A consistent meditation practice, for me, has been the foundation to a sense of mental, physical and spiritual well being. Last November, after suffering the first time from a few mild panic attacks, I set out on a 40 day meditation practice of my own to help calm me down and figure out what the hell was going on with me. (Click here to read weekly blog posts of my 40 day journey.
Over the years, through therapy, reading spiritual texts, developing a meditation practice and surrounding myself and drinking red wine with wonderful, like minded souls, I’ve learned to manage my anxiety with the end goal being 1. a healthier me and 2. to stop the cycle of anxiety that runs deep in my family history.
I spoke with my meditation teacher at length and she advised me that circumstances do not cause our suffering. While circumstances can be sad, painful, trying – it is not these moments that cause anxiety – it is our lack of faith. A lack of faith. A lack of self. A LACK. Period. When we lose our faith, lose our Self, we forget that we have everything we need within us to manifest contentment in our life, regardless of what is going on in our outside world.
After 40 days of mediation and journaling, I learned a lot. I calmed down. The panic attacks stopped. My life is far from perfect – hell, I love to use the Fbomb more than I should. But at the end of the day, I found I have access to the part of me that is always there, always present and never changing. Some call it our soul, our faith, Spirit, God. Whatever you call it, you have it. The part of you that will keep you grounded.
40 Days is a great amount of time to truly settle not only into a new habit, a new discipline, but into a shift of your consciousness. My shift was from a mindset of fear to faith. Whether you are focusing on abundance, health, peace or forgiveness – you have all you need within you to find it. Here’s how I did it and hope you can too.
I began every day with reading or meditating on a quiet passage relevant with what I was trying to cultivate. For me it was faith and abundance. You can find quotes on line or find meditation apps easily on your smartphone. These are some of my favorites: Ananda, Infinite Abundance and Ananda, Conscious Heatlh (both by Deepak Chopra) and my new favorite – buddhify. Start with simple five or ten minute meditations.
Write about it. Really sit for a moment after your reading or meditation and write down what comes to you. Maybe you started feeling agitated. Write it down. Maybe you felt sleepy. Maybe you felt more patient. Write what you feel and I believe more will follow. Your words on the paper will slowly, over time, guide you to what you seek out.
Go about your day. During the day, go back to your meditation. Go back to that place of focus. Your intention. It takes time and practice and patience with yourself. Any new habit does. Even on days when you DON’T want to meditate and DON’T think it’s working and HATE sitting down to be still or write anything. DO IT ANYWAY. It works. Some days we all fake it till we make it. Go for it. It will sooth your soul. It will calm you down. It will be the beginning of many changes in your life.
Let me know how it goes on your journey. To learn more about my first days of my 40 day journey, click here.
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