Mindful Moment #4
As we travel down this road of life one of the largest and most deceptive of all the pitfalls we face is losing ourselves. This is especially true for those of us who are “givers” by nature. It makes us happy to see those around us happy so we become a support system for many of our friends, relatives, and co-workers.
Often people can come to rely on and expect this kind of support from you but don’t always offer you the same support in return. This situation can quickly spiral out of control and can end up being an unhealthy drain on our time, emotional, and physical wellbeing. If we find ourselves in these unbalanced relationships often it’s a good idea to begin to set some healthy boundaries (more on this can be found here.)
Our minds and bodies give us clear signals when we’re taking on too much, if we’re paying attention. When we’re overloaded we feel frazzled, moody, and generally exhausted. These feelings are like our soul’s “check engine light”. When that light comes on it’s wise to pay attention.
It’s very important, especially around the Holidays, to be mindful of our own energy levels and take time for ourselves to recharge when we need to. On the surface taking time for yourself might seem selfish but it’s actually selfless in a way. After all, it’s impossible to be the best versions of ourselves when we’re feeling physically and emotionally overwhelmed.
These moments of self care don’t have to be a two week long trip to the tropics, they can be just a short reset. This reset can be a variety of different things to different people - a gym workout, a walk in the woods, a hot bath, a guided meditation session. Self care is anything that gives your mind and body a few moments of pause to replenish, recalibrate, and renew your energy.
A good trick to remind yourself of this is to set a recurring daily reminder on your mobile phone with a message like, “Is it time to take a pause?” or simply, “Breathe...”
“If you do not make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.”
Putting Words Into Action
This guided meditation can help restore and renew you in a very short amount of time.
Find a quiet place. Sit upright in a comfortable chair with your eyes closed and concentrate on your breath for a count of thirty.
Just thirty seconds of conscious breathing will usually ground you enough where guided meditation can be effective.
Guided Meditation
- INHALE for a count of 5 through your nose. Envision you’re breathing in a pure, bright, and healing light;
- HOLD the breath for a count of 5. Imagine this healing light spreading throughout your body from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes;
- EXHALE for a count of 5 through your mouth. Envision the bright light being exhaled and filling the room you’re in; and
- Repeat for as long as you like (at least 3 repetitions).
After you practice this very simple meditation technique for even a few minutes it’s very helpful to linger in that place of peace and calm, focusing your mind on preserving and radiating the light within you. Also, never forget to actively engineer your life so you need to take less and less of these kinds of breaks.
For more easy and practical tips on ways to integrate meditation into your life please check out my book, The Perfect Pause, available on Amazon in eBook and paperback formats.
Did you miss previous installments of the Mindful Moments Series? If so, you can find them here: 1 - Two Week Media Fast, 2 - Worry and Fear, 3 - Setting Boundaries.
Be well.
In Gratitude,
~ Eric Vance Walton ~
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain
My meditation book, The Perfect Pause, is priced at $12.99 (paperback) and $4.99 (eBook). Buy the paperback and receive the eBook for free!
Let’s Keep In Touch
That's a beautiful meditation I will try!
Thank you @soyrosa! I like to keep them very simple so people can easily remember how to do them. I'd be interested to hear how it goes for you after you try it!
You did well! This is one I could easily remember indeed - So I tried one in the evening. I always feel like I don't have the mind to 'imagine' things like 'healing light' and I have a hard time 'steering' these flows through my body, and 'breathing out into the room' was the hardest thing for me to imagine especially - I was almost following the stream with my eyes while doing it, lol! But after I did a few of these breaths I did feel some tension I didn't know I had slide off, so it was effective anyway.
I do not have a great deal of experience with meditation/mindfulness, but I did a guided meditation once which seemed to work for my brain, something to 'follow' so to say.
Anyway, long reply to your question - thanks for this. I'm going to check out your other posts as well :-)
Thanks! I taught meditation corporately for a few years before I left my insurance job and found the simpler the technique, the better.
Sometimes for the "healing light" visualization I would ask people to remember a time when they were in bright sunshine and felt the warmth of it on their face. This usually helped. If they can tap into the visceral aspect of that memory sometimes they're able to get to a place where they can visualize the light a little easier.
I'm glad the conscious breathing worked! Thanks for trying it!
But people don't understand, not even the family members. Something should be done to educate our family members.
Absolutely! Setting boundaries with friends and family is key to this. https://steemit.com/mindfulmoments/@ericvancewalton/mindful-moments-3-a-mindfulness-series-on-steemit-setting-boundaries
Your series is super helpful @ericvancewalton and #4 speaks to me; it's awfully draining when way too many people start relying on one! I've recently had to start saying no to some as I was starting to lose myself in their problems and some are overstepping the boundaries. It is not easy but it certainly has lifted a weight off my shoulders. Thank you for the guided meditation at the end, this is super helpful.
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You're very welcome and I'm glad these have been helpful for you @lizelle! It's so important to set those kinds of boundaries. It took me way too long to learn how to do that. Thanks for your support and friendship!
Hi Eric, I'm inspired to read your writing. Yes ... you are right, we have to love our body and have to give it enough time to rest. A calm mind will certainly affect our performance. so it's still your choice to travel frequently for recreation with family. Have a nice day, sir.
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Thanks for taking the time to read it, Eliana! I hope you're having a wonderful week!
Mindful breathing helps you live in the now. So much of our lives are on autopilot.
So true! The more aspects of our life we can learn to live consciously, the better!
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