There was a time when I had no idea what mindfulness or meditation was. Life for me, was just getting through each day and if it was a bit tough, I closed my eyes and went to sleep or I found something to do that could get me to relax. But, I never tried mindfulness or meditation. Not until I joined Hive.
Hive for me, was eye-opening. When I read stories and other people's experiences, I was able to slowly come to terms and realize. The first Hive friend I made told me about meditation. We used to talk about our daily routines and he told me that he always gave 30 minutes of his mornings to meditating. I asked him how he did that. And he said, he clears his mind of all thoughts, all worries and tries to achieve a level of calmness. He said that in that moment, all he focused on was his breathing. When he said that, I liked to imagine it was like looking at a blank white wall and then making your mind the white wall itself. He told me it was very effective for him as it kept him grounded and stable for his daily tasks. So, I decided to try it out too.
It didn't work for me. Believe me, I tried. For the duration of one week that I tried, I would sit on my bed in the morning, my legs folded beneath me, my hands on my lap and my eyes closed. I would imagine a white wall stretching for miles. I would find myself making my mind the white wall, a white space. No thoughts, just the white wall. But it always didn't take long for the thoughts to start creeping in. Dots would start appearing on the white wall. It would start from me remembering something that I forgot to do the previous night and that would trigger a whole other chain of thoughts. I would chastise myself and try to push them out. But I will admit, I'm a thinker (little bit of a worrier 8-) ). Meditation just wasn't going to work for me.
Then I joined The Minimalist community and that's where I found my ah-ha moment. When I read the community description and what it was about, I knew I had found the key to achieving my own level of calmness. It wasn't meditation. It wad mindfulness. It meant me being self-conscious and aware of myself, my thoughts and my environment. To me, mindfulness meant acknowledging my thoughts and emotions, but not granting them free reins to control me. I found different ways to be mindful.
When life was too fast for me, I found out that I could internally slow down and take deep breaths. I could live slowly and at my own pace; working in tandem with life itself. I could take notice of the people around me, the life around me and derive happiness from it. I didn't need to live my life only trying to get past each day or only trying to survive. I could live and let live.
My journal took on a whole new meaning. I found out that I could declutter mentally through journalling. Writing down my daily to-do tasks, my short term goals and long term goals. It wasn't just these. If I felt stressed, sad or emotionally drained, I journaled and tried to be aware of what was causing these feelings, so I could tackle them. If a goal or task seemed not easy to accomplish, it was easy for me to break it into smaller goals or tasks. That way, I took baby steps towards accomplishing the bigger goal.
I learnt to be mindful of each bite of my food, each step of my evening walks, each page of the books I read, each melody in the songs I listened to. Mindfulness works for me. It helps me achieve calmness, peace of mind and a certain level of happiness. It makes life easier and better for me and I am healthier for it. I am mindful of the times I need to relax and destress. I take into account the need for me to stay hydrated, take short naps, take breaks from technology and the digital world. Despite busy schedules, rigorous school and work routines, personal tasks, mindfulness and conscious living are part of my go-to habits to stay actively healthy.
What works for you?
Thanks for reading
Always Remember To Live Life A Day At A Time.