3 Ways to Meditate to Relieve Stress

1. Visualize Yourself Somewhere Else

Meditate to reduce stress through the discipline of visualization. Visualization involves taking long, deep, controlled breaths and picturing yourself somewhere else. Some people envision the beach, while others envision a rainforest. Just picture what works for you. To get the most out of visualization, however, you'll want to get your other senses involved. Imagine the sound of the waves or the feel of the breeze on your skin. Including the other senses helps to fortify the visualization and make it more profound, which in turn will further distract you from your stress.

2. Try Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation involves flexing, then relaxing, different parts of your body in a rhythmic pattern. The intent is to train your mind to know the difference between a tensed and a relaxed state. This form of meditation helps reduce stress by relieving it in specific parts of your body. Start by tensing and then relaxing your arms, and repeat the process for a minute or more. You'll notice your muscles fatiguing, which is a good thing: It means they have been stressed to their limit. Repeat this process for your legs, hands, neck, abdomen and back.

3. Practice Autogenic Relaxation

Autogenic relaxation is a form of meditation in which you turn your thoughts inward and focus only on that which you can sense within yourself. Take deep breaths and think about how each breath feels. Then think about your arms and how they feel, and then your legs, back, feet and so on. As you think about each part of your body, imagine it relaxing and relieve the stress by draining it away with your mind.