Tuesday Tip: Using Meditation Tech to Manage Stress

By Erin Kowtko

How many of us experience stress? A show of hands please:
Meditation Apps

I’d venture to guess most of us have some level of stress in our lives. I’ll admit, I get stressed out on my daily fight with I-285 traffic in Atlanta. You’d think I’d be numb to people cutting me off or flashing the ol’ friendly bird on a regular basis, but alas, I am not. We are human and we all have our triggers! These triggers contribute to stress.

There are two types of stressors: eustress and distress. Eustress is the positive stressor. An example of eustress is training for a 5k. Your fitness goal is not far out of your reach, but it pushes you enough to challenge yourself. The good feelings that are associated with this are motivation, accomplishment and satisfaction related to a positive event that benefits your life. Distress, on the other hand, has negative implications, adversely affects your life, can tax your body and, if not properly managed, can lead to depression, anxiety and general feelings of dissatisfaction. (Wikipedia, n.d.) If we aren’t mindful and aware of our triggers, distress can creep up on us and adversely affect us.

I have discovered that meditation is one enjoyable daily practice to help calm my active mind at the end of a busy day. I found my favorite meditations through the prestigious Chopra Center. Deepak Chopra is the co-founder of the Chopra Center in California. It offers programs to heal the body and mind thru Ayurveda, yoga, massage and other alternative healthcare practices. There are two ways to access the Chopra Center’s meditation guidance: app and webpage. The Chopra Center app is available on iPhones, iPads and Android devices. If by chance you do not have one of those devices, you can always access it on your PC via their webpage: https://www.chopra.com/ccl/guided-meditations. All you need to do to gain access is sign up and it’s free! You enter your name and email address and then you have access to all the free meditations and programs offered. They have approximately 15 free meditations on their webpage that vary in length and theme. I like these choices because if I’m in need of inspiration with a particular issue such as health, gratitude or empowerment, there is a specific meditation from Deepak that works on that theme.

Chopra Center App ScreenshotI’m currently participating in a 21 Day Meditation Challenge from Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey called Getting Unstuck: Creating A Limitless Life. I like the 21 Day Meditation programs because they feature a theme to focus on. I find it helps shift my perspective, provides clarity and inspiration. The meditations are approximately 20 minutes long. Oprah opens each meditation, then Deepak follows up with words of wisdom and runs the meditation. It’s just long enough to give your body a chance to relax but not so long that it’s tough to stay focused! There is also a section for journaling each day, which is another super way to de-stress and relax.

I hope this helps in your efforts to healthily manage stress!

Namaste.

 

Erin KowtkoErin Kowtko

Erin has years of experience in the healthcare and non-profit sector. She brings her skills and passion to benefit Network 1’s team, clients and partners. She strives to provide the best service and solutions to her clients so they can achieve greatness through Worry-Free IT.

ekowtko@network1consulting.com or 404.997.7656

Network 1 Consulting is an 18-year-old, IT Support company in Atlanta, GA. We become – or augment – the IT department for law firms and medical practices. Our IT experts can fix computers, but what our clients value most highly are the industry-specific best practices we bring to their firms. This is especially important today as technology, along with its associated regulations and cyber-threats, is changing so rapidly. We take a proactive approach to helping our clients use technology to gain and keep their competitive advantage.

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