Anxieties of our lives; Can Meditation Help?

“The bad news is that life is full of suffering and we humans are full of illusions. The good news is that these two problems are actually one problem: If we could get rid of our illusions—if we could see the world clearly—our suffering would end”.

That is the opening sentence from a wonderful article in the Wall Street Journal about using MEDITATION AS A CURE. 

Meditation is one of the most powerful and healthy ways of solving the issues of anxiety.  It helps us let go of illusions and know ourselves better.

Anxiety is normal.  Everyone has anxiety sometimes.  It makes us react in positive ways when something is wrong. “Better safe than sorry”

It seems like there is more anxiety today than at other times in history.  That is probably not true since we have lived through wars and famines.  But one things is sure:  we know more about everything that is going on and we hear about all sorts of ideas.  There is too much communication.  Everyone has a platform to stand on to expound on their ideas, no matter what they are.

Sometimes hearing another person’s idea is productive.  Sometimes it is not.   But finding inner peace, getting a good nights sleep, feeling compassion for others, sharing and working together are all important.

Meditation can help us achieve that.

Here are a few interesting facts:  Meditation makes you more aware of yourself, your feelings, your needs.

• Mediation helps you to be more objective towards others.
• helps us to let go of fears.
• helps  us control cravings,  the feeling that we just have to have a certain thing.
• improves our ability to control suffering
• can lessen the power of  cravings we feel due to ads, songs etc.

There are many ways to meditate.  You can experiment and find what works best for you.

• It can be a walk in the park or on the shore

• Listening to peaceful music is calming

• Paying attention to your breath relaxes your mind
• The peaceful meditative movements of Tai Chi change the way you fee.

We can each find our own way.  But starting with Tai Chi is powerful.  Moving meditation is one of the easiest way to find inner peace.