Sometime in the not so distant future the secret to anti-aging may well come in a bottle or via a treatment. But many believe the secret has always been with us and that there are techniques that have been around for thousands of years that can not just reduce wrinkles but also help us deal with the stresses that bring on premature aging in the first place.

Now Meditation and Yoga might not appear the most obvious answer at first but the reality is stress ages our body like nothing else.

According to the Vedic Tradition (from which Ayurveda and Yoga also originate from) stress is our inability to process life experience as and when it happens. Building up within us and weighing us down, affecting us in all that we do!

It can lead to sleepless nights, overeating, poor diets and a lack of desire to exercise, be it on the running track, in the swimming pool or in the bedroom

Worse still, it can put us on the path to drinking and smoking to excess. Both of which are not only rapid aging accelerators but also have the potential to lead to numerous diseases including ones of a cardiovascular nature and cancer.

So our ability to deal with stress plays an important and vital role if we are looking to maintain a youthful and energetic approach to life and let’s face it why wouldn’t we.

Meditation naturally releases stresses that we have accumulated throughout everyday life. The majority of the time without even realising it and as it is cleared/released it leaves energy that would otherwise be entangled in stress to quite simply repair and energise the body.

Leaving us feeling awake, fresh and invigorated. Better still the more we practise, the more energised we become and with that greater ability in dealing with stressful situations as and when they happen leading to not only preventing premature aging process but actually reducing it too.

Now wouldn’t that be nice!

The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year. This year’s theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World. Recognising throughout the world, economic disparities go hand in hand with social and health inequalities

Mental health itself affects us all as it includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. It’s important at every stage of life.

When our mental health is good, we feel confident regardless of our environment and have a genuinely positive outlook to life in general naturally affecting us in all that we do.

When we struggle with it we can feel agitated, frustrated, have extreme mood swings and can feel helpless. Which is likely to lead to withdrawal from friends and activities. Tiredness, low energy and poor sleep are also associated. As too, excessive drinking, smoking and other recreational drugs.

It can be addressed by talking about our thoughts and feelings (with a therapist if need be) and being comfortable with them rather than attempting to suppress them. Meditation practises can help greatly with this.

Other things we can do is keep active, follow a healthy diet with moderate to no alcohol consumption. Spending time with friends, taking regular breaks and doing something you like such as a hobby can also put a smile on one’s face.

Being realistic we are all going to be affected by this negatively at some stage in our life. So prepare for it, understand it and start incorporating preventative measures in order to minimise its effect when it does happen.

Afterall, it’s not as if connecting with friends, doing something you enjoy and exploring the mind is a chore . It is actually life evolving and can be damn good fun!!

For more information on upcoming events including courses on Transcendental Meditation please contact me directly at hello@andreberrymeditation.co.uk