How can meditation help me relax?

Meditation is an excellent mind/body therapy as you focus your mind on one thought, phrase or prayer for a certain period of time. Mindfulness meditation is a process of purposefully paying attention to what is happening in the present moment without being distracted by what has already happened or what might happen. When you do this, it leads to the relaxation response in the body, which can help to decrease heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and muscle tension. Meditation also decreases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which are released during the “fight or flight” response (also called the stress response).

Meditation can guide you beyond the negative thoughts and agitations of the busy mind and allow you to become "unstuck" from your fear about pain or an upcoming surgery. Once you’ve learned how to meditate effectively, you can switch into this relaxation state at will—before stressors cause you to be overwhelmed.