Stressed? Mindfulness Can Help

Throughout the year, stress can wear us down. Holidays, job changes, moving, errands on Saturday. Stress takes a toll on our health and well-being, and incorporating mindfulness into our lives can offer us tools to keep things in balance and help us become less reactive. Read how our Center for Mindfulness experts incorporate mindfulness checks into their daily lives to lessen stress.

Juan Miret, PhD, has practiced mindfulness meditation since 1995 and aspires to help others reduce their stress and increase their well-being. Juan offers his own practices to keep his stress level low:

• “I perform multiple short practices during the day, for one to five minutes, to keep me grounded and centered. I use one of the mindfulness anchors – focusing on my breath, hands, feet, sounds or body – and do so at the same time each day.”
• “If I feel the stress is too much, I practice STOP (Stop-Take a breath-Open-Proceed). This helps me to know that it’s okay to feel whatever I am feeling or to recognize that I’m trying to do too much.”
• “I take the opportunity to eat mindfully. Doing so changes the way I relate to food. I savor it, and this helps me to eat enough for what I need.”
• “When I go for a walk, I connect with my neighborhood by being attentive to the houses and the people I encounter along the way.”

Erin Sharaf, MA, PA-C, knows that practicing mindfulness to alleviate stress is crucial to health. The following are her methods to help reduce stress around the holidays:

• “Start [the day] with a mindfulness practice. If I wait until the end of the day, I may be too tired to practice, so I start my day with a mindfulness practice, even if it’s only five minutes. This helps me ground, center and feel more ready for the day to come.”
• “Move. If I’m too sedentary, my stress level increases. I’m committed to moving my body daily. Even if it’s just a five- to 10-minute stretch and breathing break, I find I return to the task at hand with more peace and ease and a clearer mind. Often the 10 minutes I intended turns into a longer session.”
• “Unplug. I recently committed to being unplugged for at least two hours a day. It may not sound like much, but the average American checks their phone every three to 10 minutes. I find my nervous system is calmer when I take breaks from the technology.”
• “Get outside. I don’t love the cold, so I have to challenge myself with this one. But every time I bundle up and get outside, I feel more spacious afterwards.”
• “[Use] food as medicine. I make sure to nourish myself carefully. Whole-food, plant-based meals fuel my mind and body in healthy, loving and nourishing ways. It takes a bit of planning when life is busy, but I’m always grateful I took the time when I have a beautiful meal or snack to eat.”

The UMass Memorial Health Center for Mindfulness offers free, online global meditation sessions in English and Spanish, as well as additional courses to help you reduce stress and improve your quality of life.