Monday, April 7, 2014

SMS pt2: Do you mind?

It's been said a mind is a terrible thing to waste...has yours been trashed already?

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
#verseOfReflection
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.

In part one of the Source of My Stress series, I discussed how stress for me invariably came from two key frontiers; faith and learning. Throughout the process of dealing with many health issues that's been discussed in other entries I had a heck of a time trying to do the simplest of tasks. Elementary math computations were difficult to "push through". I could understand something and when trying to think back through it in my head, all I came to know was a fog. This is what it can be like when we don't take care of our minds. When stress and other factors began to run and ruin our lives for us. It's important to take care of ourselves in entirety but especially what's in between our two ears. Without that, we practically cease to function.

For me I fear the worst thing a person of old age can experience is the debilitation of their mind. What was all so familiar becomes the foundation for dreams turning into nightmares. Lovers and friends take their newly found roles as blurs in time and space. In taking care of our minds we can also "expand" the power of them; growing them through constant feeding and proper care. If you've never experienced what it's like to be mentally incapacitated even to a small degree, I pray you never have to. It can be some of the toughest moments of your life, not to mention shameful in a sense.

It's known to many that exercise has many health benefits. Did you know one of the main benefits is that it can get you thinking?! The more you exercise, the more oxygen and blood flows, meaning more "power" for your cranium. People tend to be more creative and adaptive in their thinking when they're able to think more freely due to less stress. At times when I would hit mental walls over the smallest stuff I would always think to myself, "If I could just exercise, break a sweat...I'll be good. This can be better!" Once I finally did start exercising again there were small improvements...if only I had done it sooner.


Another great way to help put your mind to better use is through meditation. Growing up I had a slightly ignorant view of meditation. There were always the stereotypes of people sitting down with their legs crossed and their fingers in an "Ok" type of fashion. We never really learned about any of this in school. At times in the Christian community it almost seemed as if meditation was a bad word. Later on in life, especially with certain spiritual experiences I came to understand that there are a variety of ways people meditate, some with the intent of being on the extreme end of meditation (or what some may consider extreme). Undoubtedly, many religions and faith walks include some type of meditation even if it is just learning how to focus or quiet your mind. For Christians this is extremely important when it comes to things like prayer or being open to hear from God; verbal or otherwise.

I remember being at a Christian camp one summer and we were told that we were going to practice meditating. I had never done it before, so I sat with my legs crossed and had my fingers give the "Ok". Somebody else followed me in doing such until a counselor suggested that it was a no-no. Yet they never explained why. In some forms of meditation people are trying to transcend the limitations of humanity/physical experiences to be in touch with some higher power(s). This may include euphoric trances...and many other conditions/stylings I won't go into here. The main thing to keep in mind, is no matter what you do ALWAYS do research first. You never know what you might be opening yourself up to. Generally speaking it's a good rule of thumb to have knowledge/understanding before moving forward in decisions, especially ones that include life change or alternatives that you aren't used to.

Prayer, quiet thoughts, sitting in silence, spending time in nature (especially green spaces and on/near water) are examples of meditations that you can do and places you can go. One of the greatest experiences for me as a spiritual person is knowing that I don't get ran "ragged" by everything going on in my life because I have no problem completely stopping everything to go sit and be. Take a walk just because without a goal in mind. Drive to the park just to sit and observe life around me. It's one of the wisest things you can do for yourself and teach others to do as well. Gives a certain perspective and provides the opportunity to access your life in more realistic terms because you are able to crowd out the noise.

I know of stories where successful people (in what ever line of work they perform) get up early and meditate (some form of quietness mixed with being still or intentional focus). As a Christian this is when I usually do a morning devotional time. There's prayer, reading of scripture, just sitting and thinking on the goodness of God. The key for me (and many) is starting the day off right. Want to know how your day will be? Look at how you started it! What's even more impactful is incorporating small breaks/quiet times throughout the day to keep you going. Imagine if you could break your day up into 3 segments (e.g. Morning, Mid-day, Evening) and meditate in some form or fashion, allowing yourself to recenter, refocus, and restart from that point forward.

The Bible talks a lot on our thoughts, minds, habits. There's a reason for that. Everything we do starts/finishes in our mind. Your thoughts are more powerful than you know. Some suggest that we are even able to (at times) effect what happens in our lives. Beyond an "esp" functionality, it makes sense that if we are positive and think positively, there's a chance we'll find positivity in everything we say and do (as well as with others).

Just really want you to think on how important it is to take care of your mind and putting meditation/quiet time to work for you. There's this idea of mindfulness which is now being taught in some school districts to help children learn how to focus, among other things.


P.S. Massages are awesome for "letting go" as well. Trust me ;-)

Do you have any tips for meditation, staying calm, and/or improving focus?
Share below in the comments section.

Sumthn2Ponder (s2p):
  • How do I meditate?
  • What's stressin me out?
  • When will I learn to get some (peace and) quiet?

In case you need it

You are My Peace Instrumental (Juanita Bynum)