"In mindfulness, you do not have to try and switch off your mind. Its restlessness is, itself, a gateway to mindfulness... this gives you the freedom to engage with life more skillfully-- dealing with looming difficulties before they seize control of the mind and your life".
Today is my second day of mindfulness training.
I choose to begin this 8-week journey that will hopefully begin a new lifestyle because it felt like I was beginning to lose control. It went from having a bad day every once in a while, to entire weeks... And eventually I was always tired, having low motivation and very forgetful. Scary shit. And on top of that, holidays are just around the corner. I wouldn't say I hate holidays, but they remind me of family. Family is a touchy subject. So needless to say, it's time to gain back control.
I'm in graduate school for physical therapy (only 4 more months until the end!) Therefore, being up to date on research is kinda a big deal. Meditation and mindfulness have bunches of evidence for helping to decrease chronic pain, depression, anxiety, hypertension, stress, and even boost the immune system. For some of my patients while on internship, I suggested meditation since it has proven to help the mind, body and spirit.
What a hypocrite I was. I wasn't meditating myself.
How can I help others if I do not help myself?
I promise these posts won't always be so depressing, but it's important (for me) to understand where I am coming from.
