What I’ve Learned From Meditating

I’ve heard about meditation on multiple occasions, but until recently I had always brushed it off as something I’d never do. I thought it seemed cool and zen, but I just didn’t know if I’d be able to make time for it, or really “get in touch” with myself like people claimed.

Recently, however, I have been especially stressed out while juggling school assignments, extracurriculars, work and personal time. Everything was piling up on top of itself, and giving me unnecessary worry and anxiety — it put me in a slump, and it seemed like I had no ladder to climb out of it.

I thought that in light of all this craziness, I’d try something that could potentially ease my troubles. My friend had recently been assigned to take a “10-minute period of silence” from her day for a class she was taking in order to get more in touch with herself, and I watched her set up a timer on her clock, open the windows to let in some air, and go completely silent. Though it was weird to watch at first, it was a peaceful and calming environment once I got used to it.

After the process, my friend told me how centering the meditation was. “Maybe you should give it a try,” she suggested. Considering her comment, I thought it would be fascinating to see if meditation really did work — I certainly could go for some centering. 

I didn’t even know where to begin, so I started by Googling “how to meditate.” There are many different methods, but I decided on setting my timer for 10 minutes each day, sitting tall on my rug and focusing on my breathing. It was important for me to completely clear my mind each time.

At first, it was a bit difficult to stop my thoughts completely; it’s so natural for me to have commentary pop into my head that I had to really focus my attention on something else. The more I focused on feeling each breath fill my lungs, the less important my worries became. Closing my eyes also helped me disconnect from my surroundings. 

What helped the most was chanting a postive mantra over and over in my head without trying to rebut it. I specifically chose “It will be okay,” and applied it to every aspect of my life that I was worried about. The continuous chanting ended up helping the more I said it. After all, the more you tell yourself something, the more you believe it. 

After my meditation sessions every day, I felt more tranquil. Things that usually left me on edge didn’t seem so bad, and overall I felt a lot better about myself. Of course, your problems don’t just go away once you meditate — but once you take time to reassure yourself that you’ll be able to tackle all the challenges coming your way, you’ll find peace. I felt that I was better able think reasonably and consider solutions, instead of overwhelming my mind with influxes of thoughts. 

As an end note, I absolutely reccomend meditating to anyone. It’s a great way to ease any tension or aggitation that has been weighing you down. I guarantee that it will make you feel lighter and more comfortable, or even just slightly more relaxed. Take a little time out of your day, get into your Om mood, and get meditating!

Images/GIFs: 1, 2, 3, 4