Diabetes

How to Meditate: An Easy and Effective Guide for Beginners

how to meditate
Most of us live busy, over-booked lives controlled by tight schedules, long work days, and family obligations. Personal time falls by the wayside and taking a break can feel impossible! The problem is, we assume “me time” has to be time consuming (an hour at the gym, a trip to the movies) and is therefore unachievable. How about guilt-free self-care that can be accomplished anywhere in just a few minutes? The answer: meditation.

What is meditation?

Meditation is all about focus and mindfulness. In focusing your thoughts and bringing stillness to your mind, you promote relaxation, concentration, and patience. Mindfulness is the ability to bring your full attention to the present moment, with complete acceptance, and without judgment of your own thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Ultimately, the goal of meditation is to relax, focus on your natural breath, and free your mind of all extraneous stressors from the outside world.

Why should I meditate?

Meditation boasts a number of awesome physical and mental benefits!

Does meditation help people with diabetes?

Of course! In people with diabetes, stress can affect blood glucose levels in two ways:
  1. Stressed individuals are more likely to ignore self care. This could mean drinking alcohol, eating unhealthy food, exercising less, and forgetting to check blood glucose levels.
  2. Stress hormones directly affect blood glucose levels. In people with type 1 diabetes, mental stress can cause an increase or decrease in blood glucose levels. Mental stress often raises blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Physical stress, such as an accident or injury, causes higher blood glucose levels regardless of the diabetes type.
Regular meditation can help alleviate the mental or physical stress that causes these blood glucose swings, making diabetes management itself less stressful. Win-win!

Ready to get started?

Try out 5 minutes of meditation each day for the next week. That's just 35 minutes total! I recommend first thing in the morning, so you can set the stage for the day. :-) Check out our One Drop Guide to Meditation to:
  • learn how to enter a seated meditation posture
  • follow simple steps to meditation
  • understand mantras and think about making your own!
 
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Andrea Lagotte
Feb 27, 2017

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