I finally started meditating regularly. I say finally because this isn't something that happens overnight.. well, at least for me.
I heard about meditation in high school and I always thought it was just a part of a different religion like Buddhist or something. I didn’t realize everyone can do it and it wasn’t something I started actually practicing in 2016. I never got the hang of keeping it around though. I kept hearing about it over and over and the more I heard about it the more important it sounded. People I look up to told me they practice meditation. A lot of people on YouTube who speak of wellness talk about meditation. It's even a topic in multiple books I read last year.
When I think of meditation, I think of it as a tool to calm the mind. I’ve learned that a lot of our problems in life truly are in our own mind. We consume a lot day after day and that’s the price we pay for being in the digital era. This doesn’t affect everyone but for a lot, including me, I always think about how great it would be if I could control the time I spend in front of a screen. I’m pretty good on making sure I’m doing something productive while I’m in front of the computer or using my phone but that’s only because I know when I don’t try, I’ll be scrolling mindlessly for EVER.
All this consuming can affect our brain and how we think. I feel that meditation can really help counter the effects of seeing thousands of faces, hundreds of places and about 30 different types of donuts every day. The national holidays that keep popping out of nowhere is no help either. News feeds are pretty crazy to me. It’s odd to think that everyone has different feeds. Same platforms/apps but when you scroll, you all see different stuff from the posts of your friends to the ads that pop up.
Back to mediation. For the past two years I’ve tried to make it a habit to meditate, but I rushed it every time and was never successful in forming that habit. Earlier this week though, I download an app called Headspace. It’s free with downloadable content but I am pretty sure I’m going to stick to the free option. It tells you how many minutes you've meditated and how many times I’ve meditated. It’s encouraging to see the number grow gradually. It feels even better when I feel a weight lifted.
I’ve noticed that my mind wanders more than I’d like it too. Even if I’m told to think of nothing, all of a sudden I'm thinking of everything. Headspace (app) mentioned that it’s really easy for the mind to wander and just hearing that helped me focus. Tomorrow is day seven and I don’t member the last time I made it even 3 consecutive days so this is exciting for me. If you’ve ever had any experience with meditation, I’d love to hear about it. Until then have a great one.
-Keith