Using Meditation to Relax and Manage Stress, Part I
The following blog has four parts to it. This is Part I. Parts II, III and IV will follow in subsequent blogs.
Stress is an everyday fact of life. You can't avoid it; but you can manage it in a way so that it works for you and not against you. If you allow stress to run unchecked, you will most likely create problems for yourself physically and emotionally.
Below is a list of some of the various kinds of ailments that chronic stress can cause:
Muscle weakness, muscle tension, shoulder, neck, and backaches
Hypertension
Peptic ulcers, stomachaches
Colitis, constipation, chronic diarrhea
Amenorrhea–suppression of menstruation, failure to ovulate
Impotency and loss of libido
Asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments
Diabetes
Decalcification of bones, osteoporosis
Inhibition of immune and inflammatory systems
Headaches, fatigue
Arthritis
Premature aging
Depression
Anger, hostility
Difficulty making decisions and concentrating, frequent crying
Insomnia
Please note that when you are overly stressed, your adrenal glands secrete corticoids (adrenaline, epinephrine, and norepinephrine) which inhibit digestion, reproduction, growth and tissue repair, and the immune and inflammatory responses.
So, as you can see from the above, chronic stress is not good for you. But, just as we get so caught up in a chronic stress response to life's challenges; we can also learn how to experience the "relaxation response" through the practice of meditation.
To be contunued...