Life-Changing Mental Medicine
If there was a pill that was scientifically-proven to benefit your brain by increasing focus; reducing stress, anxiety, and depression; and improving memory, emotional awareness, and overall happiness, would you take it?
Well, guess what? That type of medicine does exist—but not exactly in the form of a pill…
This “medicine” I’m talking about is meditation.
Full disclosure: once upon a time, I meditated daily. As you probably can relate, real-life can sometimes interfere with dedicating time for oneself, and for me, eventually, meditation fell by the wayside. That’s right…my daily ritual just went away.
I’m sure many of you have felt the same way. Just thinking about the multitude of tasks I had to juggle every day made my head spin: managing my own Outdoor Fitness business, seeing private clients, teaching group fitness classes at several different hotels, and tending to tons of other work and family obligations, all while trying to balance these duties with my own regular exercise, maintaining relationships, eating healthy, and oh yeah, sleeping 8 to 10 hours every night.
No way you wouldn’t agree with me when I say I didn’t have time to meditate, right? Have you been there?
At the same time, I had been suggesting meditation to many of my clients and friends for years, so I began to feel a bit guilty recommending it when I wasn't practicing meditation myself.
It just got to be too much.
I began to notice my work energy, relationship statuses, morale, and overall happiness slowly wither. I felt like there was no way I could add ONE more thing to my schedule. Then again, I began to see that adding this ONE specific thing to my plate would have long-term effects and actually release a TON of the burden I had been feeling.
I ended up attending meditation workshops and getting certified in Mindful Stress Reduction as well as Mindful Self-Compassion to get excited about integrating a daily practice again. At first, it was challenging, but I committed to at least 15 minutes a day. I could do anything for 15 minutes, right?
Within days I started to experience the benefits. I even returned to a greater focus on meditative journaling, which got me to write to YOU. Now, I realize I don’t have time NOT to meditate and journal—it’s become absolutely integral in helping me feel calmer, happier, and in getting more done. 100% life-changing. And you can enjoy the benefits too!
I literally added something to my plate (meditation) and it freed up a meaningful amount of time and mental space as a result.
Think of your brain as a computer, simultaneously keeping many windows and programs going. Meditation helps you close out the unnecessary windows so you can focus on what’s essential. When you re-focus, you enjoy life more and perform at a higher level. At levels you can’t even imagine until you practice a meditative/prayer lifestyle…
Stress relief (which I think we could all use more of) is the most-studied benefit of meditation, but it has also been found to help reduce drug addiction, relieve anxiety, improve sleep, help control weight gain, improve mood, and boost immunity. That’s powerful medicine, wouldn’t you say?
There are a ton of different ways to meditate, and what works for one person might not work for another. You have to find what works for YOU. There’s breathwork, mantras, guided meditations, walking meditation, lying meditation and even coloring or painting can be forms of meditation. The sky is the limit and you certainly can try and practice more than one form.
I genuinely want to encourage you to take a moment to pause and meditate not only because of its mental benefits but because of its physical benefits too. We live in stressful times. If we don’t take time to pause, put away our devices, and tune inward, we’re missing out on whole-body healing and an Optimal Lifestyle.
Here’s a simple practice that you can incorporate a few times a day, and it only takes minutes. I encourage you to do it right now if possible…
Take 5 Breathing Technique
Sit comfortably on a chair, propped up on pillows in your bed, or cross-legged on a cushion on the floor.
Close your eyes and your mouth.
Breathe in slowly through your nose to the count of five. Hold to the count of five and then slowly breathe out to the count of five.
Do this 5 times.
That’s it. The Take 5 Breathing Technique is a super simple and effective way to calm your body and find a moment of pause in your busy day. You deserve it.
Take a moment to be in the moment and enjoy the life-changing benefits that will follow. Simply find your breath, calm your mind and find your gratitude. Optimal YOU thrives on a life in balance!
Can’t wait to hear all about your meditative lifestyle! Wishing you health and happiness on YOUR Optimal YOU journey.
