Meditation For Dummies (sorry)

meditation: a guide to ignoring thoughts that trouble you and improving mental resilience

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what is meditation?

Meditation sounds complicated and esoteric. It evokes images of Buddhist men in caves sitting in silence forever, and meditation can be this.

It can also be doing the washing up after dinner and really paying attention to each scrub of the cloth, focussing completely on the task at hand.

This is because meditation simply requires that you focus the mind and pay attention to the present moment with a sense of openness and non-judgmental awareness.

what are the benefits?

Ever spent hours upon hours, day after day, thinking over the same troubling scenario that you imagine you are going to experience soon?

Same.

It’s called rumination.

When those thoughts are negative, this repetitive focus can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and dread. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Enter meditation…

When you meditate, you focus and pay attention to something specific that is devoid of emotional attachment, such as your breathing.

By doing this, you are not thinking about things happening in your life at that moment.

Consequently, you aren’t associating with the negative thoughts that often accompany them. This reduces anxiety and stress, leaving you feeling more content.

Regular practice of meditation allows you to see thoughts and feelings for what they are: fleeting appearances in your mind. This is an extremely valuable skill, especially when troubling thoughts and rumination kick in.

Meditation allows you to recognise thoughts as they appear, acknowledge them, and let them dissipate without dominating your mind endlessly.

Other benefits include:

• Reduces stress

• Improves focus and concentration

• Enhances emotional health

• Reduces anxiety

• Improves memory

• Improves sleep quality

how to meditate

You can meditate as soon as you finish reading this article. Take a moment and find somewhere quiet.

Sit comfortably in a chair with your back straight and watch this 2-minute meditation to get a feel for what meditation entails.

Notice how quickly you get distracted by thoughts about things you did earlier or what you need to do later.

With consistent practice, not only will your ability to pay attention without distraction improve, but so will your ability to recognise negative thoughts as they appear, see them for what they are, and move on without letting them take over.

want to take it a step further?

Many of the big meditation apps, like Headspace and Calm, are great resources that allow you to start building a meditation practice into your routine with simple guided practice. Both have free trials.

However, the app I use and recommend is Waking Up (not sponsored).

It has a fantastic introductory course that not only builds in complexity but also explains the neuroscience behind meditation and why it is effective.

Even just 10 minutes of meditation each day can profoundly affect the quality of our mind and thoughts.

Given that the mind is all we truly have, it seems a worthy use of time.

resources that informed this post

• Waking Up: A popular and comprehensive meditation app complete with an introductory course that teaches you how to meditate

• Huberman Lab: How to meditate and why you should bother

• A Guide To Spirituality Without Religion: A book by Sam Harris exploring meditation in depth

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please note

I research each topic thoroughly before sending each newsletter. However, by its very nature, the science on the subjects I discuss is ever-evolving. The information, at the time of sending, was accurate to the best of my knowledge.

The information contained in this newsletter is not medical advice, and I am not medically qualified. You should always research independently or consult a medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, including on the subject discussed here.

P.S. Given that I link resources and products, it may seem like I make financial gain from this. I wish I did, but sadly I don’t. Nothing in this post is sponsored; these are just my personal recommendations.