Daily Meditation and “Self-care”
In my weekly meeting with my health counselor (yes, I have one- even though I am one. I think everyone should) I was talking about everything that is going on with my life and the fact that even though I preach that everyone should take time for themselves, sometimes I don’t realize that I’m not taking my own advice. So, I decided that I should delve into a world that I don’t know too much about- meditation. Meditation can be some of the greatest self care around, sitting alone with your thoughts or finding a mantra that helps set up the day or wind down the day, putting your thoughts in order and your mind in the right place.
I first tried to meditate on the train to my desk job (I’m on the train about 25 minutes to and from work), my HC suggested putting on some soothing music and relaxing. My problem? I didn’t have a focus. I didn’t have a mantra or something that I could stop all the thoughts in my head from eating up. It turned out to be just another time that my brain started wandering and I kept getting off track. My type A personality hated it. In addition, whenever the train would stop I would worry about where we were or if I would miss my stop. Overall - not a good way to meditate.
I then discovered the magic of podcasts. There’s a daily meditation available for download right onto my ipod! There are a bunch of mantras, a lot of interesting music, and goal specific meditations (stress relief, weight loss, etc.)- I started listening to one before I go to bed every night! I’ve noticed clarity of dreams, as well as intensity of dreams, I wake up feeling more refreshed and am able to put my mind to sleep each night a lot more quickly. I’m trying to do a quick 10 minutes in the morning and again before bed. I fall asleep easier, and sleep better and it helps keep me on track for a better day. If I’m particularly sleepy in the morning, or happen to be in a bad mood (it happens!) it can help save your morning.
Even if you don’t have the benefits of an ipod, you can still enjoy the benefits of meditation. Pick a mantra and start meditating, or if you live in a large community like I do, there are a lot of places offering free classes on meditation, check it out! Everyone should incorporate some daily meditation- PickTheBrain had a great blog the other day on even more benefits. Don’t wait- meditate!
