“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon — instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”
– Dale Carnegie
Many doctors now prescribe daily meditation to their patients as a critical component of getting and staying healthy. Meditation has been shown to lower levels of cortisol (the body’s main stress hormone), increase levels of dopamine (the neurotransmitter of pleasure), and boost GABA (the neurotransmitter of calmness). It has also been shown to help us sleep, improve digestion, lower blood pressure, and reduce inflammation, among other health benefits.
In addition to these excellent health benefits, perhaps the most valuable benefit is how meditation helps us manage our increasingly challenging world and the busy, modern lives we lead in a healthier way. And it doesn’t have to be complicated!
Learning to work with your mind more effectively can help you move through each day with greater ease, joy AND better health. The lessons below learned while practicing meditation can then be applied to your life as it is happening. That is the point of meditation — learning to live more mindfully. We can change our brains in positive ways to move through life in a healthier way. Here are two valuable lessons to help you live more mindfully each day:
#1 — Stay In The Sequence of Life
Much of our daily stress comes from our thoughts — thoughts about the future or the past, thoughts about ourselves and each other, thoughts about the world around us. Our thoughts trigger our bodies ‘ stress response and cause damage to our bodies. One essential daily practice to negate this harmful cycle is to be where you are and do one thing at a time.
When you are eating, enjoy eating (put down the phone and focus on the delicious food in front of you). When you are walking, just walk (feel your feet on the earth). When you are listening, just listen (feel the connection with those in front of you). Start to notice how quickly you move past the present moment (not paying much attention to it) to get to some future moment, and how often you miss what’s happening now. If you sink deeply into and stay in the actual sequence of your life, doing one thing at a time, you significantly reduce your stress and increase the joy that can be found right where you are.
The present moment is all you have and the only place you ever live. By paying attention to it, you boost your appreciation for all that you already have and find joy and contentment being just where you are — a much healthier way to live!
#2 — What Is the Scope of My Responsibility Right Now?
We also tend to overestimate our scope of responsibility at each moment. There is SO much that we cannot control and so much that we are not responsible for, yet we feel overwhelmed by our lack of control over so many things. This, again, causes us stress, poor sleep, digestive problems, and negatively impacts our health. When stressed, ask yourself, “What is the scope of my responsibility right now?” Recognize what you can and cannot control and let go of that feeling of being responsible for so much. Feel the freedom and lightness in that! This will benefit both your mental and physical health.
🙏,
Cheryl
Want to learn more about how to create a daily meditation practice? Join our Daily Morning LIVESTREAM Meditations! Or, enjoy over 200 recorded meditations in our Meditation Library! See all the details for all of our amazing upcoming programs on our website and start on your road to better health and well-being with us!