If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you’re already very well aware of how difficult it can be to deal with- especially when you have a flare-up of your symptoms. The symptoms related to fibromyalgia, such as fatigue and chronic pain, can make it quite difficult to get through your day.
Often, these symptoms can have some majorly negative effects on your mood- leaving you feeling like there is no hope, or worse, leaving you feeling severely depressed. So, if you’re beginning to feel stressed out by your fibromyalgia, consider trying meditation in order to restore a sense of calmness and vitality to your life.
What exactly is meditation?
People who suffer from fibromyalgia are using meditation techniques more and more to manage their symptoms of fibromyalgia- and it also improves their mood. Meditation helps people to quite/calm their minds, lower their stress levels, and get rid of their worries- at least for a short time.
Meditation involved focusing on breathing or specific words, sounds, or objects to lull the individual into an altered level of consciousness. Meditation facilitates feelings or rest and relaxation and can teach people how to focus their minds on the positive things instead of their trials and tribulations.
Meditation has been around for many, many years and has been used by many, many different cultures. It’s not exactly clear where meditation truly began, however early practices of it can be traced to the Eastern World and India. There are lots of different types of meditation, including mindfulness, concentration, and transcendental. For the most part, all types of meditation have the same exact goal- to bring a person to a state of mental clarity and extreme calm. Meditation has also been used by some to facilitate healing on a spiritual level.
Benefits of Meditation
There are lots of benefits of meditation, both physical and mental- as long as it is practiced on a regular basis. Some of the physical benefits of meditation include the following:
- Decreased pulse
- Reduction in the activity of the nervous system
- Lowered heart rate
- Reduction in blood pressure
Some of the mental benefits provided by meditation include the following:
- Reduced feelings of depression
- Increase in memory capacity
- Reduction in anxious feelings
- Fewer mood swings
- Increase in feelings of vitality and vigor
Meditation Helps Fibromyalgia Sufferers
In recent years, meditation has been proven to be extremely effective at reducing the levels of stress and other symptoms of fibromyalgia. If you are suffering from fibromyalgia, you should be aware that meditation can go a long way in reducing your fatigue and making improvements in your sleep patterns. Meditation has also been proven to reduce your levels of pain, as well as decreasing the levels of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a hormone that your body produces when you’re under stress.
One study took seventy-seven individuals with fibromyalgia and found that when they practiced meditation every day, most of their symptoms of fibromyalgia were improved drastically. In fact, around fifty-one percent of them reported that they noticed at least a moderate, if not extreme improvement in the symptoms they were experiencing. Another study regarding meditation and the symptoms of fibromyalgia showed that practicing meditation actually decreased the amount of muscle pain, depression, sleeplessness, and achiness that individuals with fibromyalgia experienced.
Various Types of Meditation
Individuals suffering from the symptoms of fibromyalgia have found that practicing meditation on a regular basis has actually greatly reduced their symptoms. However, is there a “right” way to practice meditation? If so, what is it? As mentioned previously, there are three main types of meditation, including mindfulness, concentration, and transcendental.
Mindfulness meditation
First of all, there is mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation is considered to be the most effective form of meditation. Additionally, it is very easy and very enjoyable to do. Start by sitting in the most comfortable position you can and then allow your eyes to gaze in a downward direction. Slowly soften your gaze, but don’t close your eyes completely. Allow your mind to soak in all of the details of your surroundings, including the smells, images, and sounds. However, don’t allow yourself to judge anything or focus on anything in particular. Instead, simply focus on allowing yourself to enjoy each and every aspect of your surroundings and the sensations they elicit. Basically, accept your surroundings for what they are and what they are offering you. Do this once each day, spending about twenty minutes doing it.
Concentration Meditation
This type of meditation is actually one of the simplest forms. When you’re practicing concentration meditation, you focus all of your attention on a specific object. This can be a statue, a candle, a flower, or whatever you choose. You’ll start by sitting in an upright position, with your shoulders in alignment with your hips. You should make sure that the object you’re focusing (or concentrating) on is in your line of sight, but not too far away. Allow your eyes and your attention to center on the object itself. As you’re trying to focus on that object, you may find that random thoughts will pop into your mind. When you notice these thoughts, very gently pull your attention away from the thought and back onto the object. You should aim to do this twice a day for ten minutes each time.
Transcendental Meditation
The third and final type of meditation for fibromyalgia is transcendental. This particular form of fibromyalgia has many who practice it and it is excellent to promote sleep, inner peace and rest. Many times, it has been put together with religious worship in order to deepen the individual’s faith. You should start by sitting in a comfortable position and simply close your eyes. In your head (or out loud, if you prefer), you will repeat a specific sound- known as a mantra- over and over. The sound should have no meaning, but should be soothing to you. Each time you say it, it should become quieter and quieter until it is just you at peace, alone with your thoughts. You should practice this type of meditation twice daily, for fifteen minutes each time.
Further reading:
Mindfulness Meditation Helps Fibromyalgia Patients:
Meditation for Relief of Chronic Pain:
http://www.chronicbodypain.net/meditation-for-relief-of-chronic-pain
Meditation: http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_meditation.html
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