Have you ever tried to meditate and found that while you weren't having much success in your meditation practice, you were getting plenty of practice in failing? Great, keep on failing!
There are a number of articles published on the effects of stress and burnout in nursing. If you haven’t read any of these articles, you’ve probably had your own experience with stress, if not in your workplace, then in your life. How do we deal with stress?
Your Nose: Your Ally in Managing Stress How many of you can say that a certain smell can trigger a thought or memory good or bad? My sister had great deal of difficulty with catholic school and the smell of chalk triggers anxiety for her. On the flip side, I remember my youngest commenting how much he loved coming home from college on his breaks because “it smelled like home.” Fragrances have a strong effect on our moods, emotions, and physiology and can leverage the intrinsic functioning of the limbic system to influence behaviors and moods. Science is recognizing the [...]
Do you ever get hung up on what you think meditation "is" and how you have to "be" when you meditate? If so, then think on this; meditation is simply, in its essence, a state of non-distraction.
How would you like to be able to take a "meditation break" at work...while you're still working. THAT is what meditation is, it's about learning how to keep your mind in a state of comfort and ease regardless of where you are...even at work!
While most spiritual traditions have contemplative or meditative practices, you don't have to be spiritual to use meditation. All you have to be is...human!
In this tip, we'll discuss how not to get caught in a box in how we meditate. Meditation is about thinking, and practicing, out of the box!
What you may find as you begin to meditate is that many of your habits of being distracted seem to get worse. You'll sit down to begin your daily practice of 20-minutes and before you know it, you've gotten up from your cushion or couch and are writing down your shopping list. Resistance happens because we're not used to just observing our usual mind, the normal mind that delights in being distracted with thoughts and emotions.
We’re wired for panic; deep within our genetics lies the physiological basis for us to respond to a threat to our well-being (think a saber-toothed tiger) with panic.
What kind of meditator are you? Have you never meditated? Or, do you have a practice but don't get as much time doing it as you wish? Perhaps you have a very stable meditation practice, but forget to use your mind well when you're off of your meditation cushion. Regardless of what your challenges are, there's an easy solution...just go for it!