Consistent meditation helps to restore resiliency; makes it easier to let go of tension, to maintain self-regulation. When we are stressed, the hormone cortisol is released.  This has an important impact on blood flow; the heart rate goes up, and blood is moved away from the brain’s highest cognitive center.  It’s a time when people make more mistakes;  they are distracted and the ability to recall important information diminishes.  Processing information becomes more difficult.

We all know this place.  I see musicians and actors who perform in this state all the time and have seen how important a daily meditation practice is to them.  It doesn’t eliminate stress, of course, but enables them to recover from difficult situations, to self-regulate.