Having a daily quiet time spent in meditation has been proven to overcome stress and results in many benefits to physical and emotional health. At this time of year, when we are all thinking about New Year’s resolutions, would you be interested in adding a daily practice of quiet time meditation?

Eustress or Distress?

Few would disagree that our world is stressful. Yet, it’s difficult to define and measure stress. Some say stress is good, that it’s what causes us to finish projects and keep looking for a job when every application fails to deliver. The question is, when does good stress become bad stress?

Good stress is called eustress. Winning a race or receiving your first kiss causes stress, but it’s good stress. Negative stress is called distress; experienced by losing the race, or losing your boyfriend. For most people, distress is caused by focusing on the negative feelings that circumstances produce. “In this world, you will have trouble” is not just a Bible quote, it’s a fact of life. It’s how we handle the struggle that matters.

Distress is so much a part of our lives, we hardly notice it; in fact, it’s called the “disease of civilization.” A study from 2017 showed that the following were the most common causes of stress:

• 63% – the Future of our Nation
• 62% – Money
• 61% – Work
• 57% – the Political Climate
• 51% – Violence and Crime

Physical and Emotional Symptoms of Stress

Distress causes physical and emotional symptoms. The symptoms can include depression, insomnia, a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, the risk of heart attack, digestive problems, sexual problems, and heartburn. Some doctors believe 98% of all illness begins with our thought life.

When we experience these symptoms, most of us visit the family doctor and receive some sort of medication. I’m not a physician and do not recommend you stop your medications, but I wonder what would happen if we took the time to think about our thinking. What is my mind dwelling on? How am I dealing with the circumstances of my life? Is my reaction to people or situations bringing distress to my body and mind?

For more information on the effects and causes of stress, visit The American Institute of Stress.

Quiet Time

The David Lynch Foundation has created a program called Quiet Time, implemented in the San Francisco Unified School District to restore a positive culture of academics and well-being in high-need school communities. It was determined that the stress among students and faculty at inner-city schools was the culprit in high teacher turnover, low graduation rates, and poor attendance.

Quiet Time has been a rousing success and is being implemented overseas in a number of highly stressful environments. You may not be a student in an inner-city environment, but you will surely be impressed by the results of the daily meditation practice in these schools.

After 3 years, the Quiet Time program caused an increased GPA among those students who participated in meditation. The daily attendance improved and the suspension rate of students fell from 28% to just 4%. Among teachers, absences fell by 30%, the 50% dropout rate virtually disappeared, and there was a significant reduction in depression, anxiety, anger, and fatigue.

For more information on this amazing program, visit Quiet Time.

Is Meditation for Christians?

I wrote a blog post on this topic called 3 Surprising Things You Should Know about Meditation Before Reading my New Book. It turns out meditation is a long-standing Christian tradition, current neuroscience proves it is just as healthy for us as God’s word claims, and it is not complex or weird at all.

Benefits of Quiet Time Meditation

There are so many benefits to having a daily quiet time, spent in meditation. WebMD lists these benefits:

• Lower blood pressure
• Improved immune system
• Improved concentration
• Improved physical and emotional responses to stress

Charles L. Raison, MD is the clinical director of the Mind-Body Program at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. He writes, “it’s hard to think of an illness in which stress and mood don’t figure.” It is well known that stress is a contributor to all the major modern killers. Read more about Meditation Heals Body and Mind.

My Personal Experience with Quiet Time Meditation

I have practiced a daily quiet time for many years, but this past year was a real time of growth for me. I did a deep dive into listening and healing prayer, journaling, and the Christian traditions of contemplation. I discovered that “contemplative” is an apt description for my personality. It really resonates with me.

Out of this precious time of study, I birthed my new book, Mindful: Meditate & Color Your Way to Life-Giving Relationships. I’ve learned to incorporate all my senses into my daily quiet time. I’ve improved my ability to hear God’s voice, to still myself when stress happens, and to be more present. I share about all these things in my devotional book of meditations.

The elements of Mindful I love the most are the beautiful coloring pages of my creative illustrator, Macy Simmons. You can see more on her Etsy Page.

Mindful Meditation Contest!

It’s almost 2019, and time to think about New Years Resolutions. Are you interested in starting a quiet time meditation? Are you experiencing the symptoms of stress? Would you welcome a few minutes of pure peace each day?

If your answer was yes to any of those questions, I invite you to take this short survey and enter my Mindful Meditation Contest. There’s no purchase necessary, just a few questions to answer about your current experience. Once you complete the survey, nothing else is required. The contest is open now until January 11, 2019. A drawing will be made from the names of the people who took the survey. And the prize is a copy of my book of meditations, Mindful.

What a great way to get started with a New Years resolution of quiet time meditation!

…because U count, deb

P.S. while I wrote this blog post, I listened to a great recording of meditative piano music called Time ALONE with GOD. It’s sublime!