It is said that ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’. Everyone needs friends to share happiness and to face difficulties. Despite the bond of friendship, the relation may sometimes go bad and hurt ourselves.

To be happy with friends, I believe we should find some ways to enjoy our friendship. Firstly, I think we have to learn that friends are not just ‘objects’ that we can take advantage of. Friends are people who can be with us, share our happiness and sorrow. Besides shopping in arcades and singing karaoke with them, we ought to spend time listening to each other and offering help whenever necessary.

The sun is not always shinning, similarly the relationship between friends is not always harmonious. The more contact between friends, the greater possibility that argument will appear. In my opinion, argument is the key to know more about a person. When arguments occur, we have to try our best to stay calm and not to shout at each other. Discussing the problem with friends in a peaceful way is always the best solution to any argument. In the wake of misunderstanding or argument, we can enjoy our friendship more as we understand each other better.

Apart from adopting ways to enjoy friendship, we should learn how to avoid problems. I believe everyone is a unique individual, and no one should rely wholly on friends. Otherwise, we will become a burden for them. If we try to be independent, there is no need to worry that friends would leave us, and most important of all, we don’t have to please our friends unwillingly or flatten them.

Another way to avoid problems is to treat friends wholeheartedly. We should not intentionally try to achieve our goals by making friends with someone who can help us. Talking about friends’ fault behind their back is nothing more serious than killing the friendship. If we have any opinion towards a friend, just be frank and tell him. This is the only key to avoid misunderstanding.

In my opinion, friends are important in my life. They key to having better relationship with them and enjoying the most is to treasure them and be sincere to each other.

Practicing meditation has been shown to induce some changes in the body, such as changes in the body’s “fight or flight” response. The system responsible for this response is the autonomic nervous system (sometimes called the involuntary nervous system). It regulates many organs and muscles, including functions such as the heartbeat, sweating, breathing, and digestion, and does so automatically.

The autonomic nervous system is divided into two major parts:

• The sympathetic nervous system helps mobilize the body for action. When a person is under stress, it produces the fight-or-flight response: the heart rate and breathing rate go up, for example, the blood vessels narrow (restricting the flow of blood), and muscles tighten.
• The parasympathetic nervous system creates what some call the “rest and digest” response. This system’s responses oppose those of the sympathetic nervous system. For example, it causes the heart rate and breathing rate to slow down, the blood vessels to dilate (improving blood flow), and activity to increase in many parts of the digestive tract.

While scientists are studying whether meditation may afford meaningful health benefits, they are also looking at how it may do so. One way some types of meditation might work is by reducing activity in the sympathetic nervous system and increasing activity in the parasympathetic nervous system.

Scientific research is using sophisticated tools to learn more about what goes on in the brain and the rest of the body during meditation, and diseases or conditions for which meditation might be useful. There is still much to learn in these areas. One avenue of research is looking at whether meditation is associated with significant changes in brain function. A number of researchers believe that these changes account for many of meditation’s effects.

The term meditation refers to a group of techniques, most of which started in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings, for health and wellness purposes.

In meditation, a person learns to focus his attention and suspend the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. This practice is believed to result in a state of greater physical relaxation, mental calmness, and psychological balance. Practicing meditation can change how a person relates to the flow of emotions and thoughts in the mind.

Most types of meditation have four elements in common:

• A quiet location. Many meditators prefer a quiet place with as few distractions as possible. This can be particularly helpful for beginners. People who have been practicing meditation for a longer period of time sometimes develop the ability to meditate in public places, like waiting rooms or buses.
• A specific, comfortable posture. Depending on the type being practiced, meditation can be done while sitting, lying down, standing, walking, or in other positions.
• A focus of attention. Focusing one’s attention is usually a part of meditation. For example, the meditator may focus on a mantra (a specially chosen word or set of words), an object, or the breath.
• An open attitude. Having an open attitude during meditation means letting distractions come and go naturally without stopping to think about them. When distracting or wandering thoughts occur, they are not suppressed; instead, the meditator gently brings attention back to the focus. In some types of meditation, the meditator learns to observe the rising and falling of thoughts and emotions as they spontaneously occur.

Meditation is practiced both on its own and as a component of some other therapies, such as yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. This Backgrounder focuses on meditation practiced on its own.