I heard someone say that the other day, and I laughed. Everything stresses people out these days, I thought. But then I gave it a little consideration, and I agreed that few things are as stressful as doing nothing.
Here is an example: Think about the familiar inner debate about whether you can fit in a workout. You know how good you will feel afterwards. You know how much your body wants it. Needs it.
I know I need a good run when my head starts feeling fuzzy. Thoughts come and go, but there is nothing important going on up there. I know what I could do to make the blurriness go away, but I just do not want to.
It is like trying to find something without my glasses on. I know what I could do to make it better. I know the solution is really simple, but it is somehow too much. I do not want to go get my glasses. I would rather bump around the world for a while.
And when I finally break free of that and go do something, there comes the clarity. The drama of it always strikes me. It rushes in like I have opened the drapes.
Once I am running or biking or doing whatever it is I decide to do, really hard, the sheer joy of movement breaks me out of that fuzzy, stagnant state of mind. I feel the hair flopping on my head. My heartbeat in my face. Something comes in and sweeps out my head, and I look back to the blurry world of 30 minutes before, and I thank God I found the motivation.
When you get your body moving, you suddenly become clear on what needs to be done. All at once, fresh ideas and a renewed energy and creativity tumble in.
The Antidote to Anxiety
We have heard it again and again in the days since September 11th. The antidote to anxiety is some kind of action. When we feel scared or worried, we have got to get up and regain control, even if it feels like too much at first. We have to disarm the paralyzing nature of fear by doing something. Anything.
If we can just get moving, we will find the energy to help those in need. We will connect to something larger than ourselves, and then we will tap its energy.
It does not have to be a big world sweeping movement. In Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav says it well: "If you wish the world to become loving and compassionate, become loving and compassionate yourself. If you wish to diminish fear in the world, diminish your own. These are the gifts you can give."
It is simple, but you have got to be the one to get up and deliver the gift. Tell a friend how much you appreciate her. Pray, however you define it. Be kind. Volunteer. Find a problem that you want to help solve; do an Internet search for ways you can help.
I hear a lot about the importance of taking "baby steps." Each time I hear that phrase I think of my oldest daughter learning to walk. She was so bowlegged that, standing, she looked like she was attempting the splits. Every few steps, she would topple over and, seconds later, up would come her little bottom and she would push up with her hands, lean forward and try to keep her feet moving as fast as her head. Her determination was inspiring.
To me, baby steps are about breaking something big into manageable chunks, but it is also about the will to just keep moving, no matter what.
And that brings to mind my high school English teacher, Mrs. Wasserstein. There are two things I remember about her: lots of clumpy black mascara and a writing tip on which I have based a career.
She offered the revolutionary idea that you can erase what you start with. The key is to just get started, and, once you get in the groove, the product is usually pretty good.
She must have gotten along well with my Algebra teacher, who once scrawled on his classroom wall with a red Sharpie, "Do not just sit there like you are getting a perm. Do something. Even it is wrong."
Granted, he was no Gary Zukav, but there is some wisdom there.
To feel better about anything at all, take a tip from a tot. Lean your head forward and try to keep up with your feet.
Once considered an exotic and exclusively spiritual practice, expert doctors and scientists now credit meditation with alleviating a host of physical and mental ailments such as anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and chronic fatigue.
But what comes to mind when you think of meditation? Is it monks wearing enlightenment on their sleeves, drinking super caffeinated green tea, levitating at will, and disappearing into tree-lined monasteries for days, weeks, or years at a time? Is it gym yoga classes complete with $22.95/pair purple pastel blocks and trendy attractive people in the front row? The gazillion ads for guided meditation CDs that pop-up whenever you put "meditation" into a search engine?
Clearly, the word meditation conjures up some interesting images, but arguably the general idea behind mindfulness meditation is inherent in all forms of meditation. 99.9% of the time, our mental processes are dominated by a never-ending stream of angry, anxious, and reactive thoughts that rob us of our inherent ability to feel at peace and focused in any given moment.
By contrast, during a meditation practice, you encourage yourself to feel aligned with whatever is happening in the present moment, instead of getting caught up in habitual perceptions of what has happened in the past or may happen in the future. By meditating, you gently turn off the never-ending and very popular "what if THIS happens" channel in your mind and just exist in the here and now. As Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, renowned meditation teacher, psychologist, and facilitator of the Stress Reduction and Relaxation program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center says in Full Catastrophe Living:
Simply put, mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness. It is cultivated by purposefully paying attention to things we ordinarily never give a moment's thought to. It is a systematic approach to developing new kinds of control and wisdom in our lives, based on our inner capacities for relaxation, paying attention, awareness, and insight.
Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Full Catastrophe Living. Dell Publishing, New York, 1990, 2.
So if we accept the premise that feeling centered in the present moment can be beneficial to our physical and mental well being, how do we learn how to meditate?
While there are many ways of introducing yourself to meditation, three simple methods come to mind:
1) Taking a meditation or yoga class with a teacher and other students.
2) Using guided meditation tapes or CDs to create your own practice.
3) Cultivating focused awareness through short "spot" meditations, even if you can't commit to a full fledged meditation practice.
Taking a Class with Others
Your local gym or YMCA probably sponsors yoga classes which can function as a kind of meditation-in-motion practice, even if you don't have a full-fledged yoga school in your area. Typing "online meditation class" into a search engine also yields virtual classes encompassing many different time zones and meditation philosophies compatible with almost anyone's belief system or schedule.
Using Guided Meditation CDs
Using guided tapes and CDs can be a great starter program for anyone unsure about beginning a meditation practice on their own.
Meditation for Optimum Health: How to Use Mindfulness and Breathing to Heal Your Body and Refresh Your Mind, by Drs. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Andrew Weil, is an excellent meditation starter program for anyone (especially those interested in scientific validation that meditation works).
Radical Self-Acceptance, by renowned meditation teacher, Buddhist lay priestess, and psychologist, Dr. Tara Brach, combines psychological awareness with Buddhist teachings about compassion in exploring how mindfulness meditation can alleviate the shame or "the trance of unworthiness," so common and destructive in modern life.
Belleruth Naparstek's guided imagery series frequently gets rave reviews from individuals using guided meditation/visualization in working with specific issues such as post traumatic stress disorder, weight loss, or insomnia.
Cultivating a Smidgen of Meditative Awareness: Spot Meditations
Meditations designed to be done in 5 minutes or less may not bring instant enlightenment, but they can still provide a taste of feeling calm and focused in the present moment. Flip the Switch: 40 Anytime, Anywhere Meditations in 5 minutes or Less by Eric Harrison, is an excellent resource for anyone who can take a few deep mindful breaths while waiting for a red light to change or a meeting to start. Meditation from Thought to Action by Alexander and Annellen Simpkins, also contains many short exercises designed to focus the mind in a few minutes.
Conclusion
Most people who have tried meditation usually agree that simply having the intention to meditate has a profound effect on anyone's mental/physical health and personal development. So what not order a book or CD about meditation right now, and make an investment in your well being?
Both Susie Cortright & Janna Chan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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