were stress leaving my body. It was an ah-ha moment in reverse, I am completely stressed out and I didn’t even realize it.
Meditation has always played the lead role in my life, so when did it become an extra? When did I decide I was too busy? When did I choose to not put myself first? Well…a month and a half ago, I became TOO busy, TOO tired, TOO (enter excuses here). If I’m being completely honest, it happened earlier than a month and a half ago. I haven’t been treating myself very well for a few months now.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been making time for me. I’ve been making sure to get my meditation minutes in because I’m important to ME.
If you search google, you’ll find all kinds of benefits for a meditation practice but here are 5 things I’ve noticed in myself.
- Reduces Stress – The silent killer…stress. It seems to lurk in the dark corners of life and attacks all at once. Some people thrive in the dramatic time and others let it take over. By concentrating on your breath and making an effort to not get involved with every single thought, stress will dissipate.
- Lowers Blood Pressure – I don’t know about you, but I can feel my blood struggling. Maybe it’s because of shallow breathing during stressful moments but my chest feels tight. When I concentrate on full belly breaths the pressure in my body lifts.
- Improved Sleep – I work nights, sleep can be difficult but I’ve been getting home earlier than normal and spending time deep breathing before bed. I always spend extra time on the exhales, it’s a natural way to relax. I practice this breathing as I drift to sleep and I don’t toss and turn at all! I’ve been getting eight hours of restful sleep. It makes the mornings incredibly easier.
- Increased Focus – Recently at work I was trying to kill time until I could close. There was a woman talking to me but I wasn’t invested. Embarrassingly I was only half paying attention to her. The shift was long, I was tired but I set my phone down and actually listened to her. She had a terrible day and as she unfolded the details, tears escaped from her eyes. I think she came in to escape the stress from her home life. I believe because of meditation I was able to give her sound advice and be invested in the conversation.
- Clear Skin – My skin has been feeling the benefits of my meditation. My stomach is no longer on fire and I’ve been able to hydrate my skin. Unfortunately, for me, this took the longest to see an improvement in. I could feel the stress leaving my body but the remanents left marks for two and a half extra weeks.
Now…keeping the practice up! This time my reaction to stress were VERY severe. What do you do in stressful times?
It’s been the practice of rituals for me. My morning ritual is mindful eating during breakfast and deep breathing while I enjoy coffee. My night time ritual before bed includes lying down using full body breaths (longer exhales) until I peacefully drift into a deep slumber.
If you’re desperate to relieve yourself of stress but have no idea where to get started, feel free to adopt my rituals!
Happy breathing!
Namaste,
Jes xoxo