Hello again! I don't know about you, but with all the chaos in the world today, it is hard to focus my thoughts on one thing for very long. My mind feels like a pinball in a pinball machine (I am aging myself there): bouncing from one thing to another, picking up speed along the way. It can be exhausting! And frustrating, too. Have you found yourself reading the same paragraph over and over, only to realize you still don't know what you read? Me, too. It is hard to focus with so much going on in the world, yet we need to focus even more right now. Focus on our work, if we have it, focus on providing for ourselves and possibly our family, focus on staying safe from the virus and listening to the evolving science with it, focus on other very important current events (election, Black Lives Matter, specifically).... how do we do this when our brain feels like that pinball machine?
Well, I am happy to tell you there is one simple thing you can do every day that will have a lasting and significant impact on your ability to focus, your memory, your creativity, and your mood. Meditation. Now, if you are anything like me 15 years ago, the first time it was suggested to me, I rolled my eyes and thought: "whatever". But then I tried it. Actually, I didn't have any choice. It was an assignment for my first graduate course on Positive Psychology. We had to meditate for one week and then reflect on the experience. I realized, by trying it with an open mind, that it really did play a role in my focus and my mood. Not right away. It isn't like a pill that impacts your biology in 20 minutes. This takes time.
Start with just 5 minutes, if you have never meditated before. Then build up to 15-20 minutes each day, preferably in the morning. Find a quiet spot. Outside is better than inside, unless the heat, humidity, or busy-ness outside is too much of a distraction. Maybe on your bed, or on the floor in your bedroom. If solitude is hard to find inside, the floor in the bathroom will do, too. Sit comfortably, and close your eyes. Concentrate on your breathing, trying to find a comfortable rhythm in it. The goal is to empty your mind, but that is hard to do. When thoughts of what you need to accomplish pop into your mind, let them go, like a passing car on the freeway. Just sit in silence, focusing internally, on your breathe or on a word that you repeat in your mind (for example, breathe, love, peace,or kindness).
Meditation practice, over time, allows us to focus better, it improves our memory and problem solving ability, helps us manage stress, and increases positive moods (contentment, hope, optimism) and patience. Right away, after even one attempt, you might begin to feel more peaceful. Over time, the effects become more residual, lasting longer even if you miss a few days of meditation. Meditation practice, over time, actually rewires the brain, for the good!
One thing I can tell you about meditation practice is that if you think you are too busy for it, that is when you would gain the most benefit from it. So, try to carve out 5 minutes each day to start, then see if you can build up to 15-20 minutes each day. Even that 5 minutes, practiced regularly, can help. 15 minutes is even better! Set a timer for 5 minutes to start, and when you realize you are no longer counting down the 5 minutes, but wish you had more time, then you are ready to increase your practice!
You can get fancy with your meditation practice, with gadgets and fancy pillows, but those don't really change the outcomes - they make the practice more comfortable, I would imagine. All you need is time and a quiet space.
Try it! I think you will be surprised. Just as I was. I no longer roll my eyes at meditation. I enjoy it! During these stressful times we are in right now, finding simple, inexpensive ways to increase our personal ability to manage all that stress is priceless!
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