We’re living through strange times. Living through a pandemic, for starters, feels like we’ve all been thrown the ultimate curveball, and it has had a huge effect on day-to-day life as well as mental health.When the madness of work, bored kids, a partner stuck at home and a house running smoothly becomes too much, it’s time to step back and learn how to meditate. World Meditation Day is tomorrow, so why not participate in the ancient practice and learn its benefits.
HOW MEDITATION CAN HELP
First of all; let’s clear up one misconception about meditation and that’s the one which assumes you have to follow some form of religion to practice it. It is true that meditation plays a part in some Eastern religions like Buddhism, but the fact is that whether you are a person of faith or not, you can get enormous benefits both – physical and mental – from learning how to meditate.
MEDITATION HELPS WITH ANXIETY AND REDUCES STRESS
Even without a global pandemic to cause us anxiety, the world today is fast-paced and frantic with many of us working hard to juggle all that life has to throw at us. Whatever stage of life you are at and no matter how old you are, anxiety can knock you off kilter. The medical profession tends towards prescribing powerful anti-anxiety drugs particularly for older women who may need more than a quick fix. Meditation is one of the ways in which you can reduce your anxiety levels without resorting to the medicine cabinet.
Feeling constantly stressed by work, by family matters or life in general can lead to more serious mental health problems from which it can be difficult to find a way out of. While some stress is normal, constant stress is not. Meditation can help to calm the mind and body by reducing blood pressure and lowering the heart rate. However if you feel like your problems are snowballing and meditation wont’ help, Mind have some good advice on various ways to cope with your feelings and how to obtain professional help should you need it on their website.
MEDITATION REDUCES DISTRACTIONS
We are all surrounded by distractions, including family, friends, work and finances. And perhaps the biggest distraction of all is the internet and in particular social media. We’re surrounded by a constant stream of things vying for our attention and the addictive qualities of certain aspects of electronic communication – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and the like – are well documented. Taking some time to clear the mind can help us reduce such distractions and focus on what’s important.
COPING WITH CHANGE
Now we have the issue of how to cope with changes to our lives once again as lockdown eases.
While some lucky people can take change in their stride, others find it much more difficult. During the lockdowns we knew exactly where we stood, what we should be doing or not doing. But now things are different again as retail and workplaces begin to re-open and the vaccination programme rolls out across the country.
Confusion arises due to contradictory information about how much protection we have and whether we should continue social distancing. Some people will feel wary, frightened even while others will stride out in confidence. Many of us will be feeling tired, hopeless or without motivation to get back into socialising even with family and friends. Loneliness has been a big issue for many while some are grieving over lost loved ones or over a loss of the lifestyle they enjoyed pre-pandemic.
Meditation may make it easier for you to clear your mind of worries so that you could focus on the more positive aspects of the restrictions being lifted. You may find it useful to keep up with regularly once we’re all, hopefully soon, back to some kind of normality.
TAP INTO INNER PEACE WITH MEDITATION
When you learn how to meditate, you’re not embarking on any kind of cure, but you will learn how to make space for yourself to calm your mind and lower your stress. You don’t need expensive equipment, just a comfortable place to sit, a soothing candle perhaps, unobtrusive music and ambient lighting. Online tutorials are a good place to find information on how to meditate.
WHAT IS MEDITATION AND HOW DO YOU DO IT?
Meditation is a process by which you learn to clear your mind, banish all unwanted thoughts and relax. Some prefer to meditate whilst doing yoga or Tai Chi but for beginners we would always recommend just learning how to meditate first.
You can meditate anywhere – sitting in your favourite chair, lying in bed, sitting in the bath or even in the garden. All you do is make sure you’ll be undisturbed for a while, get comfortable then close your eyes.
- Relax your shoulders and support your back.
- Focus on your breathing.
- Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth and really feel each breath.
- If your mind starts wandering try counting the breaths, five breaths in, five breaths out or whatever you feel comfortable with. (The act of counting will help you focus your mind on the moment and not on other things).
- If you find thoughts keep rushing in don’t worry because this happens to everyone at first. Just keep coming back to your breathing and eventually you will find it easier to ignore distracting thoughts for longer periods.
- Eventually you will find that your periods of meditation become longer and it will become easier for you to empty your mind and truly find contentment and peace any time you need it.
Meditation is not there to solve your problems or change your life but what it will do is give you the strength to change how you view and cope with whatever is happening around you. By learning how to meditate it allows you to claim time for yourself and to exist solely in the moment, which could help you feel much calmer. Why not look for some guided meditations on YouTube to help you along?
Close up meditation photo created by yanalya – www.freepik.com