Don't die!

There are moments in life that I am just tired. For no apparent reason I am just exhausted. This was the case last night, I was just wiped so...I went to bed. But after the evening routine, I couldn't sleep. My eyes could barely stay open, but I still couldn't fall asleep. It was ridiculous! I ran through the normal routine: counted sheep, lay really really still for ages, and tried to dream about dreaming. It just wasn't working. So I went back to something that I learned in a Stress Management class I took a few years back. Meditation.  

Now if you ever get an opportunity to take a class like this..DO IT!!!! It has been a wonderful tool that I have used many times, and honestly I should focus on stress management daily. It would help me with the daily random problems of life.  

There are tons of things that I learned about that I will eventually talk about, but today I want to talk about meditation.

During my class, we would talk about the function of meditation on the neural pathways, which is fascinating. However, pretty much every time I geek out about these things my roommates just look at me with “the face”. It means that no normal human would find this interesting, so I won’t bore you with the details. Let’s just say...science, science, better! Here is a brief summary of the science. Stress hormones are very important for our ability to react in dangerous situations. We need to be able to run away if a alligator is in pursuit, but if these hormones are floating around all the time they do damage to cells. So chronic stress is not good for our bodies. It can increase relative risk for many diseases as well as death. So if you want to live keep reading. It is very important to prepare yourself for daily stresses, so that you can be in control of the stress response.

I have tried to meditate before with little success, because I was doing it all wrong. I am sure when you read the word meditate this came to mind. 

(By the way, the finger thing...here is the real deal. You close your eyes and try to get your thumb and middle finger as close a possible without touching. Try it, it is HARD. But you totally forget your stresses!)

Weird chanting and poses...yep nope. That is not what mediation is really about.

Most of us do not know how to properly mediate. I would try so hard think of nothing, but that NEVER worked. I am pretty sure it is impossible. Meditation is not the lack of thought, it is an active process to choose something on which to focus on. There are many different types of meditation, some that focus on breathing or muscle relaxation. Try out a few and see what you like! I would suggest to start with a recording to get the feel for it and then you can learn how to do it on your own. BYU has a whole page (click here...do it!)devoted to different recordings, which means that it is important. I really enjoy the progressive muscle relaxation, which prompts you to tense your muscles. You hold the tension for a few seconds, then release. After you release the muscle you can really feel the tension leave. Each time you do this, you feel more and more calm. It is MARVELOUS!

I also love the body scan, which helps you relax by focusing on muscle groups. Just consciously thinking about the muscle. It is amazing to realize how much we have going on in the body that we don’t think about! Aren't we so cool?!?

I suggest that once a day or even twice a day you take some time to meditate. Make it a priority to shut the door and be by yourself. This allows your body to restore and prepare for the daily stresses that you will encounter. Practice the techniques, so that when you find yourself overwhelmed you can use these tools to relax. Focus on your breath to calm down. Just actively breath, count the breaths gradually slowing them.

Now if you feel stupid doing this, just don’t! I know that at first it feels weird, trust me. When I learned this stuff I was on the floor in a class...with people...and boys! However, with time it will become more normal.

Don't die, meditate! In the comments below tell me what you tried and what you thought!