The act of quieting the mind…Meditation.
Meditation comes in various forms and is easily misunderstood. It does not require one to empty the mind. How many times have I heard, “I can’t think of nothing!”? In fact, you can let the thoughts pass by in your mind and observe them.
There are many ways to meditate, but the focus is on practicing to quiet your mind. You might learn to quiet your reactions to thoughts and events in the past and future. You may work on focusing on the present and practice bringing your mind to the present and experiencing the present (Mindfulness Meditation). You may train your mind to be quiet by distracting it, such as with a mantra (Transcendental Meditation) or deep breathing exercises or by incorporating specific physical activity (Tai Chi or Yoga).
It does not require too much time. In fact, you can choose and you can meditate for various amounts of time based on time you have available or stress level in your life. Also, as you practice, like any sport or activity, it gets easier and you are more effective and efficient with the time. There has been evidence that as little as 12 minutes a day can make so much of a difference that it structurally changes your brain (for the better) and improves your overall function. It reduces stress, improves depression, anxiety, reduces pain, improves chronic disease management, improves quality of life, trains our minds to be more adaptable and flexible and it works for children too!
Meditation can be done anywhere, but it is easiest in a quiet place. There are apps on the phone/computer/tablet and there are books, classes, meetings and audio files. It can be learned on your own or with a guide or teacher. It’s pretty cool because it’s about you and it’s good for you and you can notice positive changes in other areas of your life pretty quickly. Your neurons in your brain start to work together and coordinate. Your body has a chance to check in with itself and reconnect.
Find a way to incorporate some practice of meditation on most days of the week. Work to find a time when you can disconnect from the electronics and focus on you, in the present moment. Give yourself a time out and allow yourself to be You. Just right. Right now. Exactly as you are.
Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash
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