The Detour Project

Meditate

Getting into the practice of daily, focused meditation helped me to become more mindful, and reduce the amount of worry, stress and anxiety in my mind. It also helped me to start getting the best sleep I had in years. Meditating, or conscious relaxation, is a simple, inexpensive way to clear out the information overload in our heads that leads to being stressed out, and anyone can do it!

Benefits of meditation include:

• Better perspective on stressful or irritating situations
• Overall stress reduction
• Increased self-awareness
• Mindfulness (focusing on the present moment)
• Reducing negative emotions

My friend Paula helped me get started with meditation. She gave me a guided meditation CD and I let it sit on my desk for months before putting it on my iPod and giving it a chance. I thought to myself at first, well this is just strange. This is probably going to be full of cheesy, weird things and all it’s going to do is make me laugh. Then I finally gave it a shot. Instead of falling asleep with my TV on (which I had been doing for years), I put my earbuds in and started it up. I was maybe 10 or 15 minutes into it when I fell asleep and had the best night of sleep that I had in years. The next day I awoke feeling refreshed, relaxed and motivated. I bought a couple more guided meditation CD’s and have since made meditation a daily practice in my life – before sleep, and when I wake. My patience, focus and overall mood have all improved.

Meditation is about consciously focusing on your mind and body to cultivate greater focus, clarity, calmness and insight. Meditation has helped me to start noticing the little things and appreciating that each passing moment is a moment I will never have again.

A simple exercise for getting started:

1. Find a quiet space where you can be alone (no televisions, cell phones, computers or other distractions!) and sit in a position that is comfortable for you.
2. Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath. You don’t need to make any adjustments or consciously change your breathing pattern, simply observe your breath and the sensation of breathing. Devote 5 minutes or so to this. If you notice that your thoughts are drifting or wandering, gently remind yourself to return the focus to your breath.
3. Spend the next few minutes focusing and reflecting on the people and experiences that you are grateful for.
4. Spend a few more minutes observing your breath and then open your eyes.

You can devote as much or as little time as you feel comfortable to this as you get started. I generally spend 10 to 15 minutes meditating each morning as soon as I wake up, and at night, I use the guided meditation CD’s that I have and fall asleep listening to them. Approach meditation sincerely, with an open mind and it will be a peaceful and enjoyable experience. With practice and patience, you will naturally develop your own process and experience greater peace, calmness and insight.

** this post is an excerpt from Building a Foundation for Happiness