Good day to you all! How are you all feeling today? I woke up at around 07:30 this morning and checked the crypto markets at around 07:35, along with my cup of coffee and a smoke.. as i do most mornings lately. I'm don't know about you, but i started to worry the moment i saw the markets today, and pretty quickly I started to panic and start thinking that I better sell, and maybe everything is going to dump totally now, and maybe the whole thing is finished! I had read some mainstream media yesterday, and it seems they are very busy right now slamming crypto and reporting the news in a biased and fear mongering way, as they always do.
Today could go two ways for me. The first possibility is that I spend the entire day stressing out and worrying that I am going to lose all my gains in a matter of days. That thought can easily get trapped in my FUD mentality and cause me to keep checking the charts every 20 minutes and basically be totally preoccupied with the ups and downs the entire day. The level of anxiety that I would have all day would prevent me doing much else that is productive, and even if I tried it wouldn't come to much as stress has a way of totally killing my creativity and productivity. I'm sure many of you will know what I am saying, and potentially this could be one of those days.. OR COULD IT!
The second option is the one that I decided to take this morning. Right now, just 30 minutes later I am feeling about 80% better and am only a little bit concerned about the markets. I feel a sense of space in my mind, and my thoughts are no longer racing on in an endless in an uncontrollable manner. I am able to see the big picture again, and can reason with myself that nothing has changed and that things are going to be FINE again in a few days (probably!). Even better than that, EVEN if the markets DO crash even further, i feel less attached to the desire of making money and could bare it far better than i would have just a few short moments ago!
So what happened? What did I do to shift my inner world and perspective so quickly? Well, my friends I would like to share it with you, because i know that if you try this it is most likely going to make your day that much better, regardless of the markets!
We have all heard of meditation, but how may of you have actually tried it? Do you know what it really means? DO you think it means that you need to attain great silence in your mind? Do you think it means you have to believe in God? Well, it does not! Please don't leave now OK! Just because I've said a word that you might not like the sound of, trust me this post may still be worth reading. The truth is, meditation simply means listening and being still and aware of your body, feelings, and thoughts. One of the goals of meditation in the early stages is detachment. Meditation does not mean to try to stop our thoughts. If we try to stop our thinking we will most likely fail and make things even worse! So meditation is not about stopping thinking, but instead listening to your thoughts, and learning to breath through them and let them go. This is the main challenge in the early stages of meditation, and is something that ALL of us can do, because we all know how to listen!
To help you understand this let me give you a real life example of how this works. I'm sure you have met someone who is really upset or angry before, and angry people tend to talk about what is pissing them off, and will continue to do so until they have vented enough that they have got it out of their system. The same thing applies to meditation! When you give yourself a little time to listen to your thoughts, and let them go in that moment, you allow yourself to clear your system of these energies and feelings.
When meditating, we need to find the balance between witnessing our thoughts and entertaining them. Whilst you are sat, with eyes closed, thoughts and feelings will arise. When that happens, rather than try to stop them, just hear them and acknowledge them, and then say to yourself that you will think about this later as now is your time. Then as you bring your attention back to your breath, you will see that the thought goes away. You may have a few seconds of silence before the next thought comes, and it may well be a totally different thought! When that happens you can do the same thing, and breath through it. Acknowledge it, and let the thought go by agreeing to come back to it later. As you do this, you will most likely not feel anything good happening. You may feel even more uncomfortable, and tense, and start criticising yourself for not being able to meditate properly. IT doesn't matter how you feel whilst you are meditating! What matters is how you feel AFTER meditating! Just as an angry person may feel relief after shouting, you may feel relief after meditating! That is how it works!
So, if you are feeling worry or panic today, please take 15 minutes to do the meditation I am about to describe below. There are many ways to meditate, and as you gain experience and have practiced it for long enough you will find that the silence does start to come even during the process. It takes time to reach that point, and it is not the goal. The goal is to be present, RIGHT NOW, to just witness yourself as best you can. After some time, your mind will adjust to the process and very quickly give up its endless rant. An experienced mediator will drop into a deep state very quickly, just like an experienced musician can almost flick a switch and find their bliss right away when they start singing or playing.
How To Start Meditating
It is best to meditate in the morning, when there are least distractions. You can meditate anywhere you like, so just choose a place that you have some privacy and quiet. If that has to be the toilet, so be it! You could even meditate in the car before you drive off to work or wherever you are going. I have a small sacred space in the house that I use, and since I don't have kids or other distractions I like to meditate there. Wherever you choose, try to mediate in the same place each day. This builds up familiarity, and also builds up the energy so that you can more easily slip into it as you practice. It's usually a good idea to use a timer to count the minutes for you, and that way you have a clear goal and will more likely meditate for more than 2 minutes.
Now simply close your eyes slowly, and breath in and out as you normally do. You don't need to try to change your breath or do anything differently, but instead just observe it and notice that you are indeed breathing. Notice the weight of your body, and if you are sitting straight or not. Try to sit as straight as you can and cross your legs if possible. You can also sit on a chair if you are not comfortable on the floor, that works just fine too! Whilst you are noticing your body and posture you will no doubt have thoughts coming to your mind. Let them come. Then let them go and remind yourself that for the next 15 minutes you are going to let these thoughts go. Come straight back to your awareness of your breathing, and continue. New thoughts may come VERY quickly, and that is normal and totally OK. Just do the same thing each time. There is NO need to get frustrated or angry when they come, because you are not trying to stop them. You are NOT doing it wrong! What you may notice is that the time between thoughts gets longer quite naturally, or the effect of them on your feelings reduces. You MAY find quite the opposite too, and feel even more tense because you are not distracting yourself from them.
After 15 minutes are up, you can open your eyes and get on with your day. What you will find, maybe not the first time, but with a little perseverance, is that everything looks and feels different. There will be a calmness in the air, and you will be able to hear the birds sing again! I OFTEN have some brilliant ideas pop into my head either during or just after meditating, and I don't even have to try! Even if I don't have a brainwave, i feel SO much more relaxed and able to take on the challenges of the day in a positive and productive manner.
Had i NOT meditated this morning I would most likely still be sitting on my front porch glued to my smart-phone staring at markets in a mood of fear and worry. Instead I am able to share some positivity and great ideas with you all! So i REALLY hope at least one of you get this and give it a try. It would make me REALLY happy to read a comment from one of you who does try meditation for the first time, so please do let me know in the comments if you do!
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