STRESS IN LOCKDOWN DUE TO COVID 19- OVERCOMING THROUGH MEDITATION

e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science Volume:02/Issue:09/September-2020

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STRESS IN LOCKDOWN DUE TO COVID 19- OVERCOMING THROUGH MEDITATION Chaitanya Bajpai*1, U.V. Kiran*2 *1 Student,

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, (A Central University), Department Of Human Development And Family Studies, School Of Home Science, Lucknow- 226025, Uttar Pradesh, India. *2 Associate

Professor, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, (A Central University), Department Of Human Development And Family Studies, School Of Home Science, Lucknow226025, Uttar Pradesh, India.

ABSTRACT This article focuses on how meditation can help in coping stress during this difficult time of lockdown due to COVID-19. As meditation is activeness of mind when one is aware of his own self and is able to control his thoughts and concentrate on thoughtlessness of mind. As meditation helps in relaxing the process of generation of thoughts that directly or indirectly creates anxiety or become the cause of depression.

Meditation helps to take head on the negative thoughts that run in an individual’s mind. It also helps in maintaining a balance between the thoughts of past as well as future and helps us to remain in present.

Meditation impacts a person in many ways, it changes their personality, it establishes them. Meditation also helps in the world of spirituality. Meditation is a boon to all of us as it is relaxing and stress reduction practice. The main objective of this paper is to enlighten people how meditation and breath focused meditation helps an individual to overcome stress. As we all are going through lockdown and we are suffering from different emotional and mental disturbances, meditation is the key to overcome the generated stress. The following article also consists of some breathing techniques that help in meditation.

Keywords Meditation, Mollify, Taoism, Cognizant, Scepticism, Coronavirus, Covid-19.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Meditation has been rehearsed for thousands of years. Meditation initially was intended to help to extend understanding of the holy and mysterious powers of life. Nowadays, meditation is generally utilized for unwinding and stress decrease. Meditation is viewed as a sort of psyche body reciprocal medication.

Meditation can create a covert government of unwinding and a quiet psyche. During meditation, you concentrate and take out the surge of disordered contemplations that might be swarming your psyche and causing stress. This procedure may bring about upgraded physical and enthusiastic prosperity.

Meditation is a form of self-awakening in which an individual concentrates and is able to regain focus if interrupted by secondary thoughts. This can be achieved by diligent practice.

Meditation is self-realization, where inner energy or mother energy is awakened leading to state of thoughtless awareness. Meditation can be stated as it’s a feeling not thinking. It is a journey from the complexity of the mind to simplicity of mind.

Meditators claim that a continuous meditation practices can change state of mind. It is said as selfregulatory approach to emotion management. Meditation itself is characterized by not to analyse, not to judge and not to expect anything. Reduced reactivity and reduced engagement is observed after a long practice of meditation.

Anybody can rehearse meditation. It's simple and inexpensive, and it doesn't require any extraordinary hardware. Furthermore, you can rehearse meditation any place you are — regardless of whether you're out for a walk, riding the transport, holding up at the specialist's office or even in the centre of a troublesome conference.

Meditation can give you feeling of intense prosperity and overall wellbeing by providing you a feeling of quiet, harmony and equality. These advantages are not limited when your meditation meeting closes. It goes on with everlasting and beneficial results.

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e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science Volume:02/Issue:09/September-2020

II.

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COVID-19: LOCKDOWN AND STRESS

The episode of coronavirus has brought about an across the nation lockdown. Remaining at home throughout the day can be tiring, exhausting and stressful. The lockdown has particularly become a reason for stress and anxiety for those whose organizations are closed down as well as are bringing about misfortunes. In such occasions, doing some meditation and stress-busting exercises can be useful.

Meditation is a generally utilized practice to unwind and feel less stressed. It is a training which is viewed as extraordinary for boosting emotional well-being. The act of meditation helps in substantially more than lessening your stress. With meditation, one figures out how to prepare the psyche to centre and divert thought. Meditation can be utilized to build attention to yourself and your environment [1].

In short, and maybe obviously, individuals who are isolated are probably going to build up a wide scope of side effects of mental stress and confusion, including low state of mind, sleep deprivation, stress, tension, outrage, fractiousness, enthusiastic weariness, despondency and post-horrible stress manifestations.

COVID-19 is the ultimate disruptor, reshaping people’s work lives and family dynamics. No one knows how long it will last. No one knows who’s contagious. And confronting all of these issues at once can cause emotional and psychological stress, affecting ourselves and our relationships [2].

Everybody is stuck at home for an exceptionally prolonged stretch of time now, longer than a month to be explicit, due to the coronavirus pandemic. What's more, this will continue for some more weeks in any event. Unable to step out and meet friends and breathe fresh air can build on to the existing stress of working from home [2].

It has become very important to reduce the level of stress among people and meditation can be a best tool to overcome this stress. Meditation simply is the method which can help an individual to relax and be stress free.

III.

MEDITATION; A BASIC AND SIMPLE APPROACH TO REDUCE STRESS

Meditation influences the body in precisely the contrary ways that stress does—by setting off the body's unwinding reaction. It restores the body to a calm state, helping the body fix itself and preventing new harm from the physical impacts of stress. It can quiet your brain and body by calming the stress-initiated considerations that keep your body's stress reaction triggered. A more prominent addition that meditation can bring is the drawn out strength that can come with regular practice [4].

The act of figuring out how to pull together your considerations can likewise assist you with diverting yourself when you fall into negative reasoning examples, which in itself can help ease stress. Meditation offers a few arrangements in a single basic movement.

On the off chance that you don't have a clue where to begin, you may just concentrate on tuning in to relaxing for five minutes. To do this, loosen up your body, sit easily, and notice your breath. On the off chance that you end up considering different things, essentially divert your consideration back to your breath. Another straightforward methodology is to check your breaths. At the point when you breathe in, tally "one" in your mind, and afterward tally "two" as you breathe out. Prop up as you inhale and begin once again at "one" in the event that you notice you've gotten diverted by different contemplations [4].

IV.     

IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION

Improved heart rate and normalize breathing.

Use oxygen more efficiently.

Improves immunity.

Adrenal gland produces less cortisol.

Thoughtless awareness is generated.

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JOY

CREATIVITY

MEDITATION

PEACE

CONFIDENCE

Fig-1: Importance of meditation

V.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES/ WAYS TO PRACTICE BREATH-FOCUSED MEDITATION

Deep Breathing — a solution to relieve stress and frustration, known to all. In many cases, it really works well. Profound breathing is a type of meditation, a training that specialist’s state goes back a few thousand years. Research shows that meditation can lessen uneasiness, hone memory, treat manifestations of misery, advance increasingly peaceful rest, and even improve heart wellbeing. Here are five thoughtful breathing procedures and how they can assist you with accomplishing significant serenity [3].

1. Shamatha (Breathing as is)

Fig-2: Example of Shamatha breathing.

Source: https://www.clipart.email/clipart/deep-breathing-clipart-470714.html [6].

Origin: Buddhism [3] Translation: “Peacefully abiding” [3] What It Is: Shamatha breathing is a strategy revolved around attention to your breathing for what it's worth. It's a typical practice in careful meditation and is regularly alluded to as the reset breath or the breath that takes you back to the present. A study published in March 2018 in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement found that long- term meditation utilizing shamatha methods was related with upgrades in supported consideration and could adjust the direction old enough related intellectual decrease [3].

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How to Do It: Sitting or standing, feel the heaviness of your body through your seat or feet on the floor.

Fix your chest area. Mollify your look and attempt to delicately focus on a point on the ground before you.

Associate with the characteristic pattern of your breath, feeling the rise and fall of your belly [3].

2. Kundalini (Diaphragm breathing)

Fig-3: Example of Kundalini breathing. source: https://catalystmagazine.net/yoga-anjali-mudra/ [7].

Origin: Hinduism [3] Translation: “The life force that resides at the base of the spine” [3] What It Is: In the act of kundalini meditation, breathing revolves around moving vitality inside the body through controlled breathing methods, as diaphragmatic breathing. As indicated by the Cleveland Clinic, the stomach is the most productive muscle of breathing. It is situated at the base of your lungs. Breathing with your stomach shows you how to utilize it effectively and reinforces it. With this strategy you will have the option to take in more air and abatement the oxygen request. The act of diaphragmatic breathing is particularly valuable for individuals with incessant obstructive pneumonic malady to ease brevity of breath and to assist air with exiting the lungs [3].

How to Do It: While plunking down or lying on your back, place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your stomach beneath your rib confine. Take in gradually through your nose and feel your stomach move free from your hand. Work on keeping the hand on your chest as still as could be expected under the circumstances. Focus on full breaths that fill the lungs as opposed to shallow ones that solitary fill the chest. The Cleveland Clinic suggests rehearsing diaphragmatic breathing three or four times each day for 5 to 10 minutes each time [3].]

3. Nadi Shodhana and Pranayama (Alternate nostril breathing)

Fig-4: Example of Nadi Shodhan and Pranayam source: https://workoutlabs.com/yoga-poses-guide/ [8].

Origin: Hinduism [3] Translation: “Channel purifying” [3]

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What It Is: Like kundalini, pranayama is a sort of reflective practice that includes controlled breathing, turning your concentration to your body and discovering balance inside. Nadishodhana, or Alternate Nostril Yoga Breathing (ANYB) is the method of breathing through each nostril in turn while shutting the other nostril physically, to interchange breathing and wind current [3].

How to Do It: Sit serenely and rest your correct hand on your knee while utilizing your left thumb to tenderly close your left nostril. Breathe in gradually through the correct nostril, at that point close it with your ring finger. Pause for a minute and afterward breathe out through the left nostril. Rehas this on every nostril 5 to multiple times. Research demonstrates that 15 to 18 minutes of interchange nostril breathing is perfect [3].

4. Zhuanqi (Breathing until the breath is soft)

Fig-5: Example of Zhuanqi Breathing source: https://undertheturniptruck.wordpress.com/tag/exercise/ [9].

Origin: Taoism [3] Translation: “Unite mind and air� [3] What It Is: Taoist meditation underlines calming the body and brain to discover congruity with nature.

Zhuanqi, like Buddhist meditation, is a thoughtful breathing procedure in Taoism that means to join breath and brain by concentrating on your breath until it is delicate. This should be possible by watching the breath until it hushes up. It uses the stomach muscles to raise the stomach and push out air [3].

How to Do It: Sit serenely with solid stance and your eyes half shut and fixed on the purpose of your nose. Inhale with your muscular strength until the breath is delicate or calm. To successfully utilize your muscular strength, place your correct hand on your stomach and your left on your chest. Inhale profoundly and watch which hand moves more and in which heading. The objective is to have the hand on your mid-region move more and in an outward and internal movement [3].

5. KumbhakaPranayamas (Anatara and Bahya) (Intermittent breath retention)

Fig-6: Example of Kumbhaka Pranayam source: http://www.countmyrepsapp.com/guide.php [10].

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Origin: Hinduism [3] Translation: “The control of prana through retention of the breath” [3] What It Is: Kumbhaka pranayamas are a kind of breathing activity that utilizes irregular breath holding following breathing in or breathing out. The interruption of breath holding ought to be shorter than the breathing in or breathing out period. Holding air in the lungs in the wake of breathing in is called antara (internal) kumbhaka, and quickly holding the breath following breathing out is called bahya (external) kumbhaka [3].

How to Do It: Sitting with the spine upstanding, breathe out the entirety of the air in your lungs out through your mouth. Close your lips and utilize your nose to breathe in gradually until your lungs are full.

For antara, hold the air in your lungs for a check of three to five seconds and afterward gradually discharge. To rehearse bahya, in the wake of purging your lungs, hold your breath for three to five seconds before breathing in [3].

VI.

WAYS FOR BETTER MEDITATION PRACTICES

This reflection practice is an incredible prologue to contemplation strategies.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Sit or lie in comfortable position. You may even need to put resources into a reflection seat or pad.

Close your eyes. You can also use eye mask.

Put forth no attempt to control the breath; basically inhale normally.

Concentrate on the breath and on how the body moves with every inward breath and exhalation.

Notice the development of your body as you relax. Watch your chest, shoulders, rib enclosure, and gut. Essentially concentrate on your breath without controlling its pace or force. In the event that your brain meanders, return your concentration back to your breath [5].

Keep up this reflection practice for a few minutes to begin, and afterward attempt it for longer periods.

VII.

CONCLUSION

We as a whole react to stress in an unexpected way. For a few, it delivers a frenzy of tail-pursuing "consider the possibility that" idea or sets off a descending winding of lazy skepticism. For still others, stress is a trigger for genuine scatters like anxiety, depression, dependence, and self-hurt. These are for the most part symptoms of the mind and body going into "crisis mode." When your cerebrum detects peril, it flags the body to close down anything pointless, while turning up the faculties to boost your impression of where and whom the risk is originating from.

Contemplation assists with enduring the coronavirus lockdown for a similar explanation it assists with a stress — by allowing your cerebrum to fix itself. As indicated by neurological examinations over the previous decade, the neurotransmitters in our mind will in general kindness similar pathways again and again. Similarly as you have your preferred course to take to work (you know, back when you used to work outside the home), your musings, thoughts, and assessments will in general take a similar course from the subliminal to the cognizant cerebrum. This procedure makes real scores in your cerebrum that make it considerably simpler to fall into similar examples of thought. So in the event that you have a depression that sees a circumstance contrarily, every new thought (even a positive one) is probably going to be deciphered adversely when it arrives at your cognizant idea [5].

Meditation fixes this by leveling out those depressions, allowing your plans to take the street less went by.

In doing as such, it's been appeared to help with things like increasing another point of view on stressful circumstances; building aptitudes to oversee stress; concentrating on the present; and expanding persistence, resistance, and creative mind while diminishing negative feelings and reactions to upgrades.

VIII. [1]

REFERENCES

Beat Lockdown Stress And Anxiety With Meditation: Know The Many Health Benefits It Offers.

(2020, April, 01). Health/ Doctor NDTV. https://www.ndtv.com/health/beat-coronaviruslockdown-stress-and-anxiety-with-meditation-know-the-many-health-benefits-2204182.

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[2]

Batten, C., Why you should start meditating in quarantine. (2020, April, 20). Themanual.com. https://www.themanual.com/culture/benefits-of-meditation-why-you-should-start-meditating/.

Date- May 08, 2020 Time- 6:38 p.m.

[3] Majsiak, B., reviewed by Laube, J. 5 ways to practice Breath-focused meditation. (2019, April. 26).

Everydayhealth.com. https://www.everydayhealth.com/alternative-health/living-with/wayspractice-breath-focused-meditation/. Visited on: Date- April 28, 2020 Time- 8:38 p.m.

[4] Mayo clinic staff. Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress. Mayoclinic.org/test. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858.

Visited on: Date- April 28, 2020 Time- 8:38 p.m.

[5] Scott, E., reviewed by Gans, S. An overview of meditation. (2012, August, 14). Verywellmind.com. https://www.verywellmind.com/meditation-4157199. Visited on: Date- April 28, 2020 Time- 8:38 p.m.

[6] Fig-2: source: https://www.clipart.email/clipart/deep-breathing-clipart-470714.html [7] Fig-3: source: https://catalystmagazine.net/yoga-anjali-mudra/ [8] Fig-4: source: https://workoutlabs.com/yoga-poses-guide/ [9] Fig-5: source: https://undertheturniptruck.wordpress.com/tag/exercise/ [10] Fig-6: source: http://www.countmyrepsapp.com/guide.php

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