So what do the brains of meditators look like? The exact opposite: more capacity for decision-making, less trigger-happy when faced with a perceived threat. “That’s probably not anything specific to meditation, but it’s just that reducing stress and changing patterns of thinking over a period of time is reflected in the structure of the brain,” author Jo Marchant told host Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air last week. Marchant, who holds a doctorate in genetics and medical microbiology and has written for New Scientist, Nature, and Smithsonian, recently wrote a book titled Cure that investigates the healing power of the mind, looking at the placebo effect, meditation, prayer, conditioning, and hypnosis. What did Marchant find that’s specific to meditation? Mindfulness meditation is one of the best-studied types of meditation and has benefits for health: —Jo Marchant, author of Cure Slow, measured breathing helps counter the fight or flight response that gets triggered during stress: And yes, Marchant says you can become wired to be stressed all the time: Here are three ways you can interrupt the stress cycle from Mindful magazine:
Relax your muscles with a body scan
Progressive muscular relaxation can help you notice where you’re holding stress. It doesn’t take long and it’s simple to do: Lie down comfortably on your back with your legs straight. Close your eyes. Start by tensing muscles in your feet, then relax. Work your way up your body doing the same thing in sequence from your feet to your head. Often it’s only by experiencing muscle tension and letting it go that we become aware of just how much tension our bodies are retaining.
Get your face out of your phone
Your phone is your everything, all-the-time, go-to, distractor device. It’s like having someone nudging and nagging you all day. It constantly steals your attention. Set some boundaries on when, where, and how you will use it. Beware letting it dominate during social occasions. Try putting it away completely during meals and parties. Pick a few places—doorways, elevators, in line at the store—where you can make a mental note to avoid it, and take those moments when you’d be deep in cyberworld to follow your breath instead.
Play
All work and no play…and yes, that means you. Playing isn’t restricted to children. Playing simply means doing something that has no purpose, plan, or aim. Wander the streets, play cards, go bowling, read for pleasure. The surprises that come from letting yourself go can exhilarate and refresh.
