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Nuki News #42 - Meditation
🕑 Added 2021-01-27 19:25:11 +0000 UTCBack in October, I was distressed about deciding to leave my job. Heck, even if I decided to stay, during that time it was difficult to even just stay focused and not have my mind racing on the clock. I needed a way to calm and refocus myself. To take a break from all the repeated and monotonous decisions I had to make every minute during work hours. Working from home just made more of my life and interaction determined by a screen. It made my day to day less satisfying because of that. It amplified the problems I had with my job, such as having to decide how to respond to people or handle a situation over a dozen times an hour.
I had watched videos about how important boredom is, and non-engagement to our minds. Supposedly it helps with creativity and gets your brain to synthesize ideas and concepts with what it has. But also, a break from the rapid stimuli of my job was what I recognized I needed. I thought back to something I did a lot in highschool- meditation. So on my lunch breaks I’d sit in a mostly empty room and meditate, just sitting in the quiet and focusing on my breathing. I do genuinely feel if I hadn’t done this my mental condition would have gone down the drain. I didn’t always get to do this for an hour each work day, but I went for at least 30 minutes. Giving my brain and eyes and ears a break from so much sensory overload, while it didn’t solve my problem, did help me keep sane.
Eventually though, after 2 weeks of doing this consistently, this periodic decluttering of my mind did something. It brought me into an epiphany. All the fears I had about my situation, my decision, and possible future scenarios melted away. I realized something incredibly valuable just when meditation became a habit. That realization was no matter what happens, what problems I run into in my life, I’d have the present moment to act. That I would always have the ability to handle, deal with, and adapt to whatever new situation(good or bad), that presents itself to me. It was an impressively lasting inner peace I did not expect to get out of meditating consistently.
I think that’s key about this too- not having any expectation. I do definitely recommend meditation if you find yourself overwhelmed and overstimulated by your day to day work week. But I don’t want to guarantee you’d get a revelation or epiphany like I did. It’s not like I get an epiphany every time or one of that magnitude since then. But I do think meditating consistently had ‘recalibrated’ my mind and gave my brain an opportunity to ‘resolve’ my mental situation and constant fears. I didn’t expect that to happen, but was an extraordinarily welcome surprise. And while it may not happen for you like it did me, giving yourself a bit of time each day to recognize you are in the present moment by focusing on breathing will keep you grounded,
I don’t think I’m the only one who turned to meditation during this pandemic either. I recently found out one of my respected artists I followed for years talked about how he got into meditating as well and what it’s done for him! I spose that was what compelled me to write about it this week- I do hope you consider trying it at least. Won’t do harm, that’s for sure.
Thanks for your support this month as well- month 2 of 2021 is coming fast, and I wish a good week as well!
Comments
Sarah Fozze
It's really difficult to find the motivation or time to do it, but that is a good solution
Artie
Mmh! Yeah I find after a few days of doing it in a row, my mind races -more- during it. like a sort of 'bell curve' of calmness. I do it about 3-4 times a week. What helps me refocus is looking at my hand, and whispering "I know I am breathing in, because I am breathing in. I know I am breathing out, because I am breathing out" in time with my inhale/exhale. It is definitely a tool though I agree, and alas a tool seen under capitalism gets exploited for profit. :/
Artie
I do recommend it! For videos on it, I look to 'Thich Nhat Hanh'
Sarah Fozze
I have often tried to turn to meditation as a way to solve many mental issues and get a hold of my life. I really don't expect the world from it, just a tool to help with the many problems I have. With that being said, I haven't really been good at keeping schedule or practicing at all. Managing to do it properly almost never fails to help, but my mind races so much and deems everything "non-essential" so secondary that I either lose focus or don't get to do it anymore. I don't know if such a level of stress and judgement can be helped by it, but it's nice to see it's helped someone else. It's interesting to see how other people react to it, and sad to witness how popular culture and opportunist businesses exploit it for profit.
Temporal Walker
Honestly that might be somethin I have to look into.
