Living with anxiety is one of the most exhausting, difficult and challenging things in life. Those of you out there who have been through it know exactly what that means. For my friends who have no clue what it is like to stay awake until the morning because your brain is 24/7 busy, constantly bombing you with uncomfortable questions, here’s the truth…
Anxiety is like going through hell. You are on fire, your skin burns, yet you are alive. You are there. And you are suffering. You feel the pain. It is more intense than anything else you’ve ever felt. What’s even more discouraging is the fact that you spend an awful lot of time not knowing how to help yourself…
Until one day you realize that all of this time, the power was within you…
The truth is, anxiety is only hard until you learn to cope with it.
I am not a life coach and I am certainly not a self-help guru. I am just a person who has been through the worst of anxiety, survived it and found a way to live with it. As simple as that.
It took me quite some time to learn how to control my thoughts each time they get overwhelmingly difficult. So, please. Let me help you.
One of the most important things that I’ve learned on my journey so far is that the best way to deal with all of the chaos around you is through finding your center and silencing your mind. If you pay closer attention to the way you behave and notice the things that happen to you, you will eventually realize that the only person responsible for the things that you are going through is, believe it or not, YOU.
It is our choice whether we’ll make peace with ourselves and become friends or we’ll keep torturing our minds and turn into our worst enemies. We can either be our own savior or the destroyer of our entire world.
One of the things that helped me become my best friend is meditation.
Yes, dear friend. You read it right. Meditation did for me what countless therapy sessions and conversations with people didn’t. But that’s just me. That’s what helped me stay afloat during the hardest times of my life and quite honestly, that is what’s still helping me stay sane these days…
Frankly, thinking back I have no clue what I’ve been doing with my life before that.
Anyhow, my point was… You don’t have to be a certified yogi, or a wellness teacher or a self-help guru or whatever to practice meditation daily. You don’t have to train in order to learn how to do it the right way. If you ask me, there is no right or wrong way to do that. So, don’t let that discourage you from trying.
If you feel like you are going out of your mind, especially with this whole pandemic emergency going on all over the world, just remember. You are not alone, but you are definitely the only person who can help you get through whatever you are going through.
With that being said, I see no reason why you shouldn’t start practicing meditation today.
First things first. Get comfortable. Lay somewhere comfy or sit. Whatever works for you is fine. Breathe in. Then breathe out. Close your eyes and focus on your body. Notice how the air slowly fills your lungs and then hold it in for a second before you slowly let it out once more. This is the moment when you have to try and disconnect from anything around you and focus only on your breathing.
Personally, I’ve found that it helps me when I play meditative, slow music, or some sounds, like waves, crashing, birds chirping, or fire crackling. Once again, everything works as long as it doesn’t distract you from your goal.
I know it’s hard to just ignore your thoughts and stop your mind from working. All I can say is, it takes time and patience. And a lot of work. So, if this is your first time and you’re feeling a bit lost, here’s a tip. Focus on your breathing. And by that I mean, focus yourself on the noise that you make as you inhale or exhale. Don’t pant, just breathe. And do it at your own pace. Think of a place that you’d rather be right now and keep breathing. Inhale positivity and exhale all the negativity accumulated inside your mind. And notice how with each breath, your body becomes lighter and lighter….
More importantly, make this little activity your daily routine. And put it high on your priority list.
If this helped me go through one of the most challenging periods of my life, then I am sure that it will also help you cope with whatever you’re going through.
Breathe. Remind yourself of all the things that life has given you and is constantly giving you and keep moving forward. We are all fighting a battle right now. The biggest one so far. And it is entirely up to us whether we’ll come out as winners or losers…
Hush your mind and let the soul speak.
