Mindful Moments

As we look forward to springtime and enter a season of new beginnings, I invite you to pause and ask yourself, “What am I actively doing to manage my stress?”

 Stress is a normal fact of life. I think we spend most of our time wishing it away or waiting for it to end, but the truth is there’s always some level of stress that surrounds us.   There are many different tools we can access that are valuable in managing stress like exercise, adequate sleep, taking a break, talking to a friend or counselor, or making more healthy food choices. I have found that these choices may, at times, feel inaccessible and are not always the right tool for the job.  Enter the practice of meditation, something I thought was elusive and mysterious until about a year ago. 

Meditation is simply a practice of contemplation and reflection. It can take many forms such as yoga, tai chi, mindfulness practices, breathwork, and contemplation practices.  For me: this feels like taking an intentional pause where my physical being and my mental energy are not needed by anyone else.  This is time that’s just for me. Without distractions, I can connect to the sensations in my body and my breath and quiet (but not silence) my mind.

In the book Theo of Golden spring is described as “an end with a future” representing new beginnings and the hope of possibilities.  Last spring I was at my own “end with a future.” I had quit my job that was contributing to the highest level of stress I have experienced and was looking forward to new beginnings here at Hometown Family Health.   I felt many different and new sensations in my body as I recovered from this large stressor. I wasn’t quite sure which tool would be right for me to use in that transition period but thankfully, I have really smart and caring people in my life that helped direct me toward starting a routine meditation practice.  I knew from my training and education that meditation has many proven benefits but frankly could never figure out how to prioritize this in my life.

I had many excuses that sounded like these:

• “I won’t be any good at it, my mind is too busy, it’s never quiet or empty”
• “I don’t have time; there’s too many other things to get done”
• “It won’t t make a difference”
• “It has to be done as part of a religious practice”
• “It’s only used during a moment of active stress”
• “You have to meditate in a seated posture, and I don’t feel comfortable in that position for that long”

What I learned along the way included the following:

• 5 minutes do exist to meditate in the morning prior to doing anything else
• My brain is not empty during or after meditating, but it is quieter, softer, slower, more organized and one thought at a time
• It helps me respond with calmness throughout the day
• It feels like an easy button at times.  I don’t always have enough mental energy to convince myself to exercise or move my body, but I do have enough energy to just be. I noticed I would get the same benefit of mental and physical energy reset from exercise without the physical effort of exercise
• I chose to give myself permission to meditate laying down as that is what felt most comfortable from my prior experience with yoga
• I could use these skills in 1-2 minute increments throughout my day as a touch point to bring my nervous system back to a lower stress state so that I ended the day feeling calmer

So, if you have ever or are currently experiencing symptoms like heart pounding, heart racing, fast breathing, headaches, muscle tension, chronic pain in any location, feelings of overwhelm, mental energy fatigue, or anxiety, I invite you to consider how could making an active stress management plan help you feel better?  Is there space for meditation to be a part of that plan, to learn a new skill to increase the tools you have available to navigate the stressors of life? 

There are many different types/techniques/forms that meditation can have. We will review these in future posts. If you are curious about getting started, check out this guided meditation video that is only 5 minutes long.  5 minute guided meditation link  Give it a try: tell people you are unavailable, find a spot where you can be alone and close the door, turn your phone on silent and really pay attention and notice how you feel before and after your meditation work.  The continued work is in making a routine practice of this and continuing to just notice, without judgment, what comes up in both your mind and your body.  It’s your own little adventure to go on.

For more in-depth exploration you can check out some local professionals that are exceptional in this work or use a multitude of apps to explore on your own.

• Biofeedback therapist Jen Strating   https://www.fortcollinsbiofeedback.com/
  • Jen is doing a Self Compassion group workshop over zoom in March. If you’d like to join, click here to register.             
• Integrative medicine doctor, Dr. Shelley Moore
  • Dr. Moore is doing a 4 week class in April that is called “Intro to Mindfulness Meditation”. If you are interested in registering, you can contact her through email at:  ShelleyWMoore@gmail.com
• Integrative medicine doctor, Dr. Lynn Bellmore
  • Dr. Bellmore does one on one work with patients to help them manage their chronic physical symptoms by teaching you mind-body connection skills
  • https://www.lynnbellmoremd.com/
• Apps you could use to explore on your own
  • Peloton (you don’t have to buy their equipment to use their app, it is $15.99/month)
  • Apple fitness ($9.99/month)
  • Headspace (free and paid versions, $12.00/month)
  • Calm (free and paid versions, $16.99/month)
  • Insight timer (free to use, but doesn’t have as many guided options)

If you are willing to share a mindful moment or a stress management goal you can send your provider a message or bring in an index card with it written down or a photo if you’d like to share with others on our Mindful Moments board this year. 

I’ll leave you with mine:

My photo is from Glacier National Park, last summer, on our campervan trip. The water was so ice cold it burned, the sun felt like a warm blanket on my skin, the beauty and largeness of the mountains embraced me as I just stood quietly on that rock and took a moment to just be.  The best part of a mindful moment is you can create it again in your mind later and your body and brain experience the same positive response as if you were there again.  Try it!

My current meditation practice looks like 5-10 minutes of guided meditation twice a day, most days, because nobody’s perfect.

My current goal is to add in a gratitude practice with my meditation. I’ll report back later this year on how it’s going and what I noticed.  Please tell me about what you have been working on next time we see each other 😊