End of the Month Stress Buster

It's that time again. The month is almost over, and it's time to work on getting rid of that stress that's built up over the last thirty days. So how are we going to deal with it this month?

For this month's stress buster, we're talking about giving that stress out into the universe through meditation. One thing I want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable with is that meditation doesn't have to be a religious or spiritual exercise. It can simply be something that allows you to find your inner calm once again.

In order to do this month's stress buster, you'll need a quiet place. If you're fond of nature and the weather is nice, take a blanket and head outside under the sun. If you're staying inside, you'll need something comfortable to sit on and something to play some calming music. I would highly suggest anything on Enya's CD Paint the Sky with Stars or this noise generator that can be found here. Both have a lot of music and sounds that are highly relaxing. 

To get the most out of this stress buster, you want to give yourself time to relax and time to spend alone. You'll need some privacy just to get yourself into a calm place for yourself. 

Here's what to do for this month's stress buster:

1. Get comfortable sitting wherever you are. Sit on a blanket or a pillow to make sure that you're comfortable.
2. If you're playing music, adjust the sound so that it is low enough that you can hear it but not so loud that it's going to interfere with being able to relax and concentrate.
3. Close your eyes and relax your body. Find a comfortable position.
4. One at a time, imagine each of your worries or stressors as colored marbles that you're placing in a basket. As you place each one in the basket, name the stress and give it a color. The darker the color, the more this stress is making you worry. Use blues, purples, and reds for highly stressing subjects. 
5. Once you've placed all your marbles in the basket, imagine that you're mixing the marbles together and that they're turning into shades of paint. 
6. Imagine pouring the paint out--mixed into a thousand colors--and watching it flow away in a river. Let the stress go down the river into the universe and allow it to flow out of your body.

By naming your stress, it gives you a way to make them into a form that you can acknowledge and deal with. It helps to make your stresses manageable. 

I hope this stress buster helps to relax you and get rid of some of the stress that's built up over this month. I know it helps me to deal with stress to do this meditation visualization. 

The Joys of Meditation

Sometimes the stress of everything that's going on gets to be a bit too much. It becomes more than I can handle, and I need to find a way to get away from it all. Most of the time, though, that just isn't practical. I can't go on vacation and get away from all of my problems and stress.

Hmm... maybe I should keep this for the end of the month stress buster. But oh well...

So I'm trying to do meditation lately, just as a way to center myself and get rid of some of the frustration. My meditation is all about relaxing and finding some kind of place where I can start from a basic point of clarity. That gives me a chance to avoid the pitfalls of starting my day from a point where I'm already stressed out and I'm already frustrated. And meditation can help me deal with some of the anger and stress that accumulates throughout the day, as well.

My meditation isn't really identified toward anything more than calming myself. I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, so staying calm is something that is incredibly important to me. So here's how I do it:

1. Get comfortable. Usually I sit cross-legged on my bed with my back against a bunch of pillows.
2. I tend to put on Enya. Her music is ridiculously calming and relaxing. Especially "Paint the Sky with Stars." That's my meditation music.
3. I close my eyes and breathe in and out, counting to three for each breath in and each breath out. 
4. In my mind, I focus my concentration on walking through a personal library. I find a comfortable spot and I relax for a few minutes. I always choose a library because that's where I'm most comfortable outside of my home. I love the smell of books and paper. It makes me happy.
5. Then I bring myself back to the world around me and start my day.

By that time, I'm usually much more relaxed that I started out feeling. And it makes me a much easier person to deal with during the day.