How Meditation Helps Me Keep My Cool

Happy Tuesday friends! We are another week into fall yet the weather down here seems to have missed the memo. Well, we can always hope that it will come soon! Today I wanted to pop in and talk a little bit about meditation. Over the summer, I had a few weeks where my anxiety just went wild. Meditation was a major part in helping me address and get passed those moments.

As an athlete, it’s easy to use workouts as a way to unwind and blow off some steam. However, this isn’t always an option. I work in a rather cramped office setting so I can’t just pack up and go for a run during lunch time. Sometimes, I spend most of my day on the road driving around town. It became easy for me to get bogged down and wallow in my anxiety. It would never be anything major that bothered me but it would quickly turn into a big deal. It began to affect me eating and sleeping habits so I knew I had to take action.

There were many things I did to get my anxiety back in control but meditation played a key part. Meditation helped me take time to simply stop and just breathe. People always tell me that they don’t have 5 minutes. I refuse to believe this. We are always adding stuff to our plate and are constantly on the move. If we saw someone who is struggling, wouldn’t we stop what we are doing to help them out? Why don’t we extend ourselves that same grace?

I began to take time during lunch for a quick 5 minute meditation. I would put my earbuds in, cue up a meditation class (from Peloton digital) and just allow myself to focus on that. In those 5 minutes, I was able to check in with myself. It became apparent that I was making myself so anxious that I would get stomach pains and wouldn’t eat. I would say I wasn’t hungry because I was so nervous and my stomach was in knots. When I took time to breathe and just listen to my body, I began to release this tension.

Meditation became a daily habit of mine. Even when I was on the road, I was park somewhere for a few minutes and just breathe. Body scans are one of my favorite type of meditations because it allows me to see if I’m carrying tension anywhere in my body. It also allows me to see if I am making myself sick or if there is truly something that my body is trying to tell me.

Meditation didn’t solve all my problems and like I mentioned before, there were a few other things I did to help me address my anxiety. However, meditation is still something I enjoy doing. It allows to me find a moment for myself in the middle of a busy day.

Have you ever tried meditation? Do you believe meditation helps to keep you calm?