Barbara was stressed out from work and life.
She chose to deal with it by drinking too much red wine and eating tons of chocolates.
It’s a tasty combo but a short-term fix.
Two weeks later, Barbara was even more stressed, plus she suffered brutal hangovers and chocolate-induced pimples.
I suggested daily meditation, but Barbara was hesitant because she sees it as just another stress coping strategy.
I told her meditation is more than just a way to manage stress…
Meditation is about training the mind
Training the mind is not about forcing it to be calm, it’s about bringing it to a natural place of rest.
It’s about learning how to view your thoughts with a little more perspective… and when you do this, you will find a place of calm.
Again, meditation is about training the mind — not about stopping thoughts or eliminating feelings but about changing your relationships with passing thoughts and feelings.
Meditation is about providing a framework to understand the mind more clearly. It won’t change the way things are, but it will change the way you relate to it.
Meditation is a skill
And like any new skill, you need to refine it by repeating it, over and over again.
Meditation lets your mind get reacquainted with restfulness. It will help you be more mindful without taking away your edge — you can achieve more and accomplish more.
Meditation is not about creating a particular quality of mind, but instead creating the conditions for those qualities to arise spontaneously.
You will discover
Meditation will help you identify that while you cannot change or control events, you can change your reaction to them.
Build your practice with a new meditation every day
And develop ease of mind which will provide you with a sustainable approach to stress.
Meditation has helped me find calm
I often ask myself, imagine if I’ve never started meditating, would I have ever known this calm? This clarity?
I would never know that feeling when the mind let’s go — when the body’s at ease… and there is only the experience of now — which is a beautiful thing.
If you want to meditate, try this app
To sit back, relax and be present in the world, I suggest you start your meditation journey with headspace — a guided meditation app you can do any time, anywhere.
It’s great for busy schedules.
The more you practice, the more likely you are to build a peaceful mind that can be at ease even when facing stressful events.
Meditation takes time
But if you commit to maintaining that sense of clarity and calm, that sense of being present throughout the day, you will notice the difference.
Just keep at it.
Remember, meditation only become useful when you apply your new found sense of awareness to your everyday lives and your relationships.
And for those of you looking to move toward greater balance in your life by starting a Mindful practice make sure to check out this course that I recently took. It helped me systematically work with my own stress, challenges, and demands of everyday life.
Click here to check out the course.
By the way, this link above is an affiliate link, which means that I earn a commission if you do end up purchasing this course. It’s at no extra cost to you, and please, if you have any questions related to this product, please let me know and I’d be happy to answer them for you.
