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How to Meditate: The Basics
Thus meditating you will no longer strive to build yourself up
in your prejudices,
but, forgetting self, you will remember only that you are
seeking the Truth.
~ James Allen
Meditation is one of many techniques that can be used in stress management. A person who is riddled with problems often finds it hard to focus. This lack of focus often leads to more problems cropping up because of mistakes. Meditation techniques can help a person achieve a calm state of mind. Every step of meditation is done in the mind.
Remember that meditation is not a one shot deal. Nor is it a one size fits all remedy. It is not always possible to attain a calm state of mind in just a matter of minutes, especially if this is your first time trying out the technique. It is essential that you continue to practice the meditation skill until you have conditioned your mind too quickly, if not instantaneously achieve the state just by thinking about it.
Here are a few steps beginner steps to start using meditation as a stress management strategy.
Step 1: Find a quiet corner to start your meditation.
Distraction is one of the biggest hindrances to those who are just starting out with meditation. When you close your eyes, your sense of hearing will increase. It is quite possible that you will begin to hear almost everything in your surroundings and this will make it hard for you to concentrate.
For beginners, it is important to start out in a quiet place in your home where noise is virtually nonexistent. Close your windows and lock your doors. If possible you can ask everyone else in your home to minimize their noise so that you want get distracted.
Step 2: Ready your position.
It is advisable for beginners to avoid lying down when practicing meditation. The goal here is not to fall asleep and it is almost a guarantee that you will immediately fall off to sleep if your mind reaches a relaxed state. To stop this from happening you can start your meditation in a lotus position with your legs crossed, or you can find a chair to sit on. Make sure that your back is straight and your hands are relaxed on the armrest or your lap.
Step 3: Begin with proper breathing.
A good way to start meditation is to do the proper breathing exercise. You inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. This will help you come up with a rhythm that you can easily focus on. Also the amount of oxygen in your body will be enough to keep you relaxed. Keep practicing your breathing until you can do it easily without having to think about it.
Step 4: Focus on your mind.
While you are busy with your breathing, you will achieve a state where your mind will start sending images at you. These will be mostly random in nature; events of the day, future plans, problems and worries, fears and so on. It will be hard to ignore these thoughts and you’re not supposed to ignore them. The aim here is to focus on these thoughts without really paying a lot of attention to them.
This might sound like a difficult idea, but let me try to give you a simplistic example to clarify it. You know that you have furniture in your home. You can see it clearly with your eyes, but you’re not really concentrating on it. Focusing on the furniture will usually make you think of its color, its material, how it looks in that particular part of your home and so on. You need to be able to look at these random thoughts in a detached state. See them clearly in your head, but not focusing your attention on them.
There will come a time…
There will come a time when these random thoughts will stop and you will notice that you are already in a “blank space” in your mind. This is the state you want to achieve during meditation. This is the place where you can think about your problems and focus on them until you have found the solution for them. With this, you have successfully begun the very basic elements of meditation for your personal stress management program.
Thoughts?
Related Posts
1. Know Your Stress, and Defeat It
2. Silence: A Key to Rejuvenation
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melolou/2349242081/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Get happy!
Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect.
It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.
~ Unknown
Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful and is also good for your health. Being happy actually helps protect you from some of the stresses of life. Stress has been linked to some of the major causes of death such as: heart disease, cancer and stroke.
One of the best quotes ever made is “The only thing in life that will always remain the same is change.” In our lives we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation we can usually find some solace in the knowledge that it too will change.
Real life relationships and social networks are essential to your happiness. Every person is different. Learn to accept people for who or what they are, avoid clashes and constant strife and let go of all kinds of resentment. If arguments seem unavoidable, you should still try to make an effort to understand the situation. Happiness is actually found in everyone. Increasing it is a way to make your life more wonderful and also healthier.
To be happy is relatively easy; it’s a decision, a choice. Choose to be a happier person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people can choose how happy, how stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook will be. The choice is actually pretty simple. Choose to be happy.
How to get happier:
1. Gratitude. Being grateful is a great attitude adjustor. We have so many things to be thankful for. Thank your taxi driver for bringing you home safely. Thank your mailman for bringing your mail. Thank God for being alive.
2. Less news. News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can’t start their day without their daily dose of news. But if you think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news does not seem like a very sensible thing to do.
3. Spirit connection. A religious or spiritual connection is also recommended. Being an integral part of a group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers or meditations fosters inner peace.
4. Time management. Manage your time. Time is invaluable and much too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involve scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill set. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to give you that extra reserve to produce the results you desire.
5. Humor. Laugh and laugh heartily every day. “Laughter is the best medicine.”
6. Express yourself. Express your feelings, affection, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Try not to keep anger pent up or spend a lot of time in frustration. This is bad for your health. Instead, find methods of expressing yourself in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt anyone.
7. Passionate work. Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us, they gives us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel are worthy of your time.
8. Never stop learning. Learning is a joyful exercise. Try to learn something new everyday. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons. And it can also lead to more opportunities in the future.
9. Exercise, get outside. Run, jog, walk and do things that your body was made for. Feel alive. Avoid exposure to negative elements as much as possible. Avoid loud noises, toxins and hazardous places.
These are a few of the simplest things you can do everyday to be happy. And always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln; he says that “most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
What do you do for your happiness boost?
Related Posts
1. Know Your Stress, and Defeat It
2. 6 Ways to Combat the Negativity of Others
3. Gratitude: Not Just for Holidays
4. Time Management: Finding the Time
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/floato/424607547/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Self-motivation: Alphabetically
Action, looks, words, steps, form the alphabet
by which you may spell character.
~ Johann Kaspar Lavater
Pain is often the main reason that most people choose to change. Getting poor grades makes us realize that we need to study. Deabt reminds us of our inability to maintain a budget. Being humiliated gives us a nudge to speak up and fight for ourselves to save face from future embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie or an inspiring book that will help you get up and get just that right amount of motivation you need in order to improve yourself.
With the countless negatives the world brings about, how do you stay motivated?
Here’s a quick list to combat negativity:
A. Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” I know, that’s two ways….
B. Believe in yourself and in what you can do.
C. Change the way you think. Consider things from every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you must be able to use more than one perspective.
D. Don’t give up and don’t you dare give in. Thomas Edison failed many times before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Keep motivation as your steering wheel.
E. Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you’ve never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. That’s part of an Irish saying. Motivation takes place when people are happy.
F. Family and friends first. These are life’s greatest gifts and treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.
G. Give more and give more than you get. Motivation and self improvement take place everywhere, when you exert extra effort in doing things especially for others.
H. Hold fast to your dreams. Hang in there. They may dangle just out of reach for a moment, but these little stars will be an important part of your driving force.
I. Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people get the best of you. Stay away from toxic people. Distance yourself from the kinds of friends who hate to hear about your success.
J. Just be yourself. Be you! The key to success is to be yourself. The key to failure is to try to please everyone.
K. Keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When you remain motivated, eventually you will see the hard things in life begin to clear out, paving the way to self improvement.
L. Learn to love yourself.
M. Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.
N. Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.
O. Open your eyes, mind and heart. Be available to learning. If you don’t like the way something is going, change it or change your attitude.
P. Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets you learn by repetition and correction. We learn; we can recover from our mistakes.
Q. Quitters never win. And winners never quit. Trite, I know. Choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter or a winner?
R. Ready yourself. Motivation is about preparation. You must hear the little voice within you, telling you to get started. Learn, prepare, and get ready for where you want to be. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
S. Stop procrastinating!
T. Take control of your life. Discipline or self control works with your motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.
U. Understand others. Being able to speak well is great, but you must also learn how to listen well. Seek to understand first and to be understood second.
V. Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on dry land, you aren’t going anywhere. See what you want vividly. Then go after it.
W. Want it (whatever it is for you) more than anything else. Dreaming means believing. And belief in yourself will drive you to self improvement.
X. X-Factor is what will make you different from the others. It keeps you, you! When you are motivated, you tend to find time for the “extras” in your life. Extras like, extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends and so on, believe it!
Y. You are unique. No one in this world looks, thinks, speaks or acts exactly like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once. Choose wisely and spend it well.
Z. Zero in on your dreams like a laser beam and go for it!!! Life is about choices. Everything we do, every choice we make propels us forward. Be certain it’s where you want to go.
This list is by no means exhaustive. What would you add to this list?
Better yet, make your own list and share it with us.
Related Posts
1. Think Differently –> Be Different
2. 6 Ways to Combat the Negativity of Others
3. 5 Ways to change your perspective
4. 10 Steps to recovering when things go bad
5. Self-Discipline: Building yours up
6. Why Self-Improvement Is Important
7. Just Look
8. Improve Your Visualization Skills
9. Boost your belief in yourself in 7 steps
11. How to “Improve” Your Intuition
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Fibroids
What are fibroids?
The Latin name for fibroids is, Leiomyomata Uteri. Uterine Fibroids are growths in the womb (uterus) they are made up of muscle and other types of tissue. Fibroids all most never develop into cancer. Uterine fibroids are very common in women of childbearing age. No one knows the definitive cause of fibroids.
Fibroids affect more than 1 in 5 women under the age of 50. They are the cause of about 3 in every 10 hysterectomies. Hysterectomy is surgery to remove the uterus (womb).
Who is at risk for fibroids?
- African American women have a greater risk than Caucasian women.
- Women who are overweight have greater risk than those who are not.
What are the symptoms of fibroids?
Many women don’t feel have no symptoms at all. If you are without symptoms you you may not even know that you have fibroids. Fibroids however, can be the cause some of the following symptoms:
- Heavy bleeding or painful periods
- Bleeding between periods
- Feeling “full” in the lower part of your abdomen or belly
- Needing to use the bathroom more often
- Pain during intercourse (sex)
- Low back pain
- Not being able to conceive; infertility
- Delivering prematurely or miscarriage
- Early labor during pregnancy
Where do fibroids grow?
Fibroids can grow in different parts of the uterus. They can be located:
- Inside the wall of the uterus.
- From the wall of the uterus outward into the lower pelvis and abdomen.
- From the wall of the uterus inward, toward the lining of the uterus. This is the type of fibroid that most often causes issues with heavy or prolonged bleeding.
Will I need a hysterectomy (removal of uterus or womb)?
If you need treatment, speak with your physician to see what form of treatment is best for you. Hysterectomy is not the best choice for every woman. A woman obviously would not consent to this treatment if her desire is to have more children.
What if I still want to have a child?
In some cases, fibroids can stop a woman from conceiving (getting pregnant), or with carrying a pregnancy to full term. There are several ways in which fibroids can be treated that may assist in achieving or maintaing pregnancy. These treatments can often improve your chances of having a successful pregnancy.
The form of treatment depends on several different factors:
- Do you have symptoms?
- Do you want to have children?
- How large are the fibroids?
- What is your age?
Treatment choices can include:
- Pain medications
- Shrinking the fibroids without surgery
- By decreasing the blood flow to them, uterine artery embolization
- By destroying the fibroids with heat, magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound
- Surgery performed to remove fibroids without taking out the remainder of the uterus, called a myomectomy
- Hysterectomy. Hysterectomy may be a good choice if:
- You have no desire for further childbearing AND you are having significant problems from the fibroids, such as pain
- OR, your periods are heavy causing anemia
You should discuss all of your options thoroughly with your physician.
Do fibroids cause cancer?
Fibroids very rarely become cancerous. Having fibroids also does not increase your risk of getting other kinds of cancers in the uterus.
Will they ever go away?
Fibroids usually stop growing and may even shrink after menopause “The Change of Life.” But keep in mind that most women choose to take some form of HRT (hormone treplacement therapy), at least for a short period of time in early menopause. This hormone replacement may cause the fibroinds to grow again.
Thoughts?
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* Disclaimer: The information in this article is to be used for general informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of professional medical advice. If you have further specific questions you are urged to consult with your personal physician for additional information.
photo credit: cover “The Female Patient” Magazine October, 2010
Being Judgmental: The costs and benefits
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to
an understanding of ourselves
Being quick to judge other people is a fairly common mistake that we all make. Although we do this for a variety of reasons, it can cause challenges for us and for others. A lot of this happens because of the ways in which our brains operate. Especially when we have idle times, it is simply a non-productive habit that people easily fall into.
Why do we do this?
1. Assumptions. We are prone to mistaken assumptions about almost everything. Most people have strong views regarding issues in which they have zero practical experience. Whether you want to discuss vegetarianism, living the lifestyle of a monk or even space aliens, nearly everyone you speak to will have a pretty strong opinion, even when they have no real experience with any of these topics.
This happens in part because we get so much of our information and knowledge second hand. Keep in mind that many of the sources we rely on every day are likely derived in the same way, from someone else.
2. Patterns. We humans have patterned-seeking brains. When you are exposed to something new, your brain naturally seeks to connect it to something that you already know. This is often valuable and provides a sense of certainty and predictability. It helps you deal with the world.
However, these connections aren’t always sufficient to provide an accurate opinion. A degree of error is always brought into your “rough calculations” and then the resulting conclusions that you make have an even larger degree of error. Being quick to believe that your totally unrelated experience is a valid place from which to draw conclusions is usually your first error, and then it can only expand from there.
The perils of being judgmental
Being judgmental is hazardous both to you and to others. When you hold inaccurate opinions and share them, you steer other people in the wrong direction along with yourself. You also prevent yourself from being open to receiving new ideas and new opportunities. A high degree of self-awareness is needed to recognize when you’re wandering off the path.
How do you stop being judgmental?
The first suggestion is that you try suspending your judgment. The real key to unearthing your mistaken assumptions or incorrect pattern recognition is self-awareness.
Learn to recognize when your knowledge and relevant experience are lacking. Try asking yourself a few questions.
- What knowledge do I have that allows me to have this opinion?
- Is this knowledge valid? Is it true?
- Am I really an expert on this topic?
- Is my ego involved?
When to use your judgment?
But judgment, all by itself is not bad, The issues start when you act on or pass on faulty or flawed information. On the other hand, careful judgments can be beneficial for us. After all, what you choose to wear and eat every day requires a judgment call. So how do you know if your views and decisions are solid?
The answer to this is really quite simple. Ask yourself: How accurate are my predictions? If you can anticipate outcomes well for a given topic, you can feel confident that your judgment is pretty good.
If a situation doesn’t involve risking your health or someone else’s, try to hold off on forming a strong opinion, until you’ve actually given the new activity a try. How often have you stopped yourself from trying something new because you had already made up your mind that it wouldn’t work?
You will be amazed at how your life will blossom when you cultivate an open mind and stop pre-judging everyone and everything.
Until you value yourself, you will not value your time.
Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.
What have you recently made an assumption about that turned out to be totally wrong?
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/skambalu/3393561674/sizes/z/in/photostream/
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Improve Your Visualization Skills
Visualization is daydreaming with a purpose.
~ Bo Bennett
Visualizing is an important part of manifesting any goal. As with anything else, there are ways of using this technique that are more effective than others. This process may be a little more involved that what you’re currently doing to accomplish your objectives, but don’t let that stop you. Practicing will only require 5-10 minutes each day, and the results are well worth the effort. Let’s get started and make something happen!
Use realistic visions
First, be thorough. Envisioning yourself accomplishing your objective is just the beginning. To be thorough, visualize your life as a whole, including all the changes that would result from achieving your objective. By doing this, you make your vision real enough to have significant effects.
For example, imagining a big pile of cash on your dining room table isn’t enough to achieve greater wealth. If you really did have that much money, would you really have it piled up on your dining room table? That’s not a very likely scenario. You’d probably have a bank statement or brokerage statement that showed your huge balance.
Also, begin to consider everything else that would change in your life. Would you still be going to work every day? Would you be working in the same place? Would you be living in the same house? Drive the same car? Hang out with the same people?
Use the passion
Use whatever comes to mind. While visualizing, you’re likely to feel certain emotions. These emotions are the key to predicting your ultimate success. If you feel confident and excited during your visualization process, you’re well on your way. However, if you feel any negative emotions, you have more work to do.
Try to determine the cause of any negative feelings you have about your desires and deal with them. Keep a list of the issues that arise and make a plan to address them.
Practice
Visualize frequently. You can’t expect much if you only practice once a week. A good rule to follow is two times a day, minimum. The best times are while you’re in bed: first thing in the morning and just before you fall asleep. You mind tends to be more open and relaxed at these times.
Journal
Write it down. Avoid trying to keep everything in your head. At least once a week, write out your visualization and be as detailed as you possibly csn. What are your thoughts? How do you feel? What do you see, hear, taste, feel and smell? It is also worthwhile to read your visualization aloud at least once a day. The more senses and learning modalities you use, the better.
Imagine your dreams coming to life. Read them to yourself like a story. And read them out loud so you hear them, too. This is much more effective than just occasionally daydreaming about your goals.
Visualization is a powerful tool when used properly. If you incorporate twice-daily visualization into your routine, you’re bound to see some significant results pretty quickly. And remember, visualize your entire life with all of the new change in place, not just the change itself. The more complete the visualization, the better the results. Add this to your arsenal for achieving your goals, you will be amazed.
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcarlosn/3849397655/sizes/z/in/photostream/
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracy_olson/61056391/sizes/z/in/photostream/