About a year and a half ago, I came to the conclusion, that most highly successful people practice some form of meditation. I have always believed that if I want to be successful, I need to do what those who have already succeeded are doing. After reading lots of self help books in which the author and others included meditation in their daily routine, I decided I would start meditating. Now the fact that I am a super type A, tightly wound, high-strung human being did not bode well for my ability to learn and I had no idea where to start. I just knew that I had made a decision and was now determined to see it through.

I did what any person of this generation does, I went to YouTube. What else do you do when you want to learn how to do something? I immediately found hundreds and hundreds of various forms of meditation, and meditation music. I decided that I would start by sitting quietly outside and listening to the music to see if I could meditate. I had no idea what meditating actually entailed other than sitting cross legged, closing your eyes and putting your fingers in a weird position on your knees. (Remember I am a high-strung human being) I found my mind wandering and my butt getting numb. This was obviously not the Zen I was seeking, so I tried some guided meditations. 

In subsequent days, I was able to find several that kept my attention, helped me to relax and begin to feel less weird about it. I was determined to figure out how to do this meditation thing, the right way. I had no idea what it was supposed to do for me, I had no idea what correct meditation looked like, I just knew that if Oprah and a whole host of other highly successful people did it, then that's what I needed to do. Things were going ok and I was creating a habit of doing it daily. I did notice that I started to come up with some great ideas soon after I finished my meditation sessions, but I still didn't think I was doing it right. So I thought hard about resources that I could consult, and I realized that a great friend of mine had recently posted something about meditation on her Facebook page. I reached out to her and said simply, "I want to start meditating but I have no idea what to do". Little did I know that she is a very successful life coach and meditation is one of the main methods that she uses to her clients to take control of their lives. Now, with the help of my coach, lots of books and lots of practice I have become what I consider "good" at meditation

So why do I tell you all this? Because I think it is a hugely valuable part of your health and wellness that is often overlooked. We live fast-paced, frantic lives full of constant noise, distraction and craziness. We live in a world where saying that you're so busy as a badge of honor. Being stressed out is trendy. The only problem is that it's also slowly killing us. Physiologically, stress takes a huge toll on our bodies (to be discussed in a later post). What's amazing is that a simple meditation session daily can do wonders to reverse the negative effects of stress. If you're now saying to yourself, that's great for you, but I could never do it, you're part of the majority. However, the fact that you're saying that means that you must! If you are unable to sit quietly alone with your thoughts, there is a lot more negatively affecting you than you realize. If you're thinking to yourself "that's just for hippies and weirdos who worship crystals", here is a list of celebrities who believe in the power of meditation.  

Sheryl Crow

Katy Perry

Madonna

Kristen Bell

Nicole Kidman

Eva Mendes

Gwyneth Paltrow

Oprah

Meditation does not have to be sitting on a pillow surrounded by candles listening to soft music, it certainly can be, but it does not have to be. There are many forms of meditation that you may already practice and don't even realize that that is what you are doing. Taking a walk outside alone, sitting in a steam room relaxing, sitting in a bath tub surrounded by soft light, bubbles and silence or soft music, are all forms of meditation.

When practicing meditation for the first time, go easy on yourself, try just a minute or two, work your way up to longer sessions. Start with counting your breathing and focusing on feeling your heart rate slow. What makes this practice so powerful and so important, is the ability to control your emotions, to reduce the adrenaline, to slow your breathing, and to slow your heart rate. By learning how to do this in a controlled manner such as meditation, you're better able to handle the spikes of adrenaline and heart rate that come from stress unexpectedly throughout your day. Much the same way that we train muscles over and over for the unexpected performance or the day we might need to run fast, we also need to train our mental muscle for the unexpected situations life throws our way.

One of the benefits that I gained unexpectedly from meditation, was how much less stressed out I was, because I was able to think through my thoughts uninterrupted. You might not realize it, but there aren't very many opportunities during the day when your thoughts are uninterrupted. When we get interrupted, we forget things. When we forget things, we get upset about it, get stressed out and the cycle repeats. I think of meditation like straightening the pillows on the couch. Some days you might feel as though you straighten the pillows and immediately somebody jumps on and messes them up. If you're able to straighten them when no one is around, they stay that way for longer. Meditation as a way to straighten your thoughts. Every time you spend time straightening them, alone, they end up straighter for longer. This is not to say that they don't ever get jumbled again but it's much easier to stay on top of it when you have a daily habit of straightening, realigning, and refocusing what is most important.

If you feel like your life is traveling at warp speed, this is for you. The sense of calm, the lack of stress, a sense of control and reassurance you are seeking, can be found through 5 minutes of sitting quietly daily. I challenge you to start this practice with only a few minutes a day, everyday. Commit to it for at least a month. Try and make it happen at the same time every day, try different methods, you might just surprise yourself! You might get to your 5 minute mark and want to go longer. You might find yourself going longer and longer every day. What I hope you will also find, is the ability to incorporate this feeling of calm and control into your daily routine when you feel things spinning out of control. The ability to take a few deep breaths and calm your heart and your mind will translate to happier days and more productivity without the craziness.