From the course: Mindfulness Practices

Calm the mind and release stress

From the course: Mindfulness Practices

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Calm the mind and release stress

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- Stress has become the new normal in our workplace. It's so prevalent that we don't even notice its impact on us. Chronic stress has huge cost to us. It suppresses our immune system and is a leading cause of heart disease. Stress reduces creativity, kills inspiration and productivity. Did you know that most stress is not caused by external events? It's actually caused by our mind's way of interpreting what is happening around us. Mindfulness practice helps us notice the negative bias that our mind has. Instead of reacting to external events through our amygdala, the fight or flight center of our brain, we can respond more calmly through our prefrontal cortex. That's the rational thinking part of our brain. Mindfulness practice actually changes our brain's physiology, so our brain is less susceptible to being hijacked. MRI scans show that after eight weeks of mindfulness practice, the amygdala actually shrinks in size. As the amygdala shrinks, the prefrontal cortex gets bigger. As you continue to practice, you lower your reactivity to stress and improve your ability to handle stressful situations. Your practice lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and in fact, research shows that even three days of training can have an impact. With mindfulness practice, we breathe deeply to relax and release tension from the body. We also focus our attention. This slows down the pace of thoughts that can be overwhelming. I'm now able to notice when my brain is about to be hijacked. This creates a space so I can have more choice to respond rather than react. It's made a huge difference, both in my stress levels and in my relationships. If you experience stress, I definitely recommend you try a mindfulness practice.

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