A Plug for Meditation (sorta)
How pissed are you right now that I’m about to talk about meditation? A “life” coach talking about “meditation”? I didn’t want to necessarily, but here we are.
I got started regularly meditating – the enlightened might call it a practice – two years ago. I signed up for a Transcendental Meditation course and got myself a mantra. Someone “showing” me how to do it, talking to me about how it worked, and providing some accountability for the first few days gave me momentum to make it a habit.
Let’s level the playing field a little. Meditation is not my favorite activity. It’s more or less a chore, comparable to exercise or staying hydrated. I put it off. Sometimes I hate it. I make deals with myself about doing other activities instead. But the benefits are there.
Meditation to me right now is not much more than forced non-stimulation. What do I mean? Let’s just say when I’m not watching TV, I’m on my computer, and when I’m not on my computer I’m on my phone, and generally while I’m watching TV I am also on my phone, and my phone is literally touching my computer while I type this – just in case. Whenever I try to step away from one screen, I find myself at another. And the more time I spend on the screen, the more I crave it when I’m away from it. It’s a real finger trap.
Meditation to me right now is kind of a time out. I’m not solving problems or worrying about them either. I’m just trying to be present. Look closely and you’ll see meditation rhymes with accessible. It isn’t reserved for better people than us and in settings more mountainous than a couch or bed. Some people will find these meditative states while running, reading, washing the dishes, mowing the lawn. This state might not be a place where thoughts go away, but rather a place where we don’t judge them. Where we don’t have thoughts about our thoughts or feelings about our feelings. Where they just flow by like water.
So this is not a plug for meditation courses, or even really meditation. This is a plug for rest and less screen time. For brain recovery and returning to baseline. For less judgement of yourself. Whatever that looks like for you.
If starting something new, embracing a healthy habit, or gathering momentum is a struggle for you, coaching might be the right tool for the job. Want to start meditating? Cool. Doesn’t matter to me. I’ve helped people start washing their face every day, as well as submit their first voiceover audition. Ball’s in your court, but the supportive instincts and techniques trained coaches offer often lead to success more quickly and with less energy than doing it all on your own. If you’d like to chat about it, go ahead and schedule a consultation with me here or continue learning about coaching on my site.
Go get ‘em this week.