Calm

 

     I’m sitting in front of my computer this morning thinking of the different ways that I find work for me in keeping myself calm.  Different people have different methods that they feel does the job for them.  Many have turned to meditation as the answer for them.

 

     According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-in-depth ) “Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being.”  So many use this practice to exercise a style of mental self-discipline to provide a calmness within their lives.  They practice this meditation routine on a very regular basis.

 

     Mindful.org puts it very simply: (https://www.mindful.org/how-to-meditate/ ) “When we meditate, we inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into our lives: We lower our stress levels, we get to know our pain, we connect better, we improve our focus, and we're kinder to ourselves.”

 

     Where it really becomes confusing for many is how it is highlighted at healthline.com (https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/types-of-meditation ) where it states:

 

     “Although there isn’t a right or wrong way to meditate, it’s important to find a practice that meets your needs and complements your personality.  There are nine popular types of meditation practice:

• mindfulness meditation
• spiritual meditation
• focused meditation
• movement meditation
• mantra meditation
• transcendental meditation
• progressive relaxation
• loving-kindness meditation
• visualization meditation

     Not all meditation styles are right for everyone. These practices require different skills and mindsets.”

     I can see why this would be where many become confused and just decide to give up!  I think I agree with the part of their comment where it says you basically have to find what works for you!

    This is what I’ve done.  And believe it or not, the two things that bring a great calmness to me are:

(1)   Watching the birds!  I have a huge elm tree outside my office window upon which I have attached a bird feeder.  I can get extremely calm by watching the birds that come and flitter around the feeder during the day.  When it was first put up, I didn’t get any birds at all!  I mean for months!  I think the first reason was that our yard was completely barraged with miller moths.  This season was extremely bad.  They were everywhere and the birds were having a feast.  The second reason I learned from a bit of study.  Since there had never been a feeder in this area, the birds would have to learn it was there and then, as it were, pass along the location to other birds.  Now I’m beginning to have several periods during the day when the birds come to feed.  To me, it is very relaxing to watch them in this activity.

(2)   The second thing is playing games on the computer!  I especially enjoy daily contests of Minesweeper and Mahjong.  Both of these games get my thinking skills activated and they make me seek out the winning strategy of the games.  That sounds a bit counter-intuitive for trying to stay calm, but for me keeping the mind active and concentrating on the maneuvers of the game are very calming.

     Like I said, we’ve got to find what works for us as individuals.  That’s why at times when someone tells us about their new “secret to success” for themselves, we may not be able to make it work for us. 

     That’s the fascination with our lives.  We are all different in so many ways, but in the end, we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Even when you must act in an emergency,

stay calm!"