Mindfulness Meditation

     I talked about Mindfulness as a way to deal with emotions that I don't like to feel in a previous blog post, but I haven't mentioned Mindfulness Meditation before. I find this particular type of meditation to be helpful in managing my intrusive thoughts and my overall anxiety. It's one tool that always seems to be effective for me no matter how much I use it. 

     When I talk with different people about Mindfulness Meditation, I always here a few common misconceptions about this particular practice. Every time I even mention the word "meditation", the person usually says, "I can't meditate. I can never clear my mind." Or, "I'm not good at meditating. I can't concentrate well enough." Or, "I can't meditate. I just can't relax." Or, "I can't meditate. I can't sit still that long." People tend to think of meditation as the stereotypical scene in a serene and silent room, with some incense, and hours spent still as a statue, almost in an altered state of consciousness, striving for spiritual enlightenment.

     People tend to be surprised when I tell them that Mindfulness Meditation isn't quite that kind of meditation practice. The point isn't to get to spiritual enlightenment (but you can strive for that if you want to). The point isn't to clear your mind. The point isn't to rigidly force yourself to concentrate on something for a certain amount of time. The point isn't even to relax, really. The point of Mindfulness Meditation is to learn to exist with your mind in whatever state you find it in that day and to learn to separate yourself from your thoughts. (Meditation does increase the gray matter in your brain over time which MAY result in a calmer brain, though.)

     Mindfulness Meditation is simple to do, or, at least it's simple the way my therapist taught me to meditate. I just find a quiet spot, and I find a comfortable place to sit. I like to take a couple of deep breaths just to get my brain into "ready to chill" mode. Then I close my eyes, rest my hands on my knees, and I focus on my breathing. I follow my breath into and out of my body. If other thoughts creep in, (and other thoughts always creep in), I just think, "Thinking has just occurred. Now back to breathing." Then I return my focus back to following my breath. I don't judge the thoughts or argue with them. I just acknowledge that thinking happens and refocus. I try to do ten minutes every time I meditate. I started with five minutes first and worked my way up to twenty, but ten minutes seems to be my best amount of time, so I do that. (I read that twenty minutes of meditation a day would be helpful in treating symptoms of anxiety and depression, but I can't remember the name of the article.)

     My brain also tends to take me somewhere else while I'm meditating for whatever reason. I don't know if that's just a "me" thing or if that happens to other people. I usually end up in a forest or in a room with a floor-to-ceiling window looking out at a forest while my intrusive thoughts are separated from me by another glass behind my chair. (That sounds weird, I know. It's fine if nobody else does that.)

     My therapist assures me that I don't HAVE to have a strict amount of meditation time, but I like routine. She tells me that meditating for the two minutes I steep my tea or while I'm in line at the grocery store would be helpful for my brain, too. She tells me that any time spent mindfully meditating is better for your brain than no time spent meditating at all. You just have to pick the best amount of time that works for you, or do it in increments if you want.

     I'll end with this: A lot of people only think about meditation as a thing that only monks, nuns, and "New Age" enthusiasts practice, but really, Mindfulness Meditation is a different sort of practice from the stereotypical meditation we see in movies. The point of Mindfulness Meditation is to learn to live with your mind whether its going haywire, chilling out, and doing everything in between. It may take a bit of time with daily meditation, but it honestly helped me manage my anxiety. It's still a tool that I use regularly.