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sleep meditation Tips For Coping With Loneliness

Meditation music is music performed to aid in the practice of meditation. It can have a specific religious content, but also more recently has been associated with modern composers who use meditation techniques in their process of composition, or who compose such music with no particular religious group as a focus.

brain wave frequency | guide to meditation
Loneliness can be felt at any point in life. You may lead a very active and socially full life, and yet feel lonely in a crowd. The point is, that one has to realize that you are your best friend. You cannot rely on any one or two individuals to constantly shepherd you, hear you out, or even agree with you on any single point. In fact, if you are lucky to have even one good friend who can understand you and be there for you 24 hours a day and seven days a week, then you are indeed very blessed.

With age and children leaving the nest, most women find themselves caught in a quagmire of anxiety, hopelessness and despair. If they dig a little deeper, they will find out that all the energy spent on negative thinking, can be turned around, and that children leaving the parental home does not spell the end of life. Allow yourself the liberty of dreaming pleasant thoughts when the time comes to wave off your young ones off to college. Imagine what all you dreamed of doing while they were around you, but couldn’t do, due to their schooling and other responsibilities. Realize that of course, you (and your spouse) will continue being good parents, and always be there for your children, to guide them and encourage them at any given point.

Rediscover yourself with engaging in your hobbies. Remember the time you had always wanted to complete and oil painting but couldn’t, due to your constant preoccupation with the children? Or the musical instrument you always wanted to learn to play, but couldn’t, due to the paucity of time? Or the time when you and your husband or your best friends always wanted to go on a particular sightseeing trip, but were tied up again, due to kids and their never ending responsibilities? Of course, time can’t grant you your days of youthfulness again, but learn to feel thankful that, having done your work of parenting so successfully when it was required the most, you are now free to pursue your dreams, and live life exactly the way you want it.Keeping your mind distracted with mentally stimulating work and good company of family and friends is a must to ward off any negative thoughts that may prove to be roadblocks on your way to a happier and fuller life, at this point. Pay attention to your health, both mental and physical, for they are the keystones on which our lives revolve. Avoid people with whom you do not share a comfortable relationship with: for they will only underline your need to feel low. Life is beautiful at any stage: it is up to us to finish this grand canvas with a flourish. Meditation, exercise, a bit of spirituality and acceptance will make it all the more easier to keep the machinery of our lives well greased to the end. Maturity, courage, a calm mind, and a steady will, are the positive fall outs of having a great attitude toward life in general, and dealing with ourselves in particular. Having said this, there is no need to let loneliness get the better of you.
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

Types of meditation
Loving-kindness meditation. With the many types of meditation to try, there should be one to suit most individuals. …
Body scan or progressive relaxation. …
Mindfulness meditation. …
Breath awareness meditation. …
Kundalini yoga. …
Zen meditation. …
Transcendental Meditation.

Meditation is a habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. You can use it to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Many people think of it as a way to reduce stress and develop concentration.
Basic meditation music simply provides a way for an individual to go deeper with their meditation by adding a new layer to their experience. … Unlike many other music forms, the binaural beats work with the brain to develop a frequency most associated with relaxation.

meditation music Deep Breathing for Yoga or Meditation

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It is natural to breathe using the diaphragm or lower abdomen. If you watch babies, you will see that they breathe this way. As we get older, stress and inactivity cause us to draw shorter, shallower breaths. These short breaths use only the upper chest instead of the lower abdomen. In times of stress the abdominal muscles tense up and make it almost impossible to breathe deeply and naturally. At first, the shock your body feels because of the increased oxygen intake during deep breathing exercises, may cause you to feel some dizziness.

A short breathing exercise:

Close your eyes, and hold your hands over your lower abdomen. Breath in deeply through your nose while you slowly count to 4. Feel your belly push out on your hands. Let the air in your abdomen expand your belly without any muscle tension. Breathe out through your mouth, feeling your hands moving back into your body.

Repeat this pattern until you feel peaceful, calm, and relaxed.

You may find it helpful to play calming and relaxing music during this exercise.
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

brain waves Keys To Peak Performance

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Many associate peak performance with an event of task, and whilst that is true as far as it goes, the concept of being at your best goes far beyond a task or an event. It is a process of being.

What are the essential ingredients to peak performance with regards an event like a sports match or athletics race? Much is spoken about having a winning mentality but what does that actually mean?

Winning mentality is characterised by a desire to win along with an enduring belief that one can win. However, desire and belief can be somewhat incremental and come in degrees, so it is important to have strength of desire and belief such that you can overcome challenges and navigate past disappointments.

The importance of knowing yourself cannot be emphasised enough, not just in terms of your ability, but your capacity as well. The issue of capacity is not just about knowing what conditions help you perform to your best and what conditions hamper that.

It is also about how well you harness your inner resources to perform any task, action or event to maximum effect.

Marilyn King is an interesting example in kind. Marilyn King was a pentathlete back in the 1980’s, and many predicted she would win a gold medal in the Olympics.

Unfortunately several months before the Olympics Marilyn was involved in an accident that required her to be hospitalised for a while. Her participation in the Olympics was thrown into doubt. Few gave her a chance of winning a medal even if she recovered in time.

Whilst her accident and subsequent hospitalisation put her back a couple of months in training, somehow she not only recovered but actually went on to win a medal.

When asked how she performed this somewhat miraculous feat, Marilyn explained that during her time in hospital she mentally rehearsed her training routine every day. This intensive visualisation of practising to win, in her mind, allowed her body to catch up with her mind when she returned to training.

Top performers in sports, business and life understand that peak performance is not just about physical practice of a task or drill.

They understand that they need to master their emotions, spirit and mind, in such a way that their actions and performance are supported and fuelled by the resultant cohesive inner energy.

Most people are ‘also rans’ because they are familiar with the principles of peak performance yet do not embrace it habitually in their lives, yet expect great results.

There is a difference between familiarity and the knowing that comes from effective application.

Peak performers also understand that energy can be subtle. For example in order for Marilyn King to be effective with her visualisation, she had to practise how to access a deeply relaxed state.

Relaxation is a key to peak performance. For those who have studied this subject you will know that a little rush of adrenaline is good, but in excess, anxiety manifests.

During my years in psychiatry and my on-going practice as a coach in football and in life, I have observed many who have professed to be relaxed, yet their body language has not backed this up.

Relaxation is very much about letting go and being present. The more self-aware you become the more you will detect the more subtle layers of anxiety.

When you think about it we live in a society where we are exposed to so many mixed messages and differing expectations from the TV and advertisements. This can be compounded by some of the unhelpful conditioning we may have accrued in the younger years.

It would make sense that many carry a subtle tension in their system that is cumulative from years of conditioning, yet feels so normal to them that they do not recognise the existing tension.

Relaxation is both an art and science and is a powerful key to peak performance and creativity. Meditation remains a powerful vehicle for accessing deeper states of relaxation that are conducive to peak performance, and this was a key resource I employed during my football career as well as my profession.

Brain wave entrainment is another, more passive form of meditation for those who struggle with manual meditation, because it trains your brain to access the relaxed, aware state called alpha.

If you like the ideas of music combined with brain wave entrainment, then take a look at the super mind music series. You can hear samples of different tracks before you buy.

I practice relaxation daily and recommend you do so too, whether you have a big dream or not. Your day to day quality of life will be greatly impacted, as you develop greater resourcefulness.

A book I would recommend that expands on relaxation, and provides alpha techniques and exercises is Psycho- cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz.

My Personal Best Coaching helps people set personal best landmarks in different areas of their lives, and learn to excel beyond them, so that they can live and enjoy life to the full now. The ‘personal best’ training and coaching also helps them achieve peak performance required to achieve their dreams or goals in record time.
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

meditation music Music For Stress Management

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Music moves us – listening to a sad song can make us feel melancholy, soft jazz piano can calm and soothe us, and rock can make us feel strong, excited, even free. Music has been proven to speed healing, is used in malls to put us in the mood to buy, in churches for inspiration and much more. So can you use music to influence your mood and lower your stress in your daily life? Absolutely.

First, consider your general mood. Are you normally stressed, happy, positive, sad, angry, fearful, even shy? Are there consistent times in your life that you would like to change your mood – maybe the drive home from work, or getting up in the morning, or maybe you stress at night, laying in bed, tossing and turning?

For me…it’s that low energy time around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. I’ve usually been working since six in the morning or so, and I need a little pick up. For me, it could be a little Van Halen or White Snake, or maybe a little Santana. Other people may prefer some upbeat jazz, or pop music. It doesn’t really matter, as long as it makes you feel good.

How does music influence our mood like this?

There are many ways music influences our mood. Music is energy – vibrations that have a certain frequency. As we listen to the music, our brainwaves may adjust to match the vibrations of the music. This is why music can be very effective for meditation and hypnosis, it can actually “entrain” the brain to enter a deeper, or more relaxed, aware state.

Your memories may also be part of the influence of music. Many times, the brain stores emotion alongside memories – if a song makes you blue, you might remember a time when you were really sad, and that song came on the radio, virtually anchoring itself to that sad feeling. Your brain would create a direct link between the song and the emotion, so every time you hear the song, that emotion is accessed as well.

Words can also have a large effect on us…there may be words in the music that really resonate with you, like in some inspirational songs. You may relate to the story of a song because of a similar experience. These things can strike a chord (pun intended) with you and alter your mood.

Many people listen to music in the background while they work, drive or do other things. They are not focused on the music, but their inner mind does take it in. If you listen to music with negative or harsh words or themes, you might want to consider that many times when listening to music, people have a tendency to enter into an altered state of awareness. The conscious mind is distracted with work, but the subconscious, or inner mind, is recording and storing it. This can actually cause you to feel more stress. If you listen to a lot of negative music or other media, consider that it can have a negative effect on your beliefs, thoughts, feelings and actions. Of course, listening to positive music can have a positive effect on your beliefs, thoughts feelings and actions.

You can use music as a tool to help you achieve the feelings that you want. If you want to have a more relaxed environment at work, play music that calms you and helps you to focus. There is music that is specifically designed to help you meditate, coaxing your brainwaves into a specific pattern. You can play upbeat music when cleaning the house or exercising. If you’re feeling down you can listen to inspirational music.

Music can have a big influence on your mood, increasing your ability to relax, making you feel good, increasing your focus and much more. When you choose music for yourself and the people around you, consider how you want to feel, then choose music that can help produce that feeling.
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

sleep meditation Is Loneliness a Natural Part of Creativity?

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Are creatives different?

If you are passionate about an idea you are focused on being it and doing it and sharing it to the exclusion of a lot of other things. For instance, my choices, my interests and the way I spend my time are all influenced by my massive need to learn and teach. It takes the form of writing and coaching. If you are heavily in touch with your creative side for most of your life you may have felt that you are noticeably different or outside the main stream. And the truth is, if you are going to respond to your creativity and inner passion you have to spend time alone. You have to listen to your inner wisdom and you have to be true to yourself. As you stand firm in your individuality some people will be drawn to you and others will not. There is definitely alone-ness in following the beat of your own drummer.

What happens when you answer the creative muse?

When the idea for this article hit me I was watching The View where all three guests indicated there was loneliness in their lives. Danielle Steel writes all the time and has four or five books going at once. She has been married five times, has raised nine children and has still managed to write nearly 120 books. Lady Gaga writes her own music and designs her incredibly imaginative costumes and sets and of course performs on tour and records. There is no question that creativity requires devotion and commitment.

I definitely identified with their loneliness so I leaped over to my computer to see what I could discover about the relationship between creativity and loneliness. And that very drop-everything-and-go-write choice is a perfect example of answering the muse to the exclusion of all else. I was excited about the idea, I needed to explore and see what I could discover about the topic of loneliness and I needed to write it right now. So I did. I am sometimes even pulled out of my daily meditation by a thought that calls me to action right that minute. I have been casually reading articles that posed a question I wanted to answer for myself and immediately began to explore it by writing down my thoughts and responses. When the urge to create comes upon you nothing else matters. You answer the muse.

Creatives keep open to inspiration

As a creative you are open to new ideas. You are not looking for anything in particular you are just tuning into that powerful internal response that says “I need to explore that idea.” When I read I write down phrases that inspire me. Sometimes an idea presents itself that one of my coaching clients can use so I sit down and develop it in a form to share with them. Today when a bird was having breakfast at the birdfeeder outside my window I wondered about how its day was going and how could I write a bird story as a teaching example. Or how could I look at the freedom of a bird’s life and apply that to my own? Creatives see opportunities everywhere, all the time.

You gotta love the excitement of your thought process

Creative people are passionate. They love to explore and examine and contemplate. And they have a very strong desire to share what they know and learn with others. My highest moments are when I’m creating a new teaching product, writing down something I know that I want to share with others. That discovery process, those decisions I must make, the results I know I can accomplish and the product I uncover are a natural high that I cherish. In fact, as I’ve watched my mind work to uncover a new idea and turn it into a valuable information product I’ve created my own content development system around the process that I can teach others. Our minds are amazing and using it to discover, uncover and create is totally satisfying.

And then there is the great joy of creating something from nothing!

I took a painting class. It had been a long time since I’d tried to paint and I was never very good at it but I craved creativity. The class began with a blank canvas and when I finished there was a pastoral scene that had not existed before! Not a great one, but from nothing had come something. It was totally satisfying. My mind, my imagination had visualized a scene and turned it into a tangible picture that allowed me to share my vision. That’s what creativity is all about – pulling your ideas from within and putting them in a form to share with others.

Rejoice in the amazing things you learn

If you want to learn more about something write about it. Whether it is an article like this that explores an idea that interests me or the contemplation of a new personal development course I have yet to create, the mere holding of an idea in my consciousness brings answers and resources from every corner. If you want to learn – teach.

You must bring your ideas to others

If you are inspired by something, if you are passionate about a topic, if you have ideas on how to help others get excited too, then you need to bring your ideas to those people. Whether you write or teach or make a video or give a talk, as a creative you need to share your ideas and thoughts.

And you do not have to be alone in your creativity. The internet is the great connector. I can find like-minded people all over the world. I can read what they say or connect with them in person. I can talk to people in England and Egypt and Australia and it makes the world seem smaller and friendlier. I can share my ideas to a much larger audience and have a greater chance of connecting with people who share my interests. The world is our creative connection. But first you have to put your ideas out there so others can find you.

Are we lonely?

We are alone that’s for certain. We are alone when we write our article. We are alone when we plan our telecourse. We are alone when we create time to go within and listen. We constantly make choices that honor and nourish our creativity. I’d much rather spend the morning exploring a new idea than visiting with a neighbor. I’d much rather read something that inspires me and makes me want to go teach that idea to others than work at something confining and repeatable. I cannot be in groups where the conversations are stories of the past. I want to talk about what you are thinking and doing right now to make your world interesting and vital and meaningful. Not everyone can do that. So yes, by the very nature of my creativity I choose to be alone – alone with my thoughts, my ideas and my self-expression. As far as I’m concerned that is simply hanging out with an interesting me. I’m not lonely but I am often alone. Are you lonely in your creativity?

© 2011 Cara Lumen
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

meditation music What is Brain Waves Music?

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Meditation music is music performed to aid in the practice of meditation. It can have a specific religious content, but also more recently has been associated with modern composers who use meditation techniques in their process of composition, or who compose such music with no particular religious group as a focus.

binaural beats effects | guided meditation script
Brain waves music has been used for brain wave entrainment. For Brain waves music, it is the desired form of entrainment as it can be played in low frequencies to allow persons to allow themselves to concentrate. This can be achieved by meditations and yoga, but since very few people can perform yoga, this method can be done by every person. It enables a person to concentrate more by synchronizing the brain to produce low wave frequency while are ideal for relaxation and deep thought. A relaxed mind will enable a person to be calm in the face of challenge. It reduces stress and improves the physical health of a person. Music is a universal language and at least everybody can associate with a form of relaxing music. This is the reason why it is used in most brain entrainment session for achieving this state.

A great number of successful people in business, arts, theater, music, science, medicine, law and other areas can attribute the calm state of mind to their success. It has been said to help person to focus on what is important as opposed to trivial issues which come along the way to discourage them. This state of positivism in life is not inborn; it is as a result of cultivation of a relaxed state of mind to enable someone to focus on the goals they want to achieve. Most of these people are early achievers who beat the odds and succeed in places where their peers have not reached.

Brain wave entrainment, through brain waves music has been used to condition the main to maintain this positive outlook toward something no matter how great the odds are against a person. The maintenance of a calm state of mind allows them to focus and shun and negativity which may deter them from the goals.
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

sleep meditation Stress? Focus on Getting Good Sleep!

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Exercise is a pre requisite for good sleep. Experts have shown that 30 – 40 minutes of exercise in the evening after work significantly reduces adrenalin levels and raises serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is a well-known contributor to feelings of well-being in humans.

So, by helping yourself getting good sleep, you’re also helping your stress levels all because you follow a few basic steps and one of the most beneficial is to go for that 30 – 40 minute walk each evening. How easy is that? Come home have a bite to eat and go for a walk. You’ll feel great and you’ll give yourself a handy leg-up to getting a good night’s sleep.

Sleep is the best gauge of how much stress you have in your life. If you can drop off to sleep after a couple of minutes of going to bed and wake up refreshed and ready your your day, the chances are you manage your everyday stress well. However, if you wake up during the night to go to the toilet frequently, spend time tossing and turning (and worrying), or wake up tired, you are stressed.

You may have a stressful life and find managing that stress difficult so why not manage your sleep instead.

Prepare for your good night of sleep by doing the following:Exercise.
Think peaceful (sleep) thoughts before bed.Get into a routine, maybe warm milk, meditate, aromatherapy, massage.
Go to bed early and at the same time every night.Listen to soothing music.
Drink plenty of water during the day and not just before you go to bed.Monitor your sleepiness cycle during the evening; if you’re sleepy, go to bed.
Read a good book but no suspense, remember you’re trying to relax.

What NOT to do:

NO TV, crime programs, news, loud music for 1 hour before bed.
NO sugar, alcohol, tea, coffee, smoking or food.NO Computer games, Facebook, eBay or computing work.
NO clock radio.

Think about how your body works. It loves being habitual. The fact that you regularly go to bed at 11.30 pm is a habit, you can change it and this includes working and socialising. A good secondary gauge to the quality of our sleep is how we wake up. If you wake up tired, as if you had a hangover, you are probably stressed and you may want to consider a course in Vitamin C (see a Naturopath, health specialist or call me for more info).
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

relaxing music Is It Possible To Defeat Depression And Anxiety In Your Life? Most Certainly Yes – Here’s How

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Meditation music is music performed to aid in the practice of meditation. It can have a specific religious content, but also more recently has been associated with modern composers who use meditation techniques in their process of composition, or who compose such music with no particular religious group as a focus.

christian meditation | lg tone hbs 900
Everyone has stress in their lives – it does not matter how wealthy you are, where you live, what your convictions are or what you do for a living. Some choose to ignore stress without taking action, while some others plunge into the dungeons of depression and anxiety as a result stress in their lives and yet some others who choose to recognize that stress exists and are willing to take things head on, in an effort to mitigate the risk to themselves – physiologically and psychologically. As yourself a candid question – Which category do you fit in?

Stress is the root cause. Mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks and phobias are the by-products of that stress. When left untreated, such mental disorders can cause physiological damage to your body in addition to the strain on your psychological constitution. Coupled together, stress is the root cause behind millions of lives being extinguished all over the world before having the opportunity to shine. Stress is a silent killer and works almost like a slow poison, gradually consuming the core essence of your life.

A Physiological Interpretation of Stress

The human body is an amazing machine (not the right word, but you get the point). The ability to dynamically adjust the functions of our internal and external organs based on the environment is something that continues to awe even the most brilliant scientist in today’s techno-savvy world. While there are millions of miles to cover before we can understand our anatomy fully, over time we have gained a greater insight on how the environment we live in, our physiology and psychology works almost in tandem with each other and complement each other every moment of our mortal life.

A normally active person may feel that it is the end of the world for her if she is suffering from a temporary illness that keeps her confined to bed. It could just be flu or a bad cold, but the fact that just her physiology is not at its peak, also contributes to the feelings of depression and anxiety.

As another example, a person who had to relocate to a city where more days are overcast than sunny, just the gloomy weather in the region could be blamed for the stress in his life. Prolonged persistence of such weather patterns could cause depression and anxiety even though he is highly successful in his work or business.

When we are subjected to some abnormal conditions – physiologically or environmentally our brain senses that abnormality. As a result, it triggers the adrenal glands to generate more adrenaline in the bloodstream. The extra adrenaline increases the heart rate, dilates you blood vessels and sends your body into overdrive in an effort to get in more oxygen into your bloodstream. The purpose behind this hyperactivity is for you to get everything you need from within to help you remove the source of that abnormality. A typical example is when you are watching a suspenseful scene in a thriller movie. You feel that sudden adrenaline rush, which subsides automatically when the scene is over.

When left unattended, the hyperactivity in your body could lead to chronic stress, which in turn takes a toll on your physiologically. If you are unwell physically, it also affects your mental health.

Possible remedies

I am personally averse to medication of any kind, because I truly believe that we have the power within to heal ourselves from most ailments. However in the fast paced life that we live today it is difficult to stay away from medications for relief from panic attacks, phobias, depression and anxiety. Medications will provide temporary relief, but they are not long term solutions. You also run the risk of becoming addicted to medications in taken for extended periods of time. After a while the medication could start to lose its potency, since your body gets used to it. Under any circumstances, medications must be administered or prescribed by a qualified healthcare professional. One must refrain from over the counter medications for stress relief even if they are available where you live.

Non-invasive techniques are more preferred, in my opinion to seek a remedy for stress related disorders and they have little or no side-effects when done properly. Such techniques, such as aromatherapy, Yoga, Tai Chi, Acupuncture and acupressure, Meditation, Massage Therapy, Positive Distraction, Positive Rebounding, Music Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Psychotherapy have proven themselves to work wonders. Using these techniques it is possible to defeat depression and anxiety. Although the results are not evident overnight, these non-invasive techniques offer long term benefits by building your mental toughness to detect stress in its early stages and be able to ward off the ill effects well before they can grow any roots.

The secret is to be able to detect stress in its early stages, take action on how to mitigate the risk and develop that mental toughness to ward off the ill effects. When we succumb to stress we are living outside-in. The trick is to learn how to live inside-out so that you can manage stress and defeat depression and anxiety in your life.
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

brain waves Am I So Inadequate That I Am Depressed?

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I have heard it said that amazing opportunities appear when you make the decision to use a current challenge as a transformational opportunity. I also know it is not easy, how does one find the courage of their convictions to seek a pathway leading out of depressed states of mind? From a depressive state it is easier to stay in it, to wallow, to get more tired, more lethargic, arriving at a place hopelessness.

I had always believed the only way to process emotional shit was to wade through it. A bit like that boy in the movie Slumdog Millionaire, where the only way he held onto his dream was to push through the stench of his own, and others smelly crap. Finding hope is definitely not always a pleasant journey. Pulling yourself up from the bottom of the barrel, one inch at a time is tedious. At the end of the day though it has got to be worth reaching for, if we want to return to a ‘normal’ way of life.

There is no denying that sense of hopelessness and overwhelming despair when the odds are stacked against you, keeping you rooted in pain. Finding a way to step up and out of despair seems impossible from that place. In fact at times it is!

I know this because everything I attempted seemed to make no difference. My body felt heavy and dull and even though I went through the motions of going for a walk each day, I began experiencing pain on my left side. This resulted in my not being able to walk, and so rather than give up completely, I got on my bike and began pedalling.

This daily ritual of getting out in the morning first thing was ingrained and was very possibly the only thing that helped to keep me going through the motions of my day.

I kept meditating yet felt no change. I spoke to a friend about not being able to ‘feel’ anything anymore, how I was not in touch with who I thought I was anymore. How it seemed I could not even get emotional about anything. She was shocked to hear that, as it seems I come across so differently to others. She never perceived me in the same way as I did.

My thoughts were what was holding me to ransom. I had it in for life itself! It was with immense shock, one day when I realised that my mind was criticising, judging, condemning, despising and loathing everything and everyone, including myself. How was I to switch this demon off?

It is really debilitating to wake up, get out into the morning sun and have a mind overriding every action, scene and desire with such negativity. I realised there was no way I could get to where I wanted to be, from where I was! Boy, did I realise that. Yet I continued to consider at some level how I was going to shift the energy and find my way out of the hole I found myself in. I didn’t feel like I even knew who I was anymore. I really just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up.

I asked myself the question one day, “Is this depression? Is this what depression feels like?” The following week when I found myself pondering the possibility of depression again, I decided to seek help and go the Doctor and ask for a referral to a psychologist for counselling.

I was not liking who I was, where I was in my life and I was desperately wanted to find a way out of where I seemed to be anchored and somehow get in touch with myself and experience some joy in my life again.

What I acknowledged from the very first session with a counseller was how great I am at the art of denial and the art of resistance. How I have developed a masters degree in pushing stuff that does not feel good back down. No matter whether or not I like it, or whether I want to admit it, or not, all that ‘stuff’ from childhood, where as a little one I desperately sought some nurturing, reached for cuddles and a little tenderness from my mother to no avail, had to come up, had to be acknowledged, as being very much the missing link, from a mother who did not know how to be one. It left its mark, I carried that “unlovable” belief diligently from childhood into the present day.

Out of some misguided loyalty to my mother I held “unlovable” close to my breast and made it a self fulfilling prophecy. I have lived the life of a female on this planet acting as if it were true, deep, deep, way down. It was not as though I was conscious of this belief, yet my demon mind was never far away, willing to remind me that I was “unlovable”.

I even became an expert on receiving validation of that very belief. I became an expert at having relationships with men who abused me physically, mentally and emotionally, they were a dime a dozen. Takes one to know one! Talk about attracting others who knew the dance of disconnection too. It was easy to connect with those who were as disconnected as I was with my heart and self.

Furthermore by having affairs with men who were not available, I persistently received verification of my “unlovableness” when they returned to their former partner leaving me high and dry. I deliberately chose (at some level) to become involved with them, just so that when everything went awry I could once again justify that I did not deserve to be loved. No wonder I spent a good 30 years anaesthetising myself with alcohol and searching for love in all the wrong places.

Oh there is more, much more, and this is the work of life. There is much more stored deep down that my demon mind has repetitively told me over the years, that I have digested and resigned myself to as truth for all of my life. I am not even sure where those beliefs came from, in this moment. I do know that at some level they are what is holding me back, influencing my life and my ability or inability to be who I am meant to be.

I know that as an adult I would never push away or label a child, in the way I have done to myself. It is cause for immense sadness. A deep sadness that is rooted in the desire to unlearn, loosen and let go of the chains of belief that have bound me.

Until my relationship with myself is focused on being as respectful, honest and as loving as it can be each day, I cannot ethically ask it of another. No wonder I have remained single. I would never treat another as harshly as I treat myself. I don’t expect to become a saint overnight, but I do need to learn to be as loving and kind and patient with myself as possible every day, as I am with others.

Meditation, walking the beach, staring at the sky, listening to relaxing music all helps shift energy. It is calming. Lots of natural vitamins have helped me over the hump, a great alternative to anti-depressants. A slow process, yes. A necessary one though. There is light at the end of the tunnel and it feels so good, when are close enough to feel the warmth of it.
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.

relaxing music Searching For A Sound Spirit?

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Theories about left brain accountants vs. right brained poets aside, there is no doubt that anyone who takes up acting or jazz piano following-or parallel with–a structured and stressed work life can discover a gold mine of previously unknown personal talents.

It only requires a bit of ‘letting go,’ which can be frightening at first. Practices like meditation, exercise and expressive experimentation not only relax the mind and body, they open doors to networks of people and a myriad of positive opportunities.

Most of the fun comes in trying things you’ve never done before or doing old things in a totally new frame of mind. Either way the results are invariably gratifying.

Eliminate expectations about the results. If you want to paint, pick colors you like and let your brain go. If you’ve never touched a piano, put your hands on the keys and let them find notes. They will, and the moment your brain forgets about preconceived ideas about how you would sound if you were following the rules (or even knew them!) real music will flow through your fingers.

Take your digital camera to the park and leave the manual at home. Just push some buttons, turn some dials and play. Make this trip about seeing first, and taking pictures second. You may sense a moment that produces the picture of your life. Or, you may find a whole new style.

Want to write the world’s most unique poem or the new blog that will change everything? Sit down and write a page. Whatever comes to mind is fine. In fact, it’s perfect. Do it again when you feel like it. Who cares if it starts out looking like gibberish? What’s the matter with gibberish? No rules here. Just let go and write what comes out of your fingertips. When you forget about it, it will be there.

It’s simply not true that you cannot amaze yourself moment to moment. Love what you are doing and what you are doing will reward you. A single motivational quote may change your entire life. Read one now.

We have been led to believe that learning, particularly learning that returns material rewards, is a long, involved, painful and frequently expensive process. Educators and trainers are guilty of teaching an appreciation of difficulty as a prerequisite to achievement. I know. I was one. But I was wrong and I’ve changed my mind.

Your human spirit has access to a wellspring of fun, entrepreneurial and artistic accomplishments. The only prerequisite is desire. Future rewards might include money if you can let go enough to achieve the most important result of all. And that is pure unadulterated Joy.
Listening to music while you are meditating – not a good idea. … Anything you do with the thought that you are meditating is meditating. There are many ways to meditate. Personally, I find music to be distracting, but paying attention to sounds in your environment is part of insight meditation.