Stress affects people in different ways. I personally feel very tired and lethargic during these periods and start to worry about things, like a future event.

Other people suffer from panic attacks, become very shaky and nervous, feel sick in the stomach, become sad and can begin to think in a very negative way.

Most of the conditions I have described above are actually a mental and not so much of a physical problem. This is why I believe meditation to be an excellent form of stress relief or stress management.

I know all about the benefits of meditation and stress. Stuttering ruined my early life and caused me to lose a lot of my self-confidence. I worked hard to stop stuttering and was eventually rewarded with fluency at the age of 21.

Stress and worry also affected my work life within the composite door company where I held quite a senior position. At time I would worry far too much about the trivialities of work.

Positive effects of meditation:

It reduces your heart rate

It relaxes your breathing and can even make it slower

It can lower blood pressure

It can increase your self-esteem by making you think in a more positive way

Helps you to think in a more logical and clear way

Helps you to reduce stress

Some of the forms of meditation:

Walking meditation

Mandala meditation

Yoga meditation

Sitting meditation

Prayer meditation

Visualisation meditation

I personally prefer the sitting meditation. I now like to meditate around 3 or 4 times a day, where possible. Originally I had a lack of belief about what I was doing and about if it would work. I found it difficult at this stage to get myself into the zone. With practice and realising that I needed this to work for me, I managed to get enough concentration and focus to see the full benefits.

A lot of the people in my circle of friends think that I am a bit mad, including my best friends Dave and Pete who work providing people with web promotion tips. They can not believe that I actually just sit there and think. Meditation has had such a positive effect on my life and continues to do so, therefore my friends can mock as much as they like. I have suggested that they these people also try meditation - they just snigger at their mere thought of it - perhaps they are scared, I have no idea. I am the one who is really laughing as I am just so happy that I have found something that is of great benefit to me.