wellbeing
“ meditation is the pause button � overwhelmed, fearful or pressured that we can hardly think straight. More often than not our self-talk is negative – we are not good enough, not smart enough, not attractive enough, not strong enough. This exacts a heavy toll on our mental health as it moulds our self-esteem and detrimentally impacts relationships. Meditation is the pause button, one of the most effective tools to bring us consciously into the present moment. Like finding a lost jewel in a pond once the swirling waters have settled, stilling the mind enables us to think more clearly, to step out of the delusional mind-games, and to consider more realistically the situation at hand. Instead of focussing our energies on trying to change the way other people behave or perceive us, our attention begins to turn inwards, towards accepting and addressing our own needs and feelings. Insight into how and why we think and react the way we do opens possibilities to work more creatively with our strengths and limitations.
EM O T I O N AL EQ UI LIB RIU M We tend to respond to people and situations in habitual ways, particularly when feeling stressed. Perhaps your pattern is with anger and frustration, anxiety and fear, or criticism and judgement. Uncontrolled recurring bouts of such behaviours negatively impacts mental health. Meditation is an antidote, nurturing stabilising states such as serenity, equanimity, concentration and discernment. Emotional expression becomes more in tune with individual circumstances, and we experience greater choice about the extent to which we allow our emotional equilibrium to be destabilised. Over time we develop the ultimate freedom of choosing how to respond to whatever we encounter. bmhmag.com
109