When you think of coping, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For many, it is probably meditation. It seems as if this practice has become a buzzword for coping with mental health struggles. But what is it?
I find that many people tend to reject meditation as a coping practice easily. Your mind is probably flooded with racing thoughts, fears, and worries for those struggling with anxiety, and clearing your mind ultimately may seem impossible.
However, meditation comes in completely different forms, which you can tailor to your daily routine. Meditation is time-based as well, and you can engage in the practice for as long or as short as you need.
So what is meditation? How can it help you? What are some ways to make it seem less chore-like and more desirable?
What is Meditation?
Practiced for thousands of years, meditation was a sacred practice known to find a truth to the mysteries and forces of life. Now, it is associated with its power of relaxing and de-stressing our bodies.
During meditation, the goal is to rid of any intruding thoughts that negatively affect your daily life and causing unwanted stress, enhancing overall physical and mental well-being.
Think of meditation as hitting the "empty" button when you are clearing out your trash on your computer. You are essentially releasing any information overload that has piled up in your mind and contributes to stress.
Meditation comes in a variety of different types. Some include mindfulness meditation, spiritual meditation, movement meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and transcendental meditation. A list of a few different types can be accessed here: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/types-of-meditation#transcendental-meditation.
How Can Meditation Help You?
Meditation can not only help with physical but emotional well-being too! Emotional benefits include: gaining new perspectives, increased stress management, decreased negativity, heightened self-awareness, patience, and acceptance, and can even boost creativity and imagination!
Suppose you are suffering from a medical illness or condition. In that case, meditation can help manage and ease Anxiety, Asthma, Cancer, Depression, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and people suffering from migraines, high blood pressure, or heart disease.
(FYI: make sure to consult with your doctor and see if meditation can help your condition. Though not medicinal, it can be another helpful technique in easing any tension or pain).
Less of a Chore, Into Something Soothing!
If you're like me, you may find that meditating is challenging to practice. So much happens in one day that it can be nearly impossible to clear your head or calmly set aside everything that occurred. I find that though I try, I still have a lingering thought entering my head, and I feel as if I haven't achieved the tranquility I wanted to. This inability to achieve true meditation prevents me from using it as a go-to coping mechanism.
Here are some of my tips on how you can make meditation more soothing rather than something that seems unattainable or impossible.
1. Start small
Rather than jumping into a 30-minute extended guided meditation, try a shorter session. Set a goal for a time you want to start with. The beauty of meditation is that it's time flexible, and there are so many short videos available.
As you continue to practice your skills, you may want to increase the time you sit and meditate, which is when you may want to expand into the longer sessions.
People say this all the time, but practice does make perfect; the more time you spend meditating, the easier you will find it to clear your mind.
2. What if I don't like videos?
Not in the mood to watch a video? You can meditate through quick breathing exercises as well.
The 4-7-8 breathing technique is a popular one to help calm symptoms like a racing heart, shortness of breath, even heart palpitations.
Close your nose and inhale through your nostrils for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds. After, exhale for roughly 8 seconds (take into account not to strain yourself in this process, which is for relaxation!).
3. Acknowledge the thoughts that come into your head. Refrain from frustration!
Like I stated earlier, it's hard to completely clear your head after a long day, and you may find intruding thoughts and worries come into your meditation session. If I could provide any advice, it would be not to get frustrated when this happens.
No meditation session will be similar, but that's the beauty of life. Suppose you notice a thought trying to come into your frame of mind while trying to meditate. Try to imagine taking that thought, writing it on a note, stuffing it into a balloon, and releasing the balloon from your grip. Focusing on that guided imagery may while you meditate will allow you to place your focus onto an image while still providing that relaxing sensation of letting things go.
4. I'm not too fond of this type of meditation
Meditation comes in a diverse amount of forms, and that is a wonderful thing. You may find that there are specific ones you enjoy or dislike. The beauty of the digital age we live in allows us to choose what we want to try.
Don't worry if you need to change the meditation session. If it isn't working for you, there may be another one that does. Exploring your interests and goals within meditation before sessions will also help you find a resource that's perfect for you!
5. I want to be active during my meditation
Try movement meditation! Movement meditation surrounds anything from yoga, nature walks to gardening! Since meditation focuses on relaxing our minds, movement meditation encompasses more quiet, gentle forms of exercise.
Looking for some guided meditations to try? Check out these links here!
Breathing Meditations (3-5 minutes)
Movement Meditation (10 minutes)
Mindfulness Meditation (10-30 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jobVHhlMmRo (Honest Guys are my favorite!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W29xUzoqa4 (this is for beginners!)
Loving Kindness Meditation (10 minutes)
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