Turning around a crappy day
We all have crappy days and it’s doesn’t matter how long you’ve been meditating for, every now and then one of these days is going to pop-up again.
What meditation can do though is when one of these days do come around it can give you a little break between feeling crap and trying to figure out the answer and that gap is highly underrated. First of all, it can dissolve the worry/pain of the problem you’re experiencing and then give you a nice tail-wind heading into your problem solving state.
The best part is that it’s not hard and generally doesn’t take too long.
Go to gratitude: The quickest way to turning those negative feelings around is to instantly trump them with thinking of some things you’re grateful for right this very moment. Even if we strip everything back to just the most simple fact that you’re alive, breathing. What a gift that is!
Stop and breathe: Speaking of breathing. A couple of deep, deliberate breaths is like hitting the reset button on your computer. It’ll make you feel and operate better. You don’t have to close your eyes, just take 5 deep breaths. In through the nose for 8 seconds, hold for 4 and then all the way out for another 8 seconds.
A couple more suggestions with this this exercise is to pay close attention to the feeling of the air entering the nose. Really try to notice it as it enters through the nostrils, goes through your sinus and then down into your lungs. Then when you’re holding for 4 seconds, let your gaze focus on something in front of you and just really study it. The shape, texture, colour, just everything about it for a few moments. Then let the breathe go all the way out. Maybe even give your body a shake when do this as if you’re shaking off chunks of worry and stress onto the ground.Write it down and then throw it away: Write down whatever is bothering you. It doesn’t really matter how you do. Dot point, an essay, just get those problems down on paper. Once they’re all down, your have 3 options. It’s powerful physical exercise to moving on and letting go.
Rip the piece of paper up into as many small pieces as you like and then throw it all up in the air while walking in the other direction.
Scrunch it up into as small as possible ball. Then laugh at it and throw it in a bin with sas.
Burn it. Just be careful with this one
Meditate (Surprise, Surprise!): Of course I’m going to recommend this. I still believe that mediation is one of the most underrated practises anyone can do. As I said earlier, there’s so much magic in that ‘space in between’. It’s simply connecting to the moment and the more you tap into it, the more aware you become of your feelings and can decide how you want to affect them (notice I didn’t say ‘how they affect you’. You affect them! This way of thinking changes the game)
There’s always going to be problems, pain and suffering and we shouldn’t be trying to avoid these. They are necessary and needed part of life for growth, humility and strength.