December 20, 2021

Does Marriage Counseling Work?

A Married Couple

Marriage Counseling has become quite popular in recent times because of its effectiveness in sustaining relationships and improving the understanding between couples. However, one very important aspect about marriage counseling is to understand that opting for marriage counseling doesn’t mean that your marriage is about to end. Instead, it’s the first step towards making things better for you and your partner and taking your relationship to a better stage. You would consider going for counseling only if you want to make things better. That itself is a big step towards making your marriage work. At the same time, you shouldn’t engage in marriage counseling and expect it to solve all your issues in no time. You should be in a position to admit your mistakes and work on them so that you can bring an end to all the issues that you might be facing. 

Marriage Counseling would work only if both the partners are interested in improving their relationship. Thus, the decision should be made by both partners and both of you should be comfortable talking to your counselor. One of the main reasons why marriage counseling works is because while talking to the expert, couples are forced to interact and communicate their issues. More often than not, it’s found out that both the partners were not aware of the issues between them beforehand simply because of the lack of communication. This is the primary evil that causes problems in relationships. Marriage counseling can benefit you only if you can acknowledge the fact that you’re facing difficulties. The key to alleviating your problems is to identify them first. If you feel that your relationship has trust issues, communication gaps, dishonesty, disrespect, etc, you should certainly consider marriage therapy. 

It is important to realize that marriage counseling would be worth it only if you keep your marriage first and keep your individual ego away from the process of achieving marital bliss. Studies have shown that if couples make a joint effort in keeping one another happy, marriage counseling would turn out to be a boon for them. It is not just meant for those who’re facing problems in their marriage. It can also be helpful for couples if they want to know each other better. This is a great way of reflecting on the actions of one another and correcting them for making things better for both of you. 

December 18, 2021

Techniques Of Zen Meditation

Meditation

Zen meditation is a branch of mediation that is associated with spirituality. In this form of meditation, one needs to be in sync with the authentic nature of his mind. It involves decoding the true powers of your mind. The purpose of this form of meditation is to clear the mind of evils such as anxiety and depression by providing you with the actual perspective of how the human mind functions. Zen meditation has originated from the Tang Dynasty of China that existed during the 7th century. It is a Buddhist practice but with time, it spread to several parts of Asia such Japan and Korea. “A special teaching transmission outside the teachings; not established upon words and letters; directly pointing to the human heartmind; seeing nature and becoming a Buddha” are the words of Bodhidharma, a Buddhist master while he described Zen meditation. It does not simply involve the reduction of stress and anxiety, but it is connected to the deeper questions of life that often have no solid answers. These questions are explored to find out the nature of the mind. Some techniques of Zen meditation are mentioned below. 

  • Silent Awareness 

A very important aspect of Zen mediation is to just let the mind be. This is called “shikantaza” in Japanese that refers to “just sitting”. In this practice, you would have to allow your mind to simply be a passage wherein thoughts flow in and out, instead of reacting to them. You would have to let the thoughts pass without any sort of judgements, either positive or negative. You would simply have to refrain from any sort of feeling. Your goal would be to be free of all judgements and practicing meditation. This is important if you want to know how clear your mind can truly be and how freely can it function. 

  • Observing The Breath 

You would be expected to sit on a cushion, chair or mat while you are performing this meditation. You would have to hold the Seiza pose, Burmese or half-lotus before channelizing all your energy on one particular aspect of the meditation process, namely, breathing. You would have to focus all your attention on your breathing and the completion of inhalation and exhalation with your belly playing an important role. The more accurate your effort is, the faster would you notice desirable results. The motive of this is to make your mind feel more alert and attentive, thus regulating your emotions better. 

December 12, 2021

Mental Health Benefits Of Chamomile Tea

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile herb not only has immense benefits as far as Aromatherapy is concerned but has uses when utilised as an ingredient for making tea. It has an extremely soothing odor and the plant has beautiful white flowers as well. There are a lot of physical health benefits of chamomile tea such as treating stomach issues. However, not many people are aware of its profound mental health benefits as well. Before we talk about these benefits, let’s talk about the process of preparing chamomile tea. 

If you want to make chamomile tea at home, you would first have to dry the chamomile flowers. Next, you would have to brew the dried herbs in boiling water and strain the mixture in a cup. Before serving, simply add some honey to complete the procedure. Now, let us discuss the mental benefits of this tea. 

  • Aids Sleep 

Insomnia or not being able to sleep is one of the main symptoms of a number of mental health issues like stress, anxiety, depression, etc. However, studies have shown that if you make it a point to sip on chamomile tea regularly before going to bed, your insomnia is going to disappear and you would experience sound sleep. This happens because chamomile tea is known to contain an antioxidant named apigenin. This is responsible for promoting sleep, thereby relieving your mental illnesses. 

  • Reduces Stress

Stress leads to a lot of negative emotions that can further disturb us. It can lead to restlessness, excessive fear or nervousness, and lack of concentration as well. However, there are a lot of evils in our daily lives that lead to stress. These can range from lack of self-belief, fear of the unknown, overthinking, etc. If you have been facing similar situations, chamomile tea would surely rescue you. Studies have shown that drinking chamomile tea would not only refresh your mind but it would also help you stay away from thoughts and assumptions that might cause stress.

  • Reduces Menstruation Anxiety 

It is known that before menstruation begins and while menstruation, menstruators face a lot of bodily as well as emotional issues. Rising stress levels is one such issue. This mainly happens due to the hormonal imbalance that characterizes the process of menstruation. The anxiety caused can turn out to be extremely problematic for menstruators because it hampers their overall well-being. However, according to experts, menstruators can reduce their levels of anxiety if they consume chamomile tea. Apart from this, chamomile tea is also known to relieve menstrual cramps before and during periods. Thus, chamomile tea is an essential for menstruators.