Research clearly shows the positive benefits of mindfulness meditation in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. While this seems to be common knowledge these days, people seem to find it very challenging to actually engage in it as the active brain rebels against moments of silence.
Busy Doing Doing Doing
There are so many distractions available in modern living. We are all so attached to screens and all that they offer. Unfortunately, it’s easy to feel disconnected from ourselves, not to mention the people around us.
How often do you check in with yourself? What do you discover when you do?
Unfortunately, many people don’t like to spend time focusing on what’s going on between their ears or the feelings in their gut. I’ve heard this place called a “bad neighborhood” full of disturbing images and challenging emotions. Easier to just ignore it. But you can only ignore it for so long. Eventually, you may notice these thoughts and feelings start to take over and get in the way.
Stress and anxiety – a modern epidemic
So we have all the conveniences of modern life and immediate gratification at our fingertips, yet we often still feel empty and wanting. Many of us feel nervous and stressed as we trudge through the demands of our daily lives with packed schedules and demanding responsibilities.
Getting too little sleep, we turn to caffeine to make it through a day, wondering why we feel anxious and nervous all the time.
Take a time out to breathe
The breath is the in part of our autonomic nervous system we can control. Consciously slowing down our breath can directly affect what we are experiencing in any given moment.
Typically, when we feel anxious or nervous, our breath is shallow and more rapid. By deepening and slowing down our breath for a time, we have an opportunity to reset.
A popular method has been called “box breathing” – count slowly to 4 for each of the following: inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Adjust this as needed for yourself. You may need to do this for several minutes to feel any change in the quality of your experience. This in itself is a type of mindfulness as you concentrate on your breath, a central aspect of many forms of meditation.
You may try this box breathing at various times throughout your day, even if you are not necessarily feeling stressed, and see what you notice.
Being instead of doing
Meditation offers us a time to watch our minds in action – the busy story teller taking us away from the present moment. Many people think that meditation is about clearing the mind. If they didn’t do that, then they failed.
My good friend says trying to get your mind to stop thinking or telling stories is like standing in front of the ocean and demanding that the waves stop. Good luck!
You don’t have to do it very long to get some benefit.
As with everything else, it’s important to set goals you can achieve. Consider starting out by just trying to focus on your breath for a few minutes several times a day. If you feel like you need some help, there are many guided meditations available. I often find guided meditations helpful as my squirrel brain left to its own devices won’t let me just sit and notice for very long.