https://www.wikihow.com/Meditate-and-Calm-Down
In a 2013 study published in Thailand’s premier medical journal, researchers discovered that meditation can dramatically lower cortisol levels—the main hormone that triggers stress.[1] There are many different types of meditation that you can practice, but some may be better suited to helping you calm down when you are feeling upset, stressed, or anxious about something. For example, if you are so angry about something that you can’t even imagine sitting down to meditate, walking meditation offers a good method to meditate while also using up some of that physical energy. You can also try mindfulness or mantra meditation if you are feeling up to sitting still while meditating.
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- It is important to be safe while walking. While this type of meditation is great for calming down and relaxing, you do have to remain aware of what you are doing and where you are walking. It is not meant to be a trance-like state.
- Knowing how long you want to walk can be helpful in choosing a place to walk. If you know you’re only going to walk for five minutes, you can probably find a small park to walk through.
- If you are feeling very upset about something you can also skip this step and just dive straight into walking. You can walk for as long as you feel like walking or until you feel that you’ve calmed down.
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- After you take a few deep breaths, return to your normal breathing, but try to stay focused on your normal breathing.
- Try to become aware of how your body is feeling. Notice any soreness you might have or any tension you are feeling.
- Some also recommend setting an “intention” before each meditation session. If you are meditating to calm down, you could make this your intention. For example, while you are standing there breathing, think about exactly what it is that is upsetting you, but don’t think about what you are going to do about it. Say to yourself, “During this meditation, I want to calm myself.” You could also simply say to yourself, “Calm.”
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- While you walk, try to stay focused on the physical sensations that you feel as you walk. For example, do you notice any pain in your knees? How do your feet feel as they touch the ground?
- You will probably get distracted by something you notice while you are walking, or your mind will want to wander back to whatever upset you. Don’t get even more upset by beating yourself up about this. When you notice your thoughts have wandered, simply go back to focusing on how walking feels.
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- Once you have spent some time focusing on your feet, slowly start to move upwards. For example, move to your ankles. Think about the sensation of your ankle joints allowing your feet to flex and relax. Then continue to move slowly up your body stopping anywhere you notice tension.
- When you notice tension in the body, focus on letting that tension go. Let the tension in your hips relax, and allow them to swing loosely. Visualize the tension leaving your body and floating away.
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- Remember that meditation is a practice. This means that you aren’t meant to become the ultimate master of meditation in a month or even a year, but instead that you can practice meditating to become better at it. You will have some days where it is very easy to stay calm and focused, and some days you will find it nearly impossible.
- Having a calm mind will allow you to deal with the problem with less anger, and may help you see solutions you weren’t able to see before.
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- You can focus more on the in-breath for awhile and then switch your focus to noticing the out-breath more for awhile. You can also focus on the whole pattern of breathing from start to finish if you like.
- If you find that you absolutely cannot clear your mind, then incorporate your anger/worry/stress into your meditation. For example, imagine your anger leaving your body through each out-breath. Think of each in-breath entering your body and “cleaning up” all the anger, and carrying it away as it leaves your body.
8 Return to your breathing. If your mind starts to wander (and it probably will), just simply take notice that you are now thinking about something else. Now that you have become aware, return to focusing on your breathing.
1 Choose a peaceful place. When practicing mantra meditation it is not entirely necessary to practice in the traditional way (e.g. sitting down with eyes closed). If this is not possible, you can also practice mantra meditation wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.