WELLBEING - Tried Meditation & It Wasn’t For You?

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Summary - 

Guess what - you can live a happy, healthy life and NOT meditate! That's not to throw shade on those who do meditate but rather to inform you that if you’ve tried meditation and it isn’t for you, then it's still 100% possible to live a mindful, stress-free life. In this episode, I show you how it's done! 

Things I Mention - 

  • Why I believe that every single person should not expect to find the same fulfilment from one activity

  • How it’s possible to live a mindful, stress-free life if you struggle with a consistent meditation practice

  • Why I feel that meditation can sometimes lead to more stress & anxiety depending on a person's personality

PLUS, I show you how to leverage unexpected opportunities throughout the day to practice mindfulness.

Links & Helpful Resources - 

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Guess what - you can live a happy, healthy life and NOT meditate. That’s not something you here everyday is it?!

Meditation sits right up there as a form of self-care that rivals all else. If you’re not doing it, you can basically kiss a stress-free life goodbye … or so that’s what we’re led to believe. 

The truth is, meditation isn’t for everyone but like a lot of things in life, you shouldn’t ride it off completely until you’ve tried it. I go through waves of discipline with meditation but what I’ve discovered is that it’s just one of many brilliant forms of stress relief BUT if you stress for even a second at the thought of trying to squeeze it in - there’s a good chance that it’s not for you. I’m the first to agree that a stressed person is an unhealthy person and just as antibiotics are now heavily over-prescribed, I feel that meditation is becoming much the same. If you’re stressed, the single best thing you can do is something you enjoy, something that lights you up, makes you smile, makes you forget what time it is … if meditation isn’t that thing for you, forget about it. It’s far more important to find another activity that helps you unwind and I guarantee you’ll continue to live a happy, healthy life. 

Having said this, I really want to share a few unexpected opportunities that may pop up throughout the day that you can leverage and use as a form of mindful meditation without having to sit up straight with eyes closed and legs crossed - 

MOMENTS OF WAITING

Leverage any moments spent waiting by using them as triggers to tune into your body and how it feels. Take a deep breath and simply check in with how you’re feeling at the moment. Is your heart-racing? Is your breathing shallow? 

LISTEN CLOSELY WHEN PEOPLE SPEAK

You’d be surprised how much time we spend thinking about what we might say next and as a result, spend very little time actually listening to what someone has to say. Make eye contact and ask questions to full absorb what the person is saying. You’ll gain more insights, form a deeper connection and enjoy the conversation a lot more. 

NOTICE THE SENSES

Your senses offer constant invitations to mindfulness because they’re always attentive to the stimuli of the present moment. This is also a great time to practice the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique. This technique is largely responsible for helping those that suffer with anxiety and panic attacks and can be performed by stopping in any given moment to acknowledge - 

  • FIVE things you see around you. It could be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, anything in your surroundings … 

  • FOUR things you can touch around you ...

  • THREE things you can hear ...

  • TWO things you can smell ...

  • ONE thing you can taste ...

SEEK OUT NATURE 

I think we can all agree that there is something awe-inspiring about nature that easily quiets the mind. Seek out any opportunity to go on a hike, look out the window or step outside for a walk. 

INTENTION

Simply decide to be more mindful. Intention is everything. By making the commitment, you prime your mind to be more attentive and aware of what’s going on around you at all times. You may have experienced this already by saying that you really like a particular type of car and then seeing that car everywhere you go …

So to sum up this episode, my purpose behind this one is to say ‘you know what, it’s ok if meditation isn’t for you - it's not for everyone nor do I believe that every single person should expect to find the same fulfilment from the one activity’. There are plenty of options for mindfulness that are just as effective but don’t get the same air time … 

Elisha CasagrandeFEEL BE LOOK, Brisbane Health Coach, Womens Confidence, Self Care, Meditation, Mindfulness