It turns out that a little belief goes a long way—religion and spiritual practices are associated with being healthy and the easing of stress. In other words, if you have, or find, a little faith, your body will thank you.

I found out all about it here:

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Now, I am the last person to preach about a certain set of beliefs or advocate a particular religious path. However, I do think belief in somethingbigger than me is important, and as it turns out, doctors and scientists agree.

Apparently, when we’re stressed, we breathe faster, our heart pounds and our blood pressure rises. Meditation and prayer slow down those processes, easing the effects of stress.

Meditation is a good spiritual compromise for the religious and non-religious alike. It does indeed have religious roots, specifically Buddhism and Judaism, but today it’s become a lot less associated with religion.

Research on meditation shows that it activates specific regions of the brain that may influence heart and breathing rates, and the mental state induced or enhanced by meditation seems to counter the normal flight-or-flight mechanism associated with stress.

So, whether you call it spiritual, or just plain physical, why not give a little quiet time a shot? Here’s how:

–Find a quiet spot with low, or no, lighting and plan to sit for at least twenty minutes

–Relax your muscles

–Begin to breathe deeply

–Find a mantra: it can be any simple word or sound will work. Just repeat that word in your mind over and over, trying to think of nothing else.

If you need a little bit of a stronger push, here’s an amazing meditation tool that I highly recommend (you can claim your free demo by clicking on the link):

It’s called Holosync, and it allows you to meditate like a Zen Monk…without having to have the discipline to sit still for hours.

How do you combat stress? Please click the “Post Your Comments” link and share with us your techniques.