Have You Tried Meditation And Didn’t Think It Was Helpful? Regroup And Consider Giving It Another Chance - A Personal Story.
Meditation and Mindfulness Can Help Us Get More Centered and Gain A Sense of Calm
Over the years, meditation and mindfulness has become very popular as an intervention for a multitude of issues such as controlling anxiety, better managing anger, and even helping us procrastinate less.
Many people have attempted meditation for a period of time and made the decision it’s not effective for them. Maybe you tried a few days or weeks, didn’t feel a difference in your feelings, and gave up. Maybe you went through several meditation apps, even paid a few annual subscriptions, but soon deleted them feeling disappointed.
Meditation is not magical solution to all of life’s problems or difficult emotions, but it can make a significant difference for many. If you did not have success the first time, it might be worth trying again. Here’s my personal story of giving it another chance.
A Scary But Mild Accident
Several years ago at the gym, I was doing pull ups and about to set a new record. On the last pull up I was clearly pushing myself and suddenly felt a very sharp pain in the back of my neck and skull. It was so painful, I became very dizzy and almost passed out. I was on the floor of the gym with people around me concerned. For a brief moment I thought I was having a brain aneurysm. It really scared me at that moment.
I immediately went to the doctor. After a bunch of tests, it ended up I had severely pulled a muscle. The doctoral prescribed some Advil and muscle relaxants, told me to take it easy for a week, and sent me in the way.
Before this incident, I had been meditating daily for 30 minutes for over three months and felt it had been helping somewhat with my overall emotional health. I felt more relaxed, more control of my emotions, and had better concentration. Meditation was working for me.
But for the next few weeks, anytime I would become slightly irritated, upset, or startled, a sharp pain would shoot up my neck and skull. It was excruciating. What was even stranger to me was I was surprised at when it would happen.
For example, I would be in the middle of a meeting (I was a college professor at the time) and suddenly feel the sharp shooting pain. Then, I would realize something had made me slightly irritated during the meeting resulting in the tension. The irritation was actually quite mild…nothing significant in the grand scheme of life. Sometimes I was surprised at what lead to the shooting pain…things I was not even aware were making me upset or anxious.
It was at this point, I realized I had to relearn how to relax and shift my mindset to let even fewer things bother me. And I had a strong incentive to do so as the pain was intense.
Refocusing on Meditation
I began to refocus on meditation. I realized while it was helpful, I could increase my focus on my breath during meditation leading to a calmer mind. I became more aware of events that once worried or irritated me began to no longer lead to a shooting pain. The more I focused on relaxing and meditation, fewer and fewer events lead to anxiety, worry, and frustration.
Thankful for the Accident
Within a few weeks, I became thankful this had happened to me. This random event made me refocus on how to actually relax. How to push myself to change my mindset. It really changed my life for the better.
Eventually, everything healed up, and I was able to hit the gym regularly again. I’ve kept up meditation ever since, with a few breaks here and there. And whenever I find myself getting upset, anxious, or worried about something, I remind myself of what happened earlier.
Take a deep breath, refocus, this too will pass.
If you find yourself struggling to reduce your anxiety or worry, I challenge you to refocus on them and start fresh with a new perspective. Sometimes we just need to focus on the basics again and regroup.
Need Extra Support With Anxiety? We Can Help.
Meditation is only one intervention that has been shown to help with anxiety and other challenges we face as human beings. There are evidence-based anxiety counseling approaches that can help you feel better soon. Having some time with a counselor who has the experience and training can help you avoid common roadblocks as well as provide additional support and approaches to feeling better. Reach out today with any questions you may have or to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.
Dr. Philip B. Gnilka is the Clinical Director and Founder of Sequoia Counseling Group, a boutique mental health practice that serves clients in Las Vegas, NV. His experience as a tenured professor in mentoring students about counseling approaches and theories reinforced his passion for helping individual clients directly. He specializes in anxiety, stress management, and perfectionism.