Can meditation help depression? A daily 20 mins meditation routine can have a powerful & positive daily impact on your quality of life. We live in a face paced world full of distraction. Our minds are always racing, and we’re constantly seeking something or other to meet our needs and desires. Depression can steal all of your attention and can fill your mind with negative thoughts. Meditation works on many levels and can help people deal with everyday stress and anxiety. Mindful meditation can help reduce bouts of insomnia and mild to moderate depression. Meditation is an active training of your mind to increase awareness. It’s an active process and not just sitting there with a blank mind.
There are many ways to start meditation. Find a comfortable position and quiet spot. Make sure you’re comfortable. You can be sitting or lying down. Start by just lying or sitting still. Just breathe normally. After a few breathes slow down your breathe, breathing in and out slowly through your nose. Focus on your breathing.
Then focus on the sensations and feelings you have in your body. Do feel your arms feet back or legs touching the chair or the floor? Do you feel the pressure of the chair or floor pushing against your body? Notice your body and what you are physically feeling.
Focus back on your breathing for a few breathes.
You can take turns focusing on your breathe and then focus on the sounds and noises outside your body. what do you notice? what do you hear? Can you hear the sounds of nature? The wind, rain or birds? Do you hear the sounds of your electrically appliances? Your clock, your computer your fridge? what are the noises that surround you that you do not hear while you are busy?
Focus back on your breathing for a few breathes.
Feel your body, look for spots of tension in your body. Focus on breathing in and then trying to release the tension in your body when you exhale. Breathe in and focus your breathe on the are where you feel tension. Breathe into that area and breathe away the tension. When you exhale work at releasing tension by relaxing your muscles.
Be accepting of what happens in your body. You may find that thoughts come into your mind or that you notice you’ve stopped focusing on your breathing. Be gentle with yourself and turn back to listing to your breath. Allow thoughts to come and go without judging them. They are neither positive or negative. They are just thoughts. Tell yourself, thoughts are normal and right now I am focusing on relaxing my body, releasing the tension, and listening to my breathe.
You can mediate for 2 minutes, for 10 minutes, for an hour. You can take a mediation break during the day to recentre yourself. Some people wake up earlier and start their day with mediation. The choice is yours.There is no right or wrong way to mediate. It will become your own. Allow meditation to be a time for yourself to recharge and refresh yourself.
