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Meditation | Mindfulness = Happy life
-before you start reading, maybe you would like to click at the bottom of the page on the audio I selected for this post; it may or may not make your experience more enjoyable-
I found today to be a fitting day to talk about meditation or mindfulness and how these two improve your mood, change the way you perceive the world and bring closure and happiness into your life, so let's see.
Long story short: meditation has been around for a really long time and people have been trained and are training to take control of their mind (mindfulness) and , in consequence, their life. There are as many types of meditation as there are stars in the galaxy- okay, maybe not as many, but nonetheless, there are a lot. Nobody could actually master all of them... in fact, that is the point because when you are mindful, you understand that this, your life, your struggles, all of it are not battles to conquer in a certain amount of time, but it's a way for you to accept them and move on, to change your glasses and see better, to understand the world better.
It's all a little overwhelming or even crazy to take it seriously, but I say try it. There's nothing to lose really if it doesn't work and if it does, well, you are on your way to become a better version of yourself for yourself.
Why am I saying all of this? It's because of today. Today, just like in any other day, I meditated in the morning and I took a walk down a nearby park. It was good, everything felt fine and right but one little phone conversation changed that and it wasn't the fault of the person who I talked to but it was mine. Not to bore any of you, I started to get annoyed because I wasn't getting myself understood properly, but after the situation was cleared the normal thing to do was to get over it, go forward. But no, I got angrier and more upset and it wasn't because of the misunderstanding, but because I had been annoyed while I thought that all that train your mind, change your perspective would've prevented this from happening in the first place. I'm here to tell you that I learned something from this and it's exactly what I said above: this life, yours, it's not consisted of small or bigger battles but it's about different situations we are thrown into and meditation isn't this magical key or solution to the problem, but a way to guide us and make us more attentive at our reactions, thoughts, feelings and help us take the best route. And, guess what, it might not work all the time, like today for me, but it still helps us understand where exactly did these feelings occur and why. Next time, trust me, I'll react differently.
How do you even do it?
There are a lot of videos on YouTube about it and even books. I have to mention I'm not a specialist; I'm just telling you what worked for me and if you would like to try it, be my guest because I'm sure that if you see some benefits, you will document more or try different things that you think might work for you. The best thing about all of this is that there is no such thing as a bad way to approach it and when you do it, most likely you are alone with yourself and nobody else, so no judging is involved. But I got a little side-tracked. How do I do it? Well, I sit down, in a comfortable position (I tried standing up, lying down, lotus position, so experiment and see what seems more comfortable for you) and try to take some really big breaths, in and out, not even worrying about counting them, until I feel my body go into a semi-awake state (it's like I float or I'm carried by the winds in the sky; envision something that relaxes you, a place, a sensation, the point is that you are conscious of your body, the life it carries, you are grateful to it and you know that it is connected to everything else in this Universe). At this point, I like to focus all my attention on my breathing, my lungs, my third eye, my brain, I try to feel the air being carried through my body. You can listen to some instrumental music ( there can be lyrics involved, but try to put something that won't distract you from the experience; at one point, I liked listening to rain, but now I'm listening to soft beats) or stay in complete silence with yourself and know that it is enough for you to feel complete and happy. Add scented candles or not; again, no wrong choice. If you are in this state of content and deep relaxation, you might notice that your mind, the key element here, is quieter and that is actually the main goal.
The mind is a wonderful thing, but if you are like me, it gets really loud sometimes. You know that voice in your head? It might even make itself known right now, reading this to you. Yeah, while it might be there for you all the time, sometimes it really puts a strain on your body and soul. In most cases, if we are paying attention, that voice tells us how to react in certain situations. Mindfulness meditation helps you get that voice in check because once you feel that utter silence in there, not a single thought, the voice quieted down like turning off the radio, you can actually notice next time it tries to influence you or when it's there. This type of meditation gets you that kind of control over it, but just like in my case, don't get angry when you do listen to it and it wasn't a good choice or a choice you wanted. Let those moments pass and say sorry, then move on. You are not a coward for doing it, but more like a wise adult.
This is it. Once you've been able to tame your mind, you are bound to see some changes in the way you feel. I saw it and still do. You might try it again or not or do it every single day like I and many other people do. It's your life, your choice, but make it so that you feel better at the end of every day, no matter what happens. Something else I've tried when tough times are upon me or when I don't feel okay with myself but don't see what's the problem is to keep a journal where I wrote what comes to mind but, just like before, move on and actually not read what I wrote. It's like I put my problems on there, away from me, and they stay away and I move on.
That is it for this post and I hope that you are happy and content with yourself and your life. No matter what, love yourself above anything else and live the life you always wanted. Stay awesome 🖤
"The only person you should strive to be better than, is the person you were yesterday" -MATTY MULLINS-