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Manage Stress with Meditation

Published: October 13, 2022

The world around us is stressful. We are bombarded with bad news and experience stress from injuries and illnesses. Chronic pain can be especially stressful. So finding ways to release and cope with pain and stress help people live longer, happier lives.

Understanding Meditation and Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an umbrella term that encompasses meditation. According to mindful.org, mindfulness is “fully attending to what’s happening, to what you’re doing, to the space you’re moving through.”

Negative patterns of repetitive thoughts, mind flurry or chatter, and list, craving, or fear spirals can gently fall away without judgment when using the anchor of mindful breathing and body scan to release areas that hold tension and stress. Some people use mantras to help guide and focus their attention on the present moment. The practice of walking meditation creates an entire focus of awareness on the feet being in contact with the earth for grounding properties. Trying new meditation techniques enhances the breadth of mindfulness in life and promotes general wellness.

Meditation refers to a formal practice of calming the mind and enhancing our self-awareness. Meditation practices may include mindfulness of breathing and compassion-focus via phrases or mantras, among other techniques. Common meditative practices include yoga, Tai chi, guided meditation, and more.

Long-term and consistent meditation practices bring about positive structural and functional brain changes. You can choose the type of meditation that best fits your lifestyle and situation. Many people start with guided meditation apps.

Meditation in Western Medicine

The Mayo Clinic details the benefits of meditation for managing pain, cancer, sleep and bowel dysfunction, depression, and more. In fact, many Western doctors are now recommending meditation and relaxation strategies as part of their comprehensive plan for patients suffering from various ailments. Unlike many therapies like surgery and medication, meditation is accessible, low-cost, and does not have unpleasant side effects.

Research shows that long-term, consistent meditative practices modify our brains’ plasticity for the better, changing the brain areas concerned with stress and anxiety and promoting inflammation regulation. The amygdala will begin to show a decrease in activity consistent with an improvement in emotional regulation. The prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, and hippocampus all show an increase in activity.

Chronic pain, illness, and everyday life put us at risk for significant stress. The effects of stress are lasting and profound. Incorporating meditative practices into your life can help you overcome mental distress and promote better physical health. You are never too young or too old to start enjoying the benefits of meditation.

You or a loved one may be experiencing stress related to chronic or long-term illness and looking for alternatives to increase your happiness and well-being. If you are struggling for the right level of care for in-home or nursing home facility services, an elder law attorney can help. Elder law services encompass both health and financial challenges that happen as people age and need more care and support for everyday activities.

We hope you found this article helpful. If you have questions or would like to discuss your legal matters, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 215-364-1111 to schedule a consultation.

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It is important to plan your estate to ensure that your assets, interests, and those you love will be protected after your death. However, without proper guidance and advice from a qualified estate planning attorney, many individuals make costly mistakes. Beyond undermining your intent and diminishing your financial legacy, poor planning can create additional stress to your heirs in their time of grief.

Six common errors frequently happen during the estate planning process. These mistakes often occur because the complete financial picture was not fully considered. It is easiest to avoid estate planning mishaps by knowing what they are before you begin or looking for these errors when reviewing and updating your plan.

Financial procrastination causes problems. While examining your mortality and making end-of-life preparations is not a particularly fun activity, try viewing it as helping and enhancing your loved ones' future lives while creating a sense of peace during your own.

The need to protect your finances using wills, trusts, and power of attorney (POA) documents is not solely the domain of the elderly. Putting off the drafting of legal documents necessary to protect yourself and your inheritors can lead to disastrous outcomes.

By far, failing to create an estate plan is the most common mistake. Even if you do not have a lot of money, you need a will to protect any minor children you have by naming their guardians. Your will also ensures your asset distribution to heirs is carried out according to your intentions when you die and names a representative to handle debt obligations, final taxes, and other estate administrative duties. Dying without a will or "intestate" can lead to dire consequences.

Outdated wills, forms, and POAs create problems. If you made a will twenty years ago and have not reviewed and updated its contents, chances are many of the details no longer reflect current assets or beneficiaries. Estate planning is not a "set it and forget it" proposition. Reviewing estate planning documents and beneficiary forms every two years is generally adequate, barring a major life change such as divorce, birth, death, remarriage, or relocation to another state.

Beneficiaries without coordination can create expensive oversight. Beneficiary forms for retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs, annuities, and life insurance policies may constitute a significant portion of your estate's assets. These beneficiary forms are legally binding and will supersede the contents of your will. Failure to update beneficiary forms can lead to an ex-spouse receiving assets that preferably would go to your heirs. Routine checks of all beneficiary designations are best practices for estate planning.

Failing to title trust assets properly can lead to probate. While not everyone requires a trust, those who do must carefully retitle their assets into the name of the trust. Forgetting to add more recently purchased property or opening a new account requires you to title them into the trust to receive trust benefits. Whether real estate, cash, mutual funds, or stocks, if you fail to move the asset into the trust, they become subject to the probate court, possible tax consequences (depending on the trust type), and a public record of these assets.

Life insurance can trigger estate tax. Life insurance can provide heirs with liquidity without the sale of assets and tax consequences when handled correctly. However, if a wealthy individual dies while maintaining ownership of their life insurance policy, they may inadvertently create a tax event for their heirs. Although life insurance death benefits are not subject to state or federal income taxes, any "incident" of ownership by the decedent can create an inheritance tax.

An estate planning attorney can help shelter life insurance proceeds from high-value estates by gifting the policy to an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) or draft a new trust to purchase a new policy where the trust is the owner and beneficiary. A policy owned by the trust does not create a taxable situation to death benefits. Your attorney's careful structuring of this trust type is complex but can provide proper protection.

Joint ownership of assets with your children can lead to disastrous consequences. Naming your children as co-owners of assets, even digital, permits their creditors to access your money. The better way to address the situation is to give your adult child power of attorney and assign them as a beneficiary to a payable on death bank or brokerage account. This tactic permits them to access your funds if required during your lifetime. However, it keeps your assets from your child's estate and away from their potential creditors.

Ultimately the biggest error you can make is not finding the right estate planning attorney to guide you. This specialized attorney receives training on avoiding probate, tax implications, and asset protection if you require long-term care. Proper planning with the right guidance will help you avoid costly estate planning mistakes and protect your family's future financial well-being.

If you have questions or would like to discuss your legal matters, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 215-364-1111 to schedule a consultation.

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