Relationships can turn poisonous or terminate suddenly as we move through life; professions can lose their luster or end, and internal discord might suddenly surface as physical symptoms at any point. So frequently in our lives, we have come to identify with the roles we play in our relationships and at work. I am a mom, a woman, a manager, and a vice president are all statements of identity that can be used in this context.
There might be a sense of loss, emptiness, or perplexity when the roles and aspects of our life that we’ve relied on for so long to identify us and boost our self-esteem no longer meet our requirements. Meditation, an age-old discipline, may, thankfully, help us reconnect with our inner selves. In this process, we come to understand that who we are is more than the sum of our desires and past experiences. We are more than the constant mental eddies and currents that make us who we are, even if our identities do develop from the interaction of these patterns of desire and memory. We are the unlimited ocean of consciousness, the thinker behind the thinking, the observer behind the observation. We recognize, not via deliberate effort, but rather on our own accord, that we can make decisions and act on them. Through regular meditation, we may gradually restore inner peace, joy, and love, and ultimately reconnect with our true, unchanging nature.
To reconnect with a more serene existence, we can use water to gently wash away the worry, anxiety, fear, and bewilderment that typically follow someone at a crossroads. And from that point on, a life full of joy, harmony, balance, and serenity is ours for the asking.
So what makes you closer with your inner-self is when you are absorbed profoundly within yourself. Let’s examine several practices that can become second nature and aid in developing a stronger bond with your inner self:
Sitting with oneself (meditation): while we sit with ourselves, many ideas arise, both pleasant and negative; the latter give rise to negative emotions like worry and melancholy, which is why most of us avoid meditation in the first place.
However, in order to strengthen your bonds and develop resilience, you must face your deepest fears and make sure you don’t validate them by asking yourself “why did it happen to me?” or “What could I have done?” or “I didn’t do enough,” etc., because doing so will only make you feel more down and helpless about something that may have happened in the past over which you had no control.
The answer is not to give credence to such ideas, but to let them go. If you have a thought that causes you to feel down, depressed, angry, or helpless, instead of dwelling on it, tell your mind that it is ok that this thought is coming in your mind, accept that this happened, and then choose to release it by saying aloud, “I release these thoughts from my mind, body, and soul.
Take a good, long, loving look at yourself: it’s common to develop a critical attitude toward oneself as a result of one’s life experiences. Stress, anxiety, and a loss of connection with our inner resources result from these types of emotions.
Look at yourself with kindness — when you can say “thank you” to a stranger for the most random act, you can definitely say “thank you” to your own self. Simply acknowledging your worth or giving yourself a pat on the back may do wonders for your connection to your true self.
When it comes to developing a strong bond with our inner selves, self-love or self-care is just as crucial. Lack of self-love and -care is a major barrier to establishing a rapport with one’s inner self.
Detox from digital media; take a break from the internet, social media, the news, etc. Many of us have 24-hour news cycles in our homes, or we check our social media accounts frequently throughout the day. For one day each week, unplug completely by putting away your phone and turning off the television in favor of doing something you like, such as listening to music, spending time with your pet (if you have one), gardening, dancing, or exercising.
Positive and stress-reducing hormones are both boosted by these pursuits. These actions will help you feel refreshed and at peace.
Keeping a journal can help when your mind is racing and you need a place to collect your ideas and organize them. This results in a loss of identity and a sense of being overwhelmed.
I’ve discovered that keeping a notebook is a great way to cleanse my head and relax my body. Start your day or night with a few minutes of freewriting to get your thoughts out of your head. Try not to analyze or evaluate the ideas; instead, write down all you’re experiencing. Writing down or typing out your feelings might help you feel better and open up to yourself more. However, a word of caution: sharing your innermost thoughts and feelings on social media leaves you vulnerable to the scrutiny and judgment of others. Allow yourself to have a totally personal experience.
Concentration is not the same as meditating. Concentration is focusing on a single concept, symbol, or point; meditation involves silencing the mind and achieving mental silence. Focusing one’s attention is a common first step in the practice of meditation, but eventually, the goal shifts to one of abandoning all thinking.
Concentration techniques exist outside of traditional meditation as well; one such technique is visualization, in which one directs one’s thoughts toward a goal by use of an internalized series of pictures (often visual but sometimes audio).
On the other side, the goal of meditation is to help us break free of our constant need to analyze, ponder, and speak out, so fostering a sense of mental discipline and contentment. When you meditate, you’re not just doing it to go there; you’re doing it to get somewhere.
When we meditate, we demonstrate mastery over our feelings and ideas, and regular meditation helps us maintain a harmonious state of being on all levels of being.
]]>When we learn to ignore the noise of our societal indoctrination and tune into the guidance our hearts offer, we can find the clarity, inspiration, and fulfillment we’ve been seeking.
You may experience feeling alive in an instant, since the reality is, you can discover mindfulness in all everyday moments of your day. Pay close attention to the sounds you can hear right now, take a moment to pause and take in the tones and vibrations, and allow yourself to accept them as they are.
Now, focus on your bodily sensations and assess how you really feel. Feel your soreness; see where your body makes contact with the chair and the floor. Place one hand on your tummy, and catch the motions in your body while you breathe. Examine the lengths in your breath whilst intentionally making these deeper.
These minute rituals can help you learn to appreciate the here and now. You’re letting these sounds in, rather than deliberately blocking them out along with your hectic mental activity.
These simple strategies may be implemented anywhere you find yourself with a spare few minutes, be it on your commute, over lunch, or while you’re at your work. Anytime you need to return home to yourself and feel alive, absorb what is going on around you, and evaluate how you feel.
If you want to live a more enlightened existence, meditating for even just 10 minutes a day is a good idea.
When you meditate, you open up a direct line of contact with the universe, which in turn improves your mental clarity, willpower, and general mood. Meditation does not require complete silence, however it can aid when initially starting out. You’re free to remain seated.
All you have to do to get started with your mindfulness practice is close your eyes. Pay attention to your surroundings, bring your concentration within, and concentrate on your breathing as a means of relaxation. If you find your thoughts drifting, try counting your breaths from 1 to 10. There’s nothing wrong with letting your thoughts stray as long as you’re aware of when they do and can bring them back to your breathing. The point is to be aware of these ideas but not to give them any more attention than they deserve.
Not everyone will feel comfortable with this method of meditation, but if you stick with it, you’ll eventually discover one that does. You may try going to a meditation class or listening to some calming Sanskrit or mantra music. By quieting the mind and repeating sacred words, you can find a direct line to the divine.
Egos make it very simple to disregard positive parts of our lives. In our pursuit of bliss, we often overlook or take for granted the many blessings already in our midst.
Covetousness satisfies the ravenous ego. The ego tricks us into thinking we need more money, more experiences, and more things, yet giving in to these desires is the surest way to never feel satisfied.
When you are making an effort to live a more conscious life, it is important to remember that there is nothing wrong with treating yourself or others to good things, but that you should also remember to be grateful.
Take some time every day, either in the morning or the evening, to reflect on what you have to be thankful for and to put your thoughts on paper. You’ll quickly see that life is full with wonderful people, experiences, and things for which to be thankful. When good things happen to you, you will make an effort to verbalize your appreciation.
These habits may seem inconsequential at first, yet they may have a profound impact on one’s life if adopted on a regular basis. You’ll have a renewed sense of vitality and direction in life.
Anyone who consistently engages in mindfulness meditation is likely to say that it has improved their mental and emotional health. However, it is always helpful to have empirical proof to corroborate the anecdotal claims that practicing mindfulness enhances one’s level of awareness and capacity for learning.
The practice of mindfulness meditation has been linked to several positive outcomes, some of which are listed below.
Mindfulness meditation is a non-invasive means of reducing mental stress and boosting cognitive function. When you meditate, your brain rewires itself in a way that improves processing and communication across regions essential for cognitive functioning.
This non-invasive method has been shown to be effective in alleviating and even curing a wide variety of mental health issues. Furthermore, regular practice can increase emotions of well-being and relaxation, leading to a more serene state of mind and body.