To be diagnosed with an
autoimmune disease is a devastating experience, given that there is no known
cure for autoimmune diseases, only control of the disease symptoms. Be that as
it may, a diagnosis is not the end of the world. You must learn how to live as
if everything is a miracle. To do just that, relaxation of the body and mind is
important.
The human immune system is a complicated built-in
mechanism equipped with antibodies for self-protection and self-healing from
any disease or disorder. When this innate system becomes compromised or
dysfunctional, its immune defenses may mistakenly attack the body’s own healthy
cells, resulting in autoimmune diseases. There are over one hundred autoimmune
diseases affecting different body organs. The causes of autoimmunity are
complex. All in all, stress is Stress is one of the triggers of many autoimmune
diseases because it affects the immune system.
Stress is your body’s natural response to increased
tension. Stress can increase your production of hormone epinephrine (and
thus wearing out your hormonal glands). After the initial stressful stimuli,
your body should be able to relax, slow down, and return to a state of
equilibrium. However, this may not happen, and, as a result, you become distressed
with many adverse health effects, including blood sugar elevation, breathing
rate acceleration, muscle tension, pulse rate and blood pressure increase,
excessive sweating to cool down the body, among others.
Stress
is caused by the mental interpretation or anticipation of a stressful event or
incident, which has occurred or is about to occur. Of course, to effectively
control stress, the root cause of the stress must be addressed or its related
problems must be resolved first. If the underlying stress problem is not resolved,
coping with stress is even more difficult.
Coping with stress has to do with the mind—after all,
stress is what is commonly known as the “fight-or-flight” response of the mind
to an event or circumstance.
Mindfulness
To effectively cope with stress, you must, first and
foremost, be mindful of your the existence or presence of your stress.
Mindfulness is the capability to see how your body, mind, and soul are
intricately interconnected with one another. Failure to see this intricate
relationship means the inability to live in the present moment. Living in
the now holds the key
to natural health because that present-moment mindset provides balance and
relaxation for holistic wellness of the body and the mind.
The truth of the matter is that many of us are not
mindful, given the fact that we are living in an age of speed, which fosters a
compulsive mind. Our minds do not and cannot stop because our minds are
obsessed with past and future thoughts. Our past thoughts dictate our future
actions: we wish to avoid past failures and repeat past successes, and thus
creating our desires and expectations. Unfortunately, this is how we have
created our stress.
Mindfulness enables us to stay in the now, that is, in the
present moment. The past was gone, and the future is uncertain; only the
present is real—a gift, and that is why it is called a “present.” Practice
mindfulness by focusing on your breaths—notice how you breathe in and breathe
out, how your diaphragm rises and falls during your inhalation and exhalation. This
simple practice can be performed anytime: while waiting for the bus or train;
in the office. Mindfulness slows down a compulsive mind. You may have a
compulsive mind if you talk on your cell phone while walking. A compulsive mind
is a source of stress.
Meditation
Meditation is an extension of mindfulness. It is most
effective for stress control. Meditation
is a proven mind-body therapy for body-mind relaxation.
The healing power of meditation lies in its capability to
focus the mind solely on the very present moment for an extended time,
thereby removing memories of the past and worries of the future. Meditation
helps you focus your mind on the present moment to the exclusion of past and
future thoughts. The mind in its natural and perfect stillness relaxes
completely and totally.
In contemporary living, your mind is often riddled with
thoughts of what you just did, what you will do, or should have done. Nearly
all your thoughts, including your desires and fears, are based on either the
past or the future. Your desires are no more than recollections of the past
pleasures and hopes of repeating them in the future. Fears are also memories of
past pain, and your efforts to avoid the pain in the future. All these rambling
thoughts in your subconscious mind indirectly affect your conscious mind, and
hence your body and your eyes.
The mental focus of meditation is not quite the same as
the mental concentration on solving a difficult math problem or while
performing a complex mental task. Meditation is focusing on something
seemingly insignificant (such as your breathing) or spontaneous (such
as eating and even driving) such that your mind can be conditioned to focusing
on only the present moment. In this way, your mind concentration excludes all
past and future thoughts, thereby instrumental in giving your mind a meaningful
break. It is in this sublime mental state that you are capable of understanding
the true nature of things, and their relativity to the meaning of life and
existence. Meditation awakens you to what is real or what is quasi real.
.
How to meditate
Here are some important points to remember during
meditation for stress control:
Sit comfortably in a relaxed
position. A full lotus position is not required. However,
it is important that you maintain a consistent position or
posture with your thumb tip and forefinger tip of each hand touching very
lightly, while the other fingers are either curled or extended out. A
consistent posture and hand position will promote a meditative mind to
practice your meditation techniques.
Focus on an object as
your focal point of concentration: your own breathing; looking at a candle
flame; listening to a sound, such as the sound of running water from a
fountain, or just about anything that can easily draw you back
to your meditation.
During your meditation, if your mind
wanders away (which is quite common), gently direct your mind to re-focus on
the object of your concentration. You learn how to focus through your act
of noticing that your mind has wandered off, as well as
through your repetitive efforts of returning to your
meditation.
Remember, relaxation has to do with the mind; a relaxed
mind relaxes the body as well. Relaxation is not about taking a vacation or
watching a movie. Taking a vacation is simply changing your daily work routine;
sometimes it can be as stressful as going to work.
Guided Meditation: A
guided journey into the recesses of your subconscious mind for deep relaxation
and stress control! Over 100,000 copies sold!
For more information on meditation, visit my web pages:
Stephen
Lau
Copyright © by Stephen Lau
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