Day 6 Day 6

After you meditate take a few minutes a make a forum post on how it went. Did you have trouble meditating? Do you have any questions regarding how to do it? More importantly how did meditating make you feel?

I went to a guided meditation yesterday and I felt so relaxed afterwards. It's strange to have that feeling of calmness when usually I feel a little on the anxious side. I don't realize that I have that baseline anxiety until I actually get a break from it. My insomnia wakes me up at least 3 times during the night. The 2:30-3:30 is when my heart is usually racing. I want to start doing a short meditation when this happens to see if I can calm down enough to go back to sleep. I do find it hard to take the time to meditate. I think I am scared to sit still for too long. I also find that my mind does not focus. I know that practice is what will get me where I need to be, so, I will try to be more disciplined with the journaling and meditation when I wake up. AA

 

Don't worry. Meditating takes practice. It's natural for the mind to wander!

 

Hi, aa3405 and Lori.
Meditating is one of the best things we can do to TMS heal. It's easy for gurus sitting under a palm tree in their underwear because they don't have a mortgage or credit cards to pay, and they're not married so they have no spouse or children to feed or nurture. But they do know how to meditate, lucky fellas.

For we westerners, it isn't easy to tune out the world. Gurus don't watch television news or shows that are full of violence and sex. Their minds don't wander in those directions. We have to pull out minds into more peaceful, tranquil directions.

When I can't get to sleep or wake up during the night and can't get back to sleep, I try several things:
Deep breathing is one of the best. It has a natural and very profound way of relaxing us.
Visualize being in a beautiful, pastoral place like a sunny beach. Listen to the soft breeze in the trees and
the gentle lapping of waves from a river or lake on rocks near the beach.
Repeat a calming, reassuring mantra such as "I am at peace. I am falling asleep now."
I like the old one: "Every day in every way, I'm getting better and better."
If all else fails, I count backwards from 100 to 1. Usually by the second lap through, I'm asleep.

If that fails, although it rarely does, I get up and sew up some socks or tears in old pajamas.
Concentrating on sewing seems to put me to sleep.
Ouch! I just woke up from sticking a finger!