Joe Shmmoe
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Updated August 19, 2022
Stress can be … stressful. It can keep you from storing a new memory and from retrieving one that’s already there. The reason? Our bodies release specific hormones that give us the wherewithal to manage stressful moments. That’s good, for example, if you’re crash-landing an airplane, but if you’re always feeling stressed, those chemicals can interfere with the creation of new memories.
One way to reduce stress is a meditation practice called mindfulness-based stress reduction. With mindfulness meditation, you focus completely on the present moment — your breathing, the sensations you feel in your body — and stop focusing on the things that make you stressed. Eight weeks of mindfulness meditation can help brain function, connectivity and stress management. To start, try it for just five minutes. You’ll do a classic beginner’s mindfulness exercise called a “body scan.” This version is adapted from UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center.
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