Introduction
Stress is a physical and psychological response to perceived threats. Affecting women disproportionately, stress leads to increased heart rate and muscle tension, and causes anxiety and fatigue. Buddhism offers effective techniques for managing and healing stress, by understanding the impermanent nature of our thoughts and feelings. Through mindfulness and meditation, Buddhism teaches women to observe and modify their responses to stress, promoting a calm, balanced, and resilient mental state.
Stress Symptoms
The emotional symptoms of stress include:
- Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, or moody
- Feeling overwhelmed, losing control or needing to take control
- Having trouble relaxing and quieting the mind
- Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), and feeling lonely, worthless, and depressed
- Avoiding others
- Fatigue
The cognitive symptoms of stress include:
- Constant worrying
- Racing thoughts
- Forgetfulness and disorganization
- Inability to focus
- Poor judgment
- Being pessimistic or seeing only the negative side
Causes of Stress
In the US, more women than men are likely to experience debilitating feelings of stress. Women experience stress due to various reasons that often intertwine with both general and gender-specific issues:
- Health Concerns: Women often face stress related to their own health or the health of family members. For example, in the UK, 36% of adults who reported stress cited health conditions as a factor, which rose to 44% among adults over 55 (Mental Health Foundation).
- Economic and Financial Worries: Concerns about the economy, personal finances, and job security are significant sources of stress. In the U.S., economic factors are a major cause of stress for many women (Psychology Today).
- Social Pressures and Safety Concerns: Women frequently deal with stress from social expectations regarding appearance and roles, concerns about personal safety, and experiences of discrimination or harassment.
- Workplace Challenges: Women may face unique stressors in the workplace, including gender discrimination, wage gaps, and challenges related to career advancement. Balancing professional and personal life adds another layer of stress.
- Body Image and Appearance: In the UK, 36% of women who felt high levels of stress related it to their comfort with their appearance and body image, compared to 23% of men (Mental Health Foundation).
- Housing and Living Conditions: Younger women, in particular, report stress related to housing and living conditions. For instance, 32% of 18-24-year-old women cited housing worries as a source of stress (Mental Health Foundation).
Younger women are also more likely to experience stress than older women. Younger women, ages 18 to 34, suffered stress the most – with 62% reporting feeling completely overwhelmed. Women ages 35 to 44 reported feeling completely overwhelmed. Older women, ages 45 to 64 and 65+, experienced this level of stress at 27% and 9%, respectively.
Freedom From Stress – The Buddhist Way
There are many Buddhist practices that are especially helpful for freeing us from the physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms of stress.
The Transient Nature of Thoughts and Feelings
The Buddha once said, “All things are impermanent.” This guidance also applies to the body’s stress response. The concept of impermanence in Buddhism, known as “anicca,” can be a powerful tool for managing stress by helping to cultivate a mindset that accepts and adapts to change. Recognizing that all experiences, feelings, and situations are transient encourages a more flexible approach to life’s challenges. Instead of clinging to specific outcomes or resisting change, embracing impermanence allows individuals to experience less anxiety over things they cannot control, fostering a deeper sense of peace and resilience in the face of life’s inevitable fluctuations. This understanding can help mitigate the impact of stress by promoting a more mindful, accepting attitude towards life’s uncertainties.
According to Harvard scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, the feeling of an emotion, including the stress response, is found to last only 90 seconds.
She has said, “When a person has a reaction to something in their environment, there’s a 90-second chemical process that happens in the body.”
In these 90 seconds, one can employ the techniques listed below and employ mindfulness to watch the stress symptoms arise and dissipate.
We can find solace in the midst of a stress response by realizing it is impermanent, employing mindfulness to watch the feeling arise and leave, and then take the necessary actions to lessen the reaction, remove the stress response, or leave or improve a stressful situation.
It’s possible to anticipate a stressful situation and have a prepared response. This tip invites one to accept that stress is a part of life and that when it happens, we can be prepared with responses that we have planned in advance.
Mindfulness Practices for Stress Relief
A technique for reducing stress is mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of watching one’s mental activity and directing the mind to positive thoughts. It’s the practice of controlled cognition and clear perception, allowing us to be aware of our mind’s content so that we can actively observe and direct our thoughts.
This technique is beneficial for anticipating stressful triggers before a stressful events. It can help us hold our peace of mind by employing other techniques during a stressful reaction. It is helpful after the stress passes for monitoring our emotions, reducing our symptoms, and planning for more peaceful responses in the future.
Meditation for Freedom from Stress
Meditation can also be a valuable long-term tool for women in recognizing and overcoming stress and anxious thoughts and reactions.
What is meditation? Meditation is the ability to stop thoughts through concentration. It is one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one specific object.
Meditation is widely recognized as providing health benefits for individuals. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to stress. It gives a sense of calm, peace, and balance that frees you from stress and improves your mental and emotional well-being . Meditation has even been recognized by global companies, such as Google. The company has held regular meditation seminars. Peter Allen, Director at Google University, said, “Increasing our self-awareness and our emotional intelligence helps us do things better.”
One can learn from this example by implementing a regular meditation practice in the morning and evening. By meditating in the morning, women can strengthen their minds to practice mindfulness throughout the day – catching and lessening the stress response. Meditation also clears the mind and equips women to identify stressors better and proactively begin removing them from their lives.
By meditating in the evening, women can wash away all the negative thoughts and stresses of the day. It also provides a time for contemplation and relaxation, where women can reflect on the day and see how to avoid, mitigate, or release stress in the future.
Chakra Meditation for Releasing Stress
This is the Healing Buddha Meditation that you can use to free yourself from stress. By directing attention to the Heart Chakra, a symbol of balance, and employing visualization with a specific affirmation, this meditation aims to promote healing and well-being.
Steps:
1. Find a serene and comfortable space to sit down. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and exhale slowly.
2. Hold your left hand in your lap as if you are holding a cup, about two inches below your navel. Envision a bowl in your palm. Hold your right hand gently touching your seat or the ground.
3. Visualize a deep blue light all around you, or in a mirror in front of you. With each breath, visualize a blue light of healing medicine filling up the bowl. With each exhale, visualize the healing medicine filling your being.
4. Repeat this several times until your body feels calm, healed, and at peace.
There are additional types of meditations that help with stress reduction that you can find here.
Conclusion
These principles and meditation techniques provide a comprehensive approach to freedom from stress and techniques to mitigate stressful responses. With these techniques, women can confidently navigate life’s challenges, ultimately empowering themselves to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.
Thanks for reading!
Be well,
Ahjan Samvara
To find more content on freedom from stress, mindfulness and meditation, head to my YouTube Channel. I look forward to sharing these resources with you.
Buddhist Mental Health YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr-FQNPn5R4_dCBQgsaSaiQ
