As a human, you most likely experience stress, depression, and anxiety on some level. Thoughts and feelings may get overwhelming at times and have you questioning how to stop letting them take up so much time and space in your life.
The bad news is that thoughts and feelings are part of the human experience and are here to stay, but that is only bad if you let them become bad. The good news is that there are practices, such as meditation, that can help you navigate low moods and difficult emotions with greater ease.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is a practice involving mindfulness and learning to pay attention to the present moment with curiosity, openness, and acceptance. It can alleviate physical symptoms of anxiety, the heaviness of depression, reactivity to everyday stressors, and barriers to your ability to stay focused.
Resistance to Meditating
Meditation can be hard, especially if you are used to never slowing down. It can be uncomfortable to make time to experience stillness. In stillness, there is more time to be aware of yourself and the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are present for you. Although self-awareness and honesty with yourself lead to healing, beginning to experience a deeper relationship with parts of yourself rather than avoiding them can feel intimidating.
When you begin to practice meditation, you may encounter some resistance to it and its intended benefits. Oftentimes, you will be most resistant to what you need most. It can be helpful to reframe this experience by recognizing that resistance is not a red light to stop but a green light to push past it.
Beginning to Meditate
To start meditating, all you need is a pocket of time to sit down in a space that feels quiet and safe, set a timer or use a mediation app, and allow yourself to merely exist. The goal of meditating is not to get rid of unpleasant thoughts and feelings—it is about learning to allow them to be present without feeling like you must do something with them.
Meditation is a practice that can help alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also boost concentration levels and your ability to stay present when you come up against big emotions. Through building self-awareness, leaning into resistance, and intentionally starting your practice, it is possible to experience more openness to life.
Learning to regulate emotions and sift through your thoughts begins with building more awareness within yourself and among all parts of yourself with acceptance. Practices such as meditation can help cultivate greater self-awareness and learning to respond rather than react to thoughts and feelings you have. At Avalon Malibu, we recognize how challenging it can be to build self-awareness and learn to be present. Our team is here to support you as you navigate your healing journey from addiction or mental illness. Call Avalon Malibu today at (844) 857-5992.
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