Life, as we all know it, comes with its share of ups and downs. Everyone is fighting their own personal battles, and navigating uncertainties. Problems and struggles are inevitability, a part of the universe's design that makes life, well, life. Our responsibilities and survival in this fast paced world, throw at us a host of stress and anxieties that unveil themselves as blockages in our physical and mental wellbeing. With so much going on, it gets even harder to maintain a positive outlook, and stand tall in the face of adversity, doesn't it?
In this process of wading through the choppy waters of life’s oceans, it can get overwhelmingly difficult to find the support to keep you afloat. Meditation is one such discipline that can help you tackle life’s curve balls and find you peace and relaxation amidst all chaos. Meditation allows us to find the portals in the present moment that helps us connect to our higher-selves and increases our levels of contentment, gratitude, and appreciation. This, in turn, that improves our outlook to solve complex problems and view our life from a sense of positivity.
Did you know, most of our problems are not the problems themselves, but the stories our mind weaves around them? Meditation allows us to look past those stories as we watch our emotions in a given situation from a distance. This heightened awareness helps us understand that life unfolds in the present moment. It makes us rise above our problems and gives you an armour against life’s ups and downs. How does it do that? Let us first understand the true essence of meditation.
The True Meaning of Meditation
It is important to understand that meditation is beyond just a ritual that requires a person to dedicate endless hours sitting in a quiet corner. To call it just a practice or an exercise is to undermine its transformative potential to pave your path to experience deep peace and connect with your higher self. It gives you a way to look deep inside your subconscious, without any judgment and foster a sense of appreciation and gratitude for yourself and your surroundings. It is a way of life. It's living your life with a renewed sense of awareness, understanding that life is happening in the present moment and surrendering yourself to it.
It is important to understand that meditation is beyond just a ritual that requires a person to dedicate endless hours sitting in a quiet corner. To call it just a practice or an exercise is to undermine its transformative potential to pave your path to experience deep peace and connect with your higher self. It gives you a way to look deep inside your subconscious, without any judgment and foster a sense of appreciation and gratitude for yourself and your surroundings. It is a way of life. It's living your life with a renewed sense of awareness, understanding that life is happening in the present moment and surrendering yourself to it.
Living in the present allows you to do two things:
One; it presents how life is not happening to you, but it's happening through you. Lets take an example; you have an important day at the office and you end up oversleeping. You wake up, curse yourself for your carelessness and go to take a shower and realize you forgot to switch on the geyser, you skip breakfast, begin to spiral and decide that your day is ruined, and you soon notice that the presentation went badly, your supervisor was unhappy and you return home dejected, berating yourself. Now, in the same situation, you oversleep, wake up and don't carry the baggage of it through your shower, your breakfast, your ride to work. You only pay attention to the task at hand. You will notice that by the time you reach work, you have forgotten that you overslept in the first place. You will greet everyone nicely and your day will be phenomenally better compared to the first instance.
However, it is not always possible to keep a constant positive outlook through everything, everyday; right?
This is the second thing that meditation can help you achieve. It helps our mind to rise above its usual chatter and elevate our mental frequency. It's our mind’s job to think, identify patterns in our existence to help us survive. Our mind identifies itself with our thoughts and our body, and therefore, it creates scenarios based on past experiences and learnings to help us survive. And because our mind is working non-stop just like our other organs, we are living in either the past or the future. Why does our mind do that? It's because our conscious mind believes if we are prepared for something, we can tackle a situation better, or it will hurt less.
This is where formal meditation comes into play. Formal meditation helps slow down your mind's function and creates a distance between your mind and your thoughts to fade the mental chatter. For a formal meditation practice you have to find time to sit quietly each day and look within for answers. When you sit quietly and watch your thoughts come and go you will achieve a sense of detachment from your thoughts. Gradually you will be able to see every problem as life’s mysterious turns and confront them with a sense of clarity and purpose without having them overwhelm or panic you.
You can turn your daily activities into a meditative practice too, like taking a shower, cooking, eating, cycling, running, walking your dog; the idea is to completely immerse yourself into what you are doing, being present with it and not lose yourself in the imagery of your thoughts. This is an informal practice of meditation. However, formal practice is the path that leads to the informal practice.
So, how should you start? According to an old Zen saying; "You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour." Of course, for someone starting out, sitting in meditation for an hour can get uncomfortable and challenging. You can start with 20 minutes and increase the duration as you get more seasoned. If 20 minutes seems long for you, you can start with 10 minutes of beginner-friendly techniques like breath awareness, yoga nidra, OM chanting and many more. You can also take mini meditation breaks in between your daily chores so that you regroup and refocus your brain for the tasks ahead.
Meditation Can Solve Life’s Problems: Myth or Reality
It's not a clear yes or no; and it is in fact, both, a yes and no. No, it will not pay your bills for you or make you lose weight or pay your child’s way through college. However, yes, it can give you the clarity to help you solve complex problems and make decisions with steadfastness.
Practicing simple meditation techniques for just a few minutes every day can significantly enhance your lifestyle and overall well-being. Meditation helps you connect with your inner consciousness, fostering a sense of contentment and resilience in the face of challenges. Moreover, it stimulates creativity and equips you with the mental clarity to approach life’s problems with confidence and ingenuity.
Mindfulness empowers you with courage, confidence, and strength, enabling you to face challenges head-on. It reduces stress and anxiety, sharpens your focus, and provides a broader perspective on life, whether you're navigating difficulties in relationships, work, or other areas. Additionally, meditation offers a wealth of health benefits, contributing to a healthier and more balanced life.
How does Mindfulness help you tackle life’s problems?
There are studies conducted by renowned medical journals across the globe like Harvard Medical Journal and Mayo Clinic that have proven meditation’s power to help reduce stress and anxiety. It also has the power to lessen the symptoms of depression.
Meditation can play a key role to help improve memory, focus, and overall cognition, gradually boosting their emotional well-being. Besides that, meditation can help enhance people’s resilience and concentration levels, which can help solve complex problems by allowing you to think with a clear mind. With its origins dating back to 3000BC and written accounts as old as 1500BC, meditation has always found its way back to the modern ages. That too, for a reason. People are truly beginning to embrace the many physical and mental benefits it offers. People have become more open to the concept and how they can treat their bodies with meditation. The reason why millions of people throughout the globe use popular meditation apps is a testament to the fact that meditation does work. In light of this, let's examine how meditation benefits you and can help solve your problems.
It calms mental chatter to help you derive fruitful solutions
Meditation not only helps you manage stress but also enables you to remain calm and composed under any circumstances. By quieting the constant mental chatter, meditation enhances your ability to think clearly and solve problems effectively. It clears cognitive clutter, allowing your mind to focus on solutions rather than distractions. With regular practice, meditation helps you empty your mind of racing thoughts, sharpening your problem-solving skills while leaving you relaxed and de-stressed.
It helps you connect to your Higher Self
Meditation is a powerful tool for self-reflection and personal growth. It helps you connect with your inner self, empowering you to take responsibility for solving your problems. By fostering self-awareness, meditation allows you to identify and address the root causes of unhappiness, negativity, or stress-related health issues. It provides the clarity to evaluate your decisions and life situations without judgment, cultivating self-compassion and improving your problem-solving abilities.
It reduces stress and balances hormones
Chronic stress can impair decision-making and problem-solving. Meditation helps reduce cortisol levels—the stress hormone—by providing your body and mind with the release they need to find balance. This can be particularly beneficial when facing challenging tasks at work, helping you stay focused and driven without feeling overwhelmed. Lower cortisol levels improve hormonal health, contributing to a productive and positive mindset.
It heals your body and enhances cognitive function
Research in neuroscience has shown that meditation significantly improves cognitive function, attention span, and physiological health. It enhances clarity and peace of mind, fostering creativity, empathy, and contentment. Meditation also promotes the brain’s ability to regenerate new cells and repair damaged ones, supporting overall cognitive flexibility and emotional well-being.
Meditation: The Missing Puzzle Piece
Meditating daily conditions your mind to handle challenges effectively, whether at work or in relationships. By improving your attention span and reducing distractions, meditation equips you with the tools to approach problems with insight and composure. It can elevate your mood, boost resilience, and foster happiness, making it an indispensable practice for navigating life’s complexities. Meditation helps you address problems without being ruled by your emotions. It promotes a mindful living, enabling you to disassociate and categorize issues positively and take step-by-step measures to overcome them. With a decluttered mind, you can perceive situations more clearly and make better decisions. If you’re unsure where to start, several guided meditation apps can introduce you to a variety of techniques. Apps like Idanim offer free courses like “Learn to Meditate” program, which can help you develop the habit. Whether you meditate for five minutes or an hour, the benefits will soon become evident—and you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
