Nuki News #42 - Meditation

Back in October, I was distressed about deciding to leave my job. Heck, even if I decided to stay, during that time it was difficult to even just stay focused and not have my mind racing on the clock. I needed a way to calm and refocus myself. To take a break from all the repeated and monotonous decisions I had to make every minute during work hours. Working from home just made more of my life and interaction determined by a screen. It made my day to day less satisfying because of that. It amplified the problems I had with my job, such as having to decide how to respond to people or handle a situation over a dozen times an hour.

I had watched videos about how important boredom is, and non-engagement to our minds. Supposedly it helps with creativity and gets your brain to synthesize ideas and concepts with what it has. But also, a break from the rapid stimuli of my job was what I recognized I needed. I thought back to something I did a lot in highschool- meditation. So on my lunch breaks I’d sit in a mostly empty room and meditate, just sitting in the quiet and focusing on my breathing. I do genuinely feel if I hadn’t done this my mental condition would have gone down the drain. I didn’t always get to do this for an hour each work day, but I went for at least 30 minutes. Giving my brain and eyes and ears a break from so much sensory overload, while it didn’t solve my problem, did help me keep sane.

Eventually though, after 2 weeks of doing this consistently, this periodic decluttering of my mind did something. It brought me into an epiphany. All the fears I had about my situation, my decision, and possible future scenarios melted away. I realized something incredibly valuable just when meditation became a habit. That realization was no matter what happens, what problems I run into in my life, I’d have the present moment to act. That I would always have the ability to handle, deal with, and adapt to whatever new situation(good or bad), that presents itself to me. It was an impressively lasting inner peace I did not expect to get out of meditating consistently.

I think that’s key about this too- not having any expectation. I do definitely recommend meditation if you find yourself overwhelmed and overstimulated by your day to day work week. But I don’t want to guarantee you’d get a revelation or epiphany like I did. It’s not like I get an epiphany every time or one of that magnitude since then. But I do think meditating consistently had ‘recalibrated’ my mind and gave my brain an opportunity to ‘resolve’ my mental situation and constant fears. I didn’t expect that to happen, but was an extraordinarily welcome surprise. And while it may not happen for you like it did me, giving yourself a bit of time each day to recognize you are in the present moment by focusing on breathing will keep you grounded,

I don’t think I’m the only one who turned to meditation during this pandemic either. I recently found out one of my respected artists I followed for years talked about how he got into meditating as well and what it’s done for him! I spose that was what compelled me to write about it this week- I do hope you consider trying it at least. Won’t do harm, that’s for sure.

Thanks for your support this month as well- month 2 of 2021 is coming fast, and I wish a good week as well!