Carrying on from the first post where I wrote about different things I’m trying in order to recover, I thought I’d tackle Meditation next.
Anyone who’s known me for any length of time will know that I’m NOT a meditating kind of person. I don’t Ommmmmmmmmmmmm. I don’t sit and watch candle flame for hours on end. I don’t do silence.
Well…I didn’t.
It turns out I kind of like meditating. It took me a long time to get used to it. I’d read plenty of books and listened to recovery stories where they all said to meditate. I had in my mind a monk sitting cross-legged in the snow balancing his hands on his knees and I reckoned I couldn’t stop talking long enough to manage 5 minutes! But I thought I should try. I started off with a short track that came as part of the Optimum Health Clinic package and then ended up using the Headspace app. I set a dedicated time every day when I would go upstairs, shut the door and give it a try. I home educate 3 children, one of whom has attention issues so I didn’t (and still don’t) always get a full clear 30 minutes, but setting a time meant I would make sure everything was done ready to go and sit.
Meditation can lower blood pressure, lower cortisol levels, increase memory and concentration, improve sleep and reduce anxiety. Why wouldn’t you try it?
There are a ton of benefits to meditating, this website lists some of the good ones: https://www.alustforlife.com/mental-health/meditation/20-reasons-why-meditation-is-the-best-thing-you-could-be-doing-right-now
For me personally, I’ve found over time that the constant chatter in my head just gets a chance to shush. I always have a running commentary in my head, either discussing what I’m doing, or listing what I need to do next, or worrying about stuff that doesn’t need to be worried about.
Meditating gives me the chance to just be. I’m not doing, just being. Of course I still run away with thoughts but then I catch myself, grin at my chattiness and get back to just being. It’s truly liberating.
I really recommend the Headspace app, or the Calm app that I’ve recently subscribed to. Calm has more sleep stories that my daughter loves so I’m running both at the moment.
There are plenty of youTube videos if you’d rather do free things than pay for the chance to sit quietly with your own breath – I’m not disciplined enough not to have someone encouraging me along the way.
My top tips:
- Choose a time to do it, otherwise you won’t.
- Pick somewhere warm and comfortable.
- Don’t berate yourself for running away with your thoughts.
- Do it every day.
So give it a try! Whether you’re ill or healthy, whether you think you can or you don’t reckon you know how, whether you’ve always looked at meditation as a bit weird, Try It! Goodness knows I was as sceptical as they come, and now look at me!
(Not actually me)
Silhouette of Me 
So true.
I make time to meditate every day because i know how much difference it makes to my well being.
I still find it really tough to stop the chatter but its a constant work in progress. As am i.
Always look forward to your posts. Thank you.
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I’ve learned to smile at the chatter instead of tell myself off, all in the attempt to be gentle instead of critical – it certainly is tricky though!
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In one of the yoga nidras I do the voice says “if you find yourself with lots of thoughts, release them to a log on the river and watch them float away”. I always at this point picture myself holding open a Tesco carrier bag (very environmentally unfriendly), bending forwards and tipping my thoughts out of my forehead into the bag. I then fling it towards the log and wave as it floats away. It always makes me smile to myself. Small things amuse small minds, as they say.
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I have similar with the thought being a cloud and I lightly blow it away, it really helps!
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