In this period particularly rich in stress and anxiety for many French people, especially students, Doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health consultant on Europe 1, recommends a very simple meditation exercise that can avoid taking refuge in alcohol, cannabis or anxiolytics. 

The Covid-19 crisis has an impact on the mental health of French people of all ages, especially students and young workers, who see their daily lives disrupted by health restrictions and often experience difficulties in their university studies or in the job.

A situation that can be particularly stressful and that Doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health consultant of Europe 1, recommends to manage through meditation. 

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Do not take refuge on the "toxic"

Because this stress "will end up becoming deleterious", explains the doctor.

"It will lead to sleep disturbances, anxiety and sometimes even depression."

In order not to fall into this spiral, Jimmy Mohamed's first advice is "not to take refuge in toxic substances, in particular alcohol or cannabis, but also anxiolytics, sleeping pills which will cause long-term addiction and disrupt your body clock. "

Instead, the general practitioner therefore suggests meditating.

"When you say it like that, it sounds boring," he smiles.

"But it really has an extraordinary power on your brain. We did MRI scans and we only realized after eight weeks of meditation, your brain changes. It changes structure, at the level of a rather particular organ. , which is called the limbic system and which is responsible for emotions. "

Stimulate attention, concentration and memory

Other benefits of the practice: it can "reduce ruminations, those obsessive, automatic thoughts that we have in particular in the evening", but also "help to take distance with thoughts that will be less negative".

Meditation also has beneficial effects on sleep: "We have found that those who meditate have a higher level of melatonin, the hormone that allows you to fall asleep, than others."

Finally, for the students, "we know that it will also stimulate attention and concentration, improve creativity, but also memory, during exam period."

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So how do you meditate?

"The whole thing is repetition", assures Jimmy Mohamed.

"Even five minutes a day is enough," he continues, offering an exercise consisting of eating ... a grape.

"It's silly, but you take a grape or a strawberry or a raspberry, and you use your five senses before you eat it."

Follow the guide to try this very simple practice, to be done every lunchtime, and which allows you to reduce the stress of this difficult period. 

"First of all, start by touching it: you explore the object with your fingertips", explains the doctor.

"You feel the weight, the contours, the material. You feel its texture or its surface. Then you rub the object against your ear, still with your eyes closed. You use your hearing. Then you put it under your nose, to smell its peculiar smell. Then you open your eyes, you observe the size, the color, the effects that the light can have on this object. Finally, you put it in your mouth. On your tongue, you explore the object , its shape. And then you let the flavors come in, and when it's gone, you swallow. "