At its core, meditation is a grounding and centering practice coming from Eastern philosophic teachings. However, I have learned that meditation can be an intensely calming and stress-relieving practice. I consider myself to be a somewhat spiritual person, and as someone who suffers from ADD, I never thought that being able to meditate was an attainable goal. I was proven wrong when a friend of mine and I took to Waikiki beach on a late Friday afternoon and he led me through my first ever guided meditation and my first ever successful meditation. Since that one Friday, I have been incorporating meditative practices into my everyday routine. I've noticed some pretty significant changes in my overall mental health and my general disposition. Although I am only a few weeks into my meditation practice, I definitely feel very different.
1. Decreased anxiety
Having just moved to Hawai'i from the mainland and having to deal with a multitude of issues since arriving here, I've noticed that a lot of my old anxiety habits began to worsen. I didn't feel generally anxious, but I noticed my "invisible" anxious habits began to start to kick back in, most notably lip and cheek chewing and nail-biting. Since I began a meditation practice of my own, I have noticed that the level at which I was biting and chewing has dramatically decreased. My level of anxiety has significantly gone down, and I don't feel it much at all since starting.
2. Decreased stress
After doing my meditation, I definitely feel super relaxed. I have noticed a massive decrease in stressful responses to stressful situations for the past few weeks as well. Since COVID-19 started, and school has been online, I had generally felt elevated levels of stress, but since beginning my meditation practice, it has definitely become much more manageable.
3. Quieted mind
As an ADD sufferer, I seldom experience a single moment in a day where there are no random thoughts or songs running through my head. I used to always have a restless mind, and it made it so difficult to actually enjoy the quiet moments in my life because my brain auto-filled the quiet in my head with noise. After beginning the meditation, I was actually able to experience a quiet mind for once. Even though it is only during the actual meditation, it is much welcomed and is so nice to experience.
4. Increased positivity
I am not too sure what exactly about meditation makes me feel so much happier, but I definitely feel a shift in my general daily disposition. I consider myself to generally be a positive person, but I've noticed that it's a new level of general positivity lately. I really enjoy having a more positive outlook daily, and I feel like it will only continue to improve.
If you are interested in beginning a meditation practice yourself, there are hundreds of guided meditations on YouTube, such as this one and this one. I do recommend starting small. It is a much easier experience starting small and building your way up to longer meditations.
sunrise
StableDiffusion
bonfire friends
StableDiffusion
sadness
StableDiffusion
purple skies
StableDiffusion
true love
StableDiffusion
My Cheerleader
StableDiffusion
womans transformation to happiness and love
StableDiffusion
future life together of adventures
StableDiffusion
