Materialistic pursuit has led us to live such a fast-paced life that we hardly have time to pause and heave a sigh of relief. Due to long working hours, we are left with no time for ourselves. If you are an artist by heart and don’t ‘function’ as per the conventional 9 to 5 timings, it might be even more difficult for you to cull out time for yourself, no matter how easy you thought it to be earlier.
Nothing comes for free in life. Everything comes with a cost. Joyce Sunada, wellness coach and speaker beautifully puts it down- “If you don’t take time for your wellness, you will be forced to take time for your illness”.
Depression is becoming a grave reality and turning its patients to anti-depressants, talk therapy and a horde of other treatments. However, as per research, these approaches are not always effective, and there is a grim need for better alternatives. If you too feel the pain of the daily struggle and have often felt the need to relax your mind with the help of meditation but have been putting it off, it’s time you stop procrastinating lest your mind and body will bear the brunt of it.
Don’t worry too much about being right
One of the biggest mental blocks that restrict people from meditating is the obsession to do it the right way. Remember that meditation is meant to soothe your mind and body to create a relaxing experience. If you worry too much about where you sit, which type of meditation cushion you should use, at what time of the day you should do it and so on, the purpose gets defeated. Just find a peaceful place in your home, close your eyes, feel the air entering your body, and try to channel your inner energy. This is all you need to focus on. In his book “Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life”, Jon Kabat-Zinn beautifully sums that there is “no one right way to practice”
Time to say goodbye to the “I don’t have time for it” outlook
Whether it is 5minutes or 10 minutes, taking out time from your busy routine will require the hard work of no more 3-4 days. After this, it will become a part of your routine like bathing, waking up at a particular time of the day and so on. This is because you will start understanding your body and get first- hand experience of the benefits of meditation that you always heard of.
Avoid creating a false self-image
Acceptance is the foundation of meditation. If you have stress and anxiety, the first step to deal with it is to accept that you have something in mind that is affecting you. If you get too busy trying to convince yourself that you are fine, you’ll exhaust your energy instead of dealing with your problem at the roots. Also it would immensely affect your ability to do away with all the negative feelings and indulge in mindful meditate.
Remember you are your biggest source of inspiration. To live a happy and satisfied life, you need to control your mind in the first place. Meditation requires control of one’s mind and vice-versa. But first, you need to fight these obstacles, hopefully now in a much easier way to become a better and more powerful version of yourself!