Being an entrepreneur can be just as straining as it can be rewarding. Much of what happens to your business falls solely on your shoulders, and the stress of that alone can quickly lead to burnout or a deteriorated mental state. Meditation is commonly suggested as a method for improving your mental health and helping any sort of burnout you might be experiencing due to your job.
Note that you should walk through them with a therapist or mental health professional for these techniques to be the most helpful. With that being said, here are a few techniques you can try.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Through progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR, tense certain muscle groups and hold it for fifteen seconds. After the time is up, release the tension slowly while exhaling, then move to another muscle group. This should be repeated starting from your toes and slowly working your way to your head. When tightening your muscles, make sure you’re not straining them.
PMR helps you gain self-awareness of muscle tension when under stress. Recognizing this tension will help you to choose to relax the tight muscles, quelling any negative emotions—anxiety, anger, frustration, stress, and so on—in the process. This can be helpful in treating chronic headaches, letting you notice the tension and relax the involved muscles to avoid said headaches, as well as panic attacks, social anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia.
Mindfulness Meditation
Practicing mindfulness meditation allows you to practice not reacting to thoughts, emotions, and sensations. This is used by therapists, especially ones specializing in CBT, to teach their clients to control negative thinking. To go through mindfulness meditation, first, focus on a particular object and stay focused on it. If your thoughts start to wander, consider the thoughts without judgment before drawing your attention back to the object.
This method of meditation is used to help treat anxiety, PTSD, depression, eating disorders, panic attacks, suicidal ideation, addiction, poor self-image, and bipolar disorder. Using it bridges new neural networks in the brain; using it in your daily life can help change your beliefs and behaviors.
Focused Breathing
One of the more commonly thought of meditation techniques is focused breathing. Also known as paced respiration, you take deep inhalations that expand your lungs and lets your lower abdomen rise before exhaling, releasing tension in all areas of your body. All breathing should be done slowly, gently, and smoothly. Another version of this breathing technique is alternate nostril breathing, where you close one nostril and breathe through the open one; afterward, switch to the other nostril and repeat.
Practicing focused breathing has a number of physiological benefits, such as heightened alertness, lower blood pressure, and a slower heart rate. It helps people with anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD to distance themselves from distressing thoughts and feelings. Focused breathing can also help control bipolar disorder, addiction, and insomnia.