With all that’s going on between work closing down, starting a new career, packing up my house to sell it and moving in with my mother my mind has been a swirling mess. Add in an unethical bully for a future President and a misogynistic Congress and I’ve been on overload since November. It’s like my mind is on a carousel that’s spinning faster and faster until it feels like it’s spinning out of control. Time to bring renewal to my soul by clearing out the clutter of my mind.
If you’re in the same boat and wondering how I’m going to help myself, then I’ll tell you – meditation. I have a history with meditation, it’s an on again/off again relationship. But this time is going to be different….it has to be. And I’m here to tell you so far, it’s been working. I feel better, less stressed and I’m able to fall asleep quicker each night. That’s a new thing. Usually, I would lay in bed and chase my thoughts around even more, which just kept me awake.
There are a lot of myths about what meditation is or is not and how it should or shouldn’t be done. One of the things that I hear from a lot of people is that they can’t meditate because they can’t empty their mind of all thoughts. I can’t either. I don’t even know if that’s possible. Meditation isn’t about having a blank mind, it’s about being able to detach from those thoughts, it’s about not reacting or interacting with them. Several times during my meditation, I might find myself thinking about to-do lists or what was on TV, but I have to let go of that thought process and bring myself back to my breath. The key is knowing that this is going to happen and probably happen a lot. So don’t get hung up about it or call yourself names because you’re getting “caught up in your thoughts.” Don’t think you’ve failed, you haven’t. You are meditating. Realizing that you’re caught up in your thoughts and still finding a way to let it go and come back to your breath is meditating. No matter how many times you have to keep doing it. Believe me, it happens to me a lot.
Another myth that people create for themselves is the myth of time. They say they don’t have time to meditate, but maybe it’s that they don’t have time to not meditate. Besides, if you’re a beginning meditator, you shouldn’t be looking for an hour of time. That’s a sure way to kill any meditation plans you had. Start with just 5 or 10 minutes. That’s all. Anyone can find 5 minutes. Then, as you get used to finding those 5 minutes and meditating, start to add a minute here or there until you’re eventually up to 15 or 20 minutes a day.
Where To Start?
If you’re wondering how to start, there’s an App for that. Really. Headspace is an app that gives you access to hundreds of hours of guided and unguided meditations. The 10-day free trial sets you up with different types of meditations to try, which allows you to figure out what works best for you. After the first 10 days, you can buy the app or try something else. The App that we like to use is called Insight Timer. It also includes a lot of guided meditations, instructions on meditating and discussion groups, it also has a timer and you can see how many other people are meditating at the same time. Pretty cool. The timer is great because you can not only set it for how long you want to meditate but you can set up the sounds that you’ll hear before, after and even during the meditation if you want them. The timer can be preset and saved, so each time I go in, I don’t have to select everything again. That certainly takes the hassle out of preparing for a meditation.
There are also many local meditation groups and retreat centers that you can reach out to in each state. My friend and fellow blogger Lori Pelikan Strobel went to one of these centers. She wrote The Gift of Mindfulness, about her experience at the Copper Beech Institute in CT where she took a mindfulness program.
Meditation can help you and it can help children too. Check out this school in Baltimore, MD where meditation is required every day. When kids act out, they are sent to a meditation room to reflect on their behavior and to talk it out. Suspensions in the school have dropped to zero. Kind of makes you wonder if the Dalai Lama was on the right track when he said, “If every 8-year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.”
Are you meditating? If not, what’s holding you back?
Ah, coming to meditation and back to the breathe are sure ways to declutter and calm the mind. I love the apps Headspace and Insight Timer. They really help in finding some moments of Mindfulness in the day. Also, thank you for the link to my journey into meditation with The Gift of Mindfulness. It has been a blessing.
You’re welcome. Your piece was beautiful and needs to be shared.
Great info here – thanks for sharing with us! Good luck with all your transitions!
Thank you for stopping by.
Would you believe I have Headspace on my phone and never use it? I need to actually open it.
Today, of all days, I think you’ll need it most.
Mindfulness and Meditation: two of the best stress management strategies known to man, as far as I am concerned!
True, and we need them now more than ever.
My friend is the principal of an alternative middle school and they introduced meditation two years ago–discipline problems went waaay down, student engagement went up. It’s quite an amazing tool. I like guided meditations, at east until I feel more confident of my ability to go solo, without a net!
I love this. More schools should adopt a program of meditation.
I have to try meditation again. I go back and forth, but generally like it. Thanks for giving me another boost in that direction!
Love the advice about time – finding 5/10 minutes is ok – I needed reminding! Thank you ?
Remembering to do it is the key. There is always enough time. My husband and I do it together and it helps with the remembering.
Been so stressed here too lately with different changes. I am really enjoying your ideas and suggestions!
We all need something on which to focus our thoughts and concerns. Although meditation and prayer are similar, I prefer prayer. I can experience gratitude, focus my thoughts and simply ask God for strength and to shore up my faith when I doubt. Do I need to do more of it? Yes. Thanks for the reminder, however it happens.
Meditation and prayer are two sides of the same stick (let’s make that a rain stick for nice background sounds.) A meditation teacher once told me that prayer was talking to God and that meditation was listening to God. Both accomplish the same thing when it comes to renewal and clarity and centering and yes, even faith.
I like that, Jennifer, talking and listening!
This was really interesting. My mind is definitely on overload too. I’ve never got on well with meditation – I find it hard to switch off and not engage with the thoughts, and I find it hard to relax. Interestingly, however, I can block thoughts and distract myself, which is primarily how I manage panic attacks. So I suppose I must have some ability to disengage that could be applied to meditation.