RESEARCH

Why is so much stress so damaging to our health? how can the technique of Transcendental Meditation be useful in reducing and managing your stress levels?

Not all stress is bad

For the most part in our human history, our strategic choices in stressful situations have been rather narrow. When, as a hunter, you happen to stand eye-to-eye with a tiger, either you dig your heels in and ready yourself for combat, or you run for your sweet life.

That is the reason why we, as a species, have developed a “fight-or-flight” response to stress which prepares the body for either of these two options.

The physiological mechanism behind this response is quite fascinating. When we are under stress, a particular hormone (epinephrine) floods our bloodstream and

slows down the digestive system (no wasting energy on that now!);

increase heart and breathing rates, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels (since we need loads of fuel delivered to the muscles quickly!); and

switches off the prefrontal cortex of the brain and puts faster-acting, more primitive parts of the brain in charge. (Who needs planning and problem-solving, impulse control, emotional regulation, decision-making and reasoning in times of peril?! We’re fighting for our lives here, not solving equations!)

This all sounds good for successfully surviving in the wild.

When survival mode becomes the norm

Unfortunately, however, our bodies cannot tell the difference between meeting a beast in the jungle and encountering an angry boss, getting stuck in traffic or finding 23,746 unread messages in the Inbox first thing Monday morning.

We still get the rush of the stress hormone, which prepares our body either to fight or to take off. When this happens too often, our vital organs are under constant pressure (think, for example, of all the extra work your poor heart has to do!) and stress becomes a real health hazard.

Study after study has shown that frequent experience of stress causes problems, namely,

mental problems – e.g., depression; anxiety; panic attacks; problems with learning, memory and emotional regulation; insomnia; oversensitivity to new stressors; irritability; destruction of neurons; etc.; and

physical problems – e.g., weakened immune system, high or low blood pressure, heart disease, higher stroke risk, migraines, aggravated cancer, premature aging, digestive problems, high cholesterol level, unhealthy food choices, increased alcohol consumption, etc.

So the vital question in our hectic modern lives is not whether to manage stress, but how to do it most efficiently.

Managing it: How can you reduce excessive levels of stress?

Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice provides deep relaxation and rest for the body and mind and

balances nervous system activation,

balances hormonal levels and

increases brain coherence.

As a result, our body and mind no longer overreact to stressful situations. We no longer see a traffic jam as an immediate danger to our life.

Transcendental Meditation practice also reduces levels of depression, anxiety and over-sensitivity and allows us to cope better with our everyday life.

Stress reduction in college students

The power of Transcendental Meditation as a stress-buster in real-life situations has been studied in various settings.

For example, research shows that college students who practice Transcendental Meditation have

less stress;

less anxiety;

less depression;

less harmful fighting or flight responses to stressors;

faster adjustment to and recovery from stressful stimuli; and

lower blood pressure.

In order to graduate not just with a diploma but also with great mental and physical health, it seems a good idea to make the Transcendental Meditation course part of your personal curriculum!

Managing work-related stress and anxiety in adults

In a similar vein, TM practice has been proven beneficial in dealing with all the various challenges of life after school.

Studies conducted with adults show that Transcendental Meditation practice

relieves work-related stress;

reduces general mental distress;

improves mental health;

reduces blood pressure more effectively than other means of reducing stress; and

induces changes in the brain (clarified gamma amplitude) associated with feelings of happiness, love and calmness.

The benefits of Transcendental Meditation for increasing work efficiency have also been documented. So TMs can make your work life not only less stressful but more successful!