What do you guys do to clear your mind/meditate?
What do you guys do to clear your mind/meditate?
I've done box-breathing before presentations for work/school, but wonder what other methods are out there to clear your mind and relax.
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DISCLAIMER Meditation isn't for everyone. Meditation adverse effects are a thing. Know what's for you!
I start with box breathing (for a few cycles, until I can feel my mind and body relax), and then I go to normal breathing and focus on the breath, followed by whatever activity I find appropriate:
For general meditation, I just keep the focus on the breath, and if my focus shifts, I don't make a value judgment about it. I just return to the breath as the thought leaves on its own. These are what I do for short 5 min "resets" between things like work and school.
For grounding (when I have more time or require a deeper "reset"), I will focus on my body's connections to the elements (one at a time: the earth below me, the air through the breath, the fire in my cells, the water in my blood, and the "spirit" of my brain's awareness)
For active self-work, I will visualize a safe/protective scene (in my case, a grove), then close my "mind's eyes," losing the scene, and doing a Light Body exercise. I then re-open the scene and take notice of the differences. This way, I've been able to "spelunk" into deep parts of my mind, forgotten memories, trauma responses, etc. I will follow the scenery and see/hear whatever my brain is triggering, all in the safe confines of my little grove/surrounding area.
If you make it to a deep, meditative state, be sure to become fully aware of your body before trying to move around. You might be a bit groggy or fall over. Personally, I have to leave the deeper state and become aware of sitting in my grove, and then become aware of my actual body.
Be sure to write down or otherwise keep in memory the things you learn from your brain during meditation :)
Okay, I have to ask, what adverse effects can be caused by meditation? It seems so harmless?
Some people experience anxiety, pain, and psychosis, sometimes for long durations. If you want to dig deeper into this, do a web search for "meditation adverse effects" and you'll find a good bit of peer reviewed work in good quality journals.
I love meditation and it's a major help in my life, but I can't go around telling everyone it's for them, because data suggests it's definitely not for everyone! It seems to help most people though. Everyone's gotta know for themselves.
Wild. Never heard of this before.