With the fast pace of life and nonstop stimulation from the Internet, social media, and texting, the young adult years are more challenging than ever. Teens and 20-somethings need a way to calm their mind and deal with stress, and many are taking up the Transcendental Meditation^® (TM^®) technique for just that reason.

American singer/songwriter, model, and actress Sky Ferreira shared her TM story in a personal essay written for Marie Claire: “I may be a musician, but I actually have severe stage fright. And I have to go through a whole process before I perform. When I started writing music and singing, I never thought about the fact that eventually I’d have to get up on stage to do it. I mean, in school, I was the person who would cry if she had to give a speech in front of the class!”

Ferreira writes, “I used to think having a drink would help, but it doesn’t; it just makes me more self-conscious. So now I have a way of dealing. It starts with Transcendental Meditation^® , which I learned from Bob Roth at the David Lynch Foundation. I do it twice a day because it makes me think more clearly. Like, I’ll be really upset about something, and I can’t get past it or come up with a solution, but after I meditate, my mind is clear. It has drastically changed my life.”

“I do it twice a day because it makes me think more clearly. Like, I’ll be really upset about something, and I can’t get past it or come up with a solution, but after I meditate, my mind is clear.” —Sky Ferreira

Miss Maryland Teen USA

Ferreira is just one of many young women and men who are discovering what TM can do for them. Taylor Dawson, the former Miss Maryland Teen USA, is championing the idea that “Calm is the new strong.”

She emphasizes the role that regular TM practice has played in her life for the past three years. “I have found it to be essential to my success and my happiness,” Dawson explains. “I remember the first session how relaxed and focused I felt. Like, it was honestly a feeling that I had never, ever felt before in my entire life. So it definitely became a part of my everyday routine.”

“The year I started TM, I felt less anxiety,” she continues. “I felt much more hopeful and optimistic about my future, and my life changed in many ways for the positive. My grades went up. I improved in the arts. As an actress and a singer, it makes your creativity flow, and it just gives you so much more. It expands your mind to its fullest potential.”

“I remember the first session how relaxed and focused I felt. Like, it was honestly a feeling that I had never, ever felt before in my entire life.” —Taylor Dawson

What Others Are Saying

Lest you think that the TM technique is only for celebrities, consider these statements from three South Florida students who learned TM in their teens:

Alexandra Reyf, North Miami Beach: “I knew I wanted to make myself better from the core out, and this was the best way to start. I am definitely more patient, and the stressful situations are much easier to handle. If you are really looking for a healthy and beneficial change in your life, I think TM is an amazing step to take.”

Christian Pace: “I learned about TM from a book by Maharishi [Mahesh Yogi], Science of Being and the Art of Living. It’s made a great impact on my life in terms of how I’ve learned to react to situations and people. It also has allowed me to keep calm and not have any anxiety. There is definitely a significant change in my attitude and perception of the day.”

Scott Suarez, Pembroke Pines: “TM has really helped me calm down and center myself. It lets me take a closer look at my emotions, and from there I’ve learned a lot about myself.”

Relief from Stress

One experience that all these young people share is the relief from stress they get from TM practice. Stress has been described as the plague of the century, and it spares no one, regardless of age, profession, or gender. Chronic stress is harmful to health, happiness, creativity, and productivity.

Over 380 published research studies on the TM^® technique have documented its effectiveness for dealing with stress and stress-related conditions, enhancing brain function, and much more.

With the availability of such a simple, natural, and effective technique for relieving stress, improving performance, and increasing happiness, why not discover for yourself how calm really is the new strong?

Read Sky Ferreira’s interview here ►

Watch Taylor Dawson, Miss Maryland Teen USA (1:28) ►