Ever felt the need to desperately concentrate on a work that you have to submit within a fast approaching deadline, but still couldn’t gather your attention together and focus on it? With the ever evolving technology and the rise of social media apps, this becomes increasingly difficult. The minute you sit down with your stuff and decide to put in all your concentration towards the task, a notification pops up on the mobile screen and your mind wanders.
Or do you subconsciously keep thinking about that fight with your colleague in the office, and how you could have come up with a better response but failed to give a befitting reply in the heat of the moment? This is a largely common phenomenon, but what we fail to realize is that this drastically decreases our productivity while occupying our time. And good time management is a non-negotiable thing in today’s fast-paced world.
What is meant by Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness Meditation is bringing all the elements of your consciousness together and focusing on the present, without worrying about the secondary aspects for the time-being. It isn’t an inborn trait, but rather is an acquired skill that can be mastered over a period of time with consistent effort. With regular practice, you can achieve a de-stressed, nonchalant and composed way of thinking, and allow your mind to accept that the situations happening around you are mere instances of your thought process, and that you have no authority over them.
Several studies in recent years have shown that mindfulness based sessions have an overall positive and long-lasting impact on individuals, and are also responsible for a wholesome positive change in the lifestyle of a person. And with evolving technology, it has been scientifically proven with the help of methods such as MRI and EEG that this has neurological advantages as well.
Every individual has experienced stress at some point of time in their lives. But the problem now arises due to the fact that our responses to those stressful situations are more suited to ancestral times, when all we had to do was choose among ‘Do’ or ‘Die’. Most of the issues humans faced then could be resolved solely through fighting, such as getting into a battle with a wild animal to protect oneself, or combating with a fellow caveman to seek shelter for his family. But the problems we face currently are more of a perceived notion, that is to say, they are majorly perceived as problems by us, whereas they actually aren’t in fact that huge an issue.
Our way of looking at things largely influences our mental state. From our perspective, we might be affirmative of our argument and consider that to be the supreme and most accurate, and also think of others’ point of views as going against our ideals. But thinking repeatedly about this creates a negativity in our mind, a sort of void and frustrating feeling which can’t be gotten rid of lucidly. Rumination is a vicious cycle which is most often synonymatic of depression and escalates stress. Mindfulness Meditation is said to be of great help in these situations, as it promotes thinking in the present, leaving behind all worldly worries.
But that being said, it is near impossible to practice meditation in the heat of a fired up debate. Calming oneself down and executing the meditation process is the last thing that would cross a person’s mind while involved in an argument. This is where guided meditation would assist. You just have to be able to reach out to your phone and follow along with your guide as he takes you through the meditative steps. It has been proven to reduce the secretion of adrenaline, lower blood pressure and result in better functioning of the immune system.
Meditate, Sleep & Recharge:
Sleep is extremely essential to ensure proper functioning of the mind and body. Proper sleep is necessary in order to perform efficiently and stay motivated. Our sleep is linked to our appetite, blood pressure, immune system, cardio-vascular health and stress hormones. Incomplete sleep, or lack of sleep may inevitably lead to anxiety issues and mental disturbances.
Use of technology during bedtime has become increasingly common, as we scroll through our social media feeds to get an update about everything happening around us. A lot of disheartening news comes in from innumerable sources, and these only add to the existing stress, thus resulting in difficulties in falling asleep, or waking up in the middle of the sleep due to panic attacks. Listening to and practicing guided mindful meditation at the end of the day helps in freeing the mind of all cynical and obstructive thoughts, thus allowing us to glide into a smooth and blissful good night’s sleep.
