Combatting Rumination Series: Guided Meditation

The word meditation means to “take the measure of” and “to care for.” More fully, mediation is a relaxed state of moment-to-moment awareness or being in the “here and now” without passing judgment in this awareness. This is especially helpful in combatting rumination because meditation moves us out of focusing on the past and into focusing on the present moment. 

Meditation is critical to self-awareness and stress reduction. Awareness helps us identify the circumstances and conditions that cause us stress. And once we are able to notice what causes us stress, we are able to better manage our stress.  

At its core, meditation does significant things for our mind and body. Meditation:

• Wakes us to the experience of the present moment
• Helps us to notice how we feel without judgment
• Calms the body’s nervous system
• Increases the body’s “feel good” chemicals (serotonin, endorphins, melatonin), and
• Decreases the body’s stress hormone (cortisol).

Click here to listen to a 5-minute meditation!