Do you ever feel as though your mind is filled with negative thoughts – thoughts about the past, or thoughts about the future – all the time? I've been there and done that. There are moments when it seems impossible to escape, as though you are unable to stop thinking.
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Do you want to know what stopped me from struggling with all of these thoughts? Mindfulness.
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My partner has been meditating for a long time, and he says he feels great afterward. I decided to give it a try as well. The thing about meditation is that you have to keep practicing it since you won't do it perfectly the first time, but that first time makes a big difference.
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I began listening to guided meditations. It felt weird and uneasy at first. I'm sitting motionless, my eyes closed, and my mind is racing with ideas. It was really hard to keep the ideas from coming to me. But gradually things began to shift. I noticed that all of the awful things in my mind were just thoughts as I began to notice the tension in my body release and felt so much lighter and peaceful. My identity is not defined by those ideas, and mindfulness gave me a fresh perspective on who I am. I believe that my anxiety and overthinking were the main causes of my continuous difficulty falling asleep. One advantage of meditation was that it was a great way to help me fall asleep when I first tried it.
Being mindful made me feel like I was in another world. It helped me disconnect from my thoughts and reconnect with my identity. For instance, when you use your phone continuously, at one point the phone overheats and your phone battery needs to be charged. In the same way, we humans get thoughts continuously, which makes us feel overwhelmed and tired. Mindfulness helps us recharge and refresh ourselves and see things more positively.If you find yourself in a situation where you are always contemplating the future, I believe you should let go and be comfortable with yourself. Avoid putting too much strain on yourself. As you walk through this life, it's crucial to take care of what you can manage and let the rest work itself out. Just sit down, breathe in, and unwind for a moment. This generation feels as though we have to accomplish everything rapidly, earn and settle down by a particular age, which increases our anxiety about the future. However, keep in mind that life is still a process and that it takes time. No matter how much we think of the future, things never go as planned.Â
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I would strongly advise doing some mindfulness exercises to begin or end your day, to watch your emotions change and learn more about yourself. Mindfulness allows me to make an effort to live a calm life, to manage all of my negative thoughts, and to adopt a positive perspective on things.
Headspace and Calm are quite popular apps that can help initiate you to meditation. Many others exist, so start researching!
Here is also a guided meditation I have really enjoyed: