I decided to meditate this morning before I went to school. I wanted to see if meditating before school would relieve my stress during the day. I know that I'm not supposed to time my meditations but since I had to be at school for a 6:30 Student Council meeting it was necessary to only meditate for about 15 minutes at the most. So I meditated sitting on the cold floor with my eyes open and focused on my breathing. I was on the floor so I wouldn't fall asleep.
I went to school in a happy, content mood. But, despite my best efforts, I have continually been stressed out by the pressures of life. However, instead of going into panic mode, I have tried to "go to calm" every time I get stressed. For me calm is the beach as the sun is rising over the waves. This method has been successful almost every time I have tried it today.
As you become more and more mindful (which is the goal, right?) begin to dissect the anxiety and determine if the situations that generate it also require it. For instance, one can have a high level of alertness and concentration without there necessarily being anxiety. I generally find that anxiety results from uncertainty; for instance, when one is uncertain about the choice to go to university A or B then the resulting cognitive dissonance. Begin to look for what precise information or result would provide you with more certainty and less anxiety. You can do it, especially if you realize that, because of your work ethic and character, you deserve to feel contentment more often than you do. At least, that is my opinion.
ReplyDelete