Nourish Your Mind

Nourish Your Mind

I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression since my early teen years, and for a while it was something that completely consumed me. I went through medicine after medicine and they would help a little, but I was still closing out every day either with a racing heart or wondering what my purpose here was or if I even had one. Things like going to class or being at work had become things that felt like completely consuming tasks. This not only destroyed how I felt about myself, but also my overall outlook on life. I didn’t understand how people could get up and go through the motions of life so seemingly effortless and honestly it made me angry.

About 6 months ago I started getting really into mindfulness and meditation and it’s completely changed my outlook. For those who aren’t familiar with mindfulness it’s all centered around awareness. So for example, say you just got broken up with. To be mindful about the situation rather than focusing on the pain of your breakup, take your energy and focus it on how you can feel better about the situation. It takes so much energy to be sad and angry all of the time, so much that it becomes consuming and exhausting. Mindfulness takes a lot of practice and it especially comes down to expanding your emotional vocabulary so you can articulate and be fully aware how you feel.  

To begin practicing mindful meditation you first have to put yourself in the right mindset, and doing that begins with your surroundings. This can be challenging, especially is you are in a dorm like me  but it’s entirely do-able. I try to do this by lighting candles, diffusing essential oils, turning off the lights, playing music, and creating a comfortable place to sit for a while. My favorite essential oils to diffuse are lavender because of its calming properties and orange because of its refreshing smell and mood boosting abilities. Rid yourself of all ties to the outside world aka no phones, no laptops. Start by closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing, notice the patterns and how the air fills your lungs. Your mind will try to lead you other places but don’t let that discourage you! Just keep focusing on your breathing for about 10 minutes or however long feels comfortable.

After I finish a meditation session I always try to reflect by journaling about it. What were your feelings before and after your meditation? How will you use this calmness to achieve your goals. Rather than focusing on our shortcomings and mistakes take time to reflect on what you can do to change the situation and gain happiness. As I said before, mindfulness has completely changed my life and I’m so happy I decided to talk about it with you all. As always I love hearing feedback from all of you so let me know what works and what you all like!