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What Is A Stress Response? 

Stress is an emergency response system that evolved to allow our ancestors to thwart attacks on their life, like attacks from a wild animal or other situations encountered when living in the wild unknown. The stress system response evolved to produce excess adrenaline and cortisol during the fight or flight response. When this state is activated, blood and other nutrients are diverted from the organs, and the immune system is lowered to conserve energy for the fight or flight. 

This means either fighting a wild animal or running from it to try to reach safety. Yet, in modern times, we are typically not chased by wild animals in our everyday lives. Instead, we are attacked by modern pressures of work and life, and other responsibilities. 

We may feel like we are under immense pressure all the time and, therefore, cannot get out of the fight or flight mode. When this happens, we often refer to the issue vaguely as “stress.” Stress means that rather than the body being in a mode to rest and digest, it is pumped up and ready to run. Because stress is chronic for most people in modern times, this can cause adverse effects on the mind and body.

Chronic exposure to stress can weaken the immune system and can even change the DNA and cause early aging and health decline. Long-term stress can also lead to inflammation and other symptoms like depression, anxiety, autoimmune disease, hypertension, headaches, and other issues. 

Sometimes, it is evident that chronic stress is the culprit. When someone has been living with high-stress levels for a long time, they may begin to see this as their normal functioning and not even notice how affected they are and which symptoms are related. 

Mindfulness and attention to our health and wellness through guided meditation can allow us to make new connections about our health. They can introduce a framework for creating new and healthier choices in everyday life, leading to lower stress levels and greater fulfillment. 

How to Manage Stress Levels with Guided Meditation  

Guided meditation is a listening meditation that involves a short, guided session that takes us through a series of imaginative scenarios to help us see the past and create a new vision for the future. 

Topics vary for guided mediation and can involve self-confidence, health, reducing stress levels, and reducing anxiety. Stress is not something that is out of control, but rather it is something that, with attention and patience, can become a motivating factor for change in our lives. When we experience high stress or even extreme mental breakdown, we are experiencing a mirror for our actions and lifestyle. These high-stress times allow us to see where we are pushing our limits and how we can best reel back our energies and actions to something that is more manageable and makes us happy. 

Instead of always striving to do more, we can see where we have gone too far and pushed ourselves too hard. We can see where we made compromises and didn’t stay true to our values. Guided meditation allows us to recognize these instances and note them without condemning ourselves or wishing for a different outcome. 

Instead, we can reflect through guided meditation and create a new understanding of our story and how we came to be in our current situation. Only when we see this clearly can we take insightful action towards a new reality. Practicing guided daily meditation daily for the consistency of change to manifest in our lives throughout the seasons.

According to the Chopra Center, "Navigating the depths of consciousness on your own can be tough, especially for beginners. Guided meditations provide the assistance of a teacher or guide to walk you through the process and help you find a calm and peaceful state – one step at a time." 

Many people have heard of meditation and the benefits of the practice and wonder how to get started meditating. Engaging in meditation is a great way to lower stress levels and relax the mind and body. People who experience chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms can benefit from the practice of meditation. 

What Is Guided Meditation 

Guided meditation is a meditation practice led by an experienced teacher, either via a live broadcast or through pre-recorded audio or video. Through guided meditation can be used by anyone, it is more frequently used by those new to meditation. The added assistance and support of a teacher can be helpful when first embarking upon the practice. 

Guided meditations generally teach participants the basics of meditation techniques as well as offering instruction and insight into how the mind and thoughts work, how to better understand and relate to your thoughts and emotions, how to use meditation techniques in daily life, and how to settle the mind and body for meditation. 

In modern times, meditation is a great practice that should be on everyone's mind. Engaging in meditation each day can retrain the mind at the conscious and subconscious levels and shift the outlook. Starting a meditation practice is easy and only requires setting aside a few minutes each day to sit in silence and notice one's thoughts. Some people have a lot of trouble sitting still and therefore need a more engaging practice of meditation. 

Guided meditations are recorded meditations that lead the listener through a series of visualizations to create a new reality. Listening to guided meditations each day can be an easy way to get started with meditation. 

How To Start Meditating 

When beginning a meditation practice, many people prefer to start with a short sequence of around 5 minutes. Adding a 5-minute meditation once or twice per day can be completely transformative. After five minutes of meditation becomes easy to accomplish, add five minutes to your meditation time. 

Many people meditate for 20-30 minutes each day, and some people engaged in spiritual practice traditionally meditate for 2 hours each morning. Yet, meditation is a practice accessible for everyone who wants to improve their life experience and lower their stress levels. 

Many meditation styles can be done throughout the day, like a mantra, affirmation, and loving-kindness. Yet, when engaged in guided meditation, it is essential to focus on the practice by quietly sitting or lying where there are little distraction and noise. 

Now, find a guided meditation that is the proper length for your practice.  

Guided meditation maybe five minutes long and can range in content from positive affirmations to guided imagery to color visualization therapy. There is much variety in the topics and ideas to choose from.

A simple online search should reveal plenty of options for recorded meditations. Try to choose a guided meditation by a teacher or professional you trust and can connect with. 

Many guided meditations are available for online streaming for free or can be downloaded to your device for easier access. It is also possible to have a personalized guided meditation made by a teacher or other professional. It is possible to find guided meditations for self-empowerment, health and wellness, manifestation, and other lifestyle improvement topics.

Many guided meditations invoke nature, animals, plants, colors, and other visualizations to engage the mind and body and create a new vibration of energy within the system. 

Why Guided Meditation?

In guided meditation, the teacher leads the listener through a series of visualizations or journeys to engage the mind and body and establish relaxation and the space for insight. Listening to a guided meditation each day helps to reprogram the conscious and subconscious mind. 

When the audio and visualization is done day after day, it is possible to create a new reality and a unique world experience. Meditation is a practice in becoming aware of our ideas about life. So, when we meditate, we reflect on our experiences and allow a different understanding of how we choose to let events affect us.

Committing to listening to a guided meditation every day creates a regularity of practice that is dependable. This practice can lower stress levels and can also allow space for a long-term lifestyle change.