So I’ve been thinking…
We toss around classical phrases on a daily basis. Usually, when a common phrase is thrown in my face I mentally pause to wonder where the saying originated. Well, after it’s stuck in my head, I’m quiet for a good chunk of time because I’d caught a train of thought headed toward a reasonable theory regarding the origin of said phrase. I mean, whoever claimed to beat the dead horse was such an awful thing to do anyway? I suppose beating anything deceased is a bit counterproductive, so there you go, the phrase has sense.
Lost
Just recently I heard a phrase that not only caught my imagination but also my attention. The saying is losing yourself; a common phrase used to express a kind of passion for a performance, or action, or simply some kind of everyday trance.
My mind immediately found meditation. It was as if the train to this thought had finally arrived at the station where I’d been waiting for my entire life. The place I know of a well and have found on my own, without the help of a conductor who leads the way. This enlightened way-of-life can never be erased. After finding meditation, I have realized the world around me will always be on the outside and will simply be something I must compromise with. If I am happy I can choose to let the world meet me on my own time in my own state-of-mind. A peaceful state-of-mind where exterior realities are segregated from the conscious reality made of perception. I’ve personally found meditation to be the key to lose yourself from the world and the key in unlocking the real you.
Put it Into Play
Meditation doesn’t only occur in a monk-like trance of complete silence. Though this can be very effective, there are still the everyday ways to lose yourself
- Making Art – If you don’t draw and think you have zero artistic talent, no problem! Grab a pencil and paper and just start drawing meditation rings, or a flower, or the sun. You can draw anything as long as you simply copy and paste the thing mindlessly from your head to the paper.
- Journaling – Journaling is a great way to get the circling thoughts down the drain and out into reality. It’s just like taking out the trash. Like the disgusting smell of two-week-old Thai food in a trash bag, a three-years in the past traumatic event may be stinking up the corners of your subconscious. Clear out your cranium to make room for all the positive vibes, or else the stank will drive you mad.
- Doing the Dishes – For me, and a few other people I’ve talked to, doing dishes is therapeutic. It is a way to be mindless and productive all at the same time. Your conscious doesn’t feel like it’s lost because it has a clear focus- water, soap, scrub, rinse, repeat.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Tendencies [OCT] (folding clothes, peeling price tags, wiping counters, dusting) – Putting the pieces of your life back together like the pieces of a scattered puzzle is a typical stimulant for the brain. It keeps your mind focused on a simple task, a task with a clear direction, to allow your subconscious time to ponder and sort through your current state-of-mind.
- Getting Dressed-Up – For girls, doing your hair and doing your make-up can be an exciting part of the night. Have we ever wondered why? Well, it relates to the first note on the list. Making Art. You are creating the image of beauty with pencils and sparkles upon your inherited natural charm. No wonder we women are always talented artists, we practice our skills every time we go out.
- Exercise – Going out for a run does more for the mind, body, and soul than a pick-me-up coffee from Starbucks. A runner’s high is like a feeling of euphoria. It’s that adrenaline rush related to the rush that causes super-human strength. Just like when we hear on the news how someone has lifted a heavy object in an act of mind-over-matter. The mind has the chance to stretch its survival-mode characteristics. It has the chance to run for its life in a society obsessed with leisure and laze. Lifting weights, core strength, and stretching are all ways to lose the mind to instinct rather than insecurity.
- Tedious Tasks – We all know busy work can be tedious. For me, writing my thoughts on a blog is a somewhat tedious task, but I do it because I think it’s important to spread the words. Other tedious tasks can include untangling strings and things, painting the walls or simply painting your nails, plucking hair out of the brush, plucking eyebrows, plucking lint of clothes, etc. All of these are mindless actions, which usually result in a minor meditative state.
- The Shower – The holy ground of unspoken words, intense physical pleasure, and personal thinking. The best for alone time. There’s the saying “you do your best thinking in the shower,” well there’s no doubt about it.
Found
Hopefully, this post will give you a new perspective on meditation. Meditating is not something to be afraid of, in fact, it’s likely you meditate on your own almost every day. Meditation simply helps you connect with the most natural human pieces of your existence. A topic of understanding that has somehow been lost in the education systems of today.
Meditation is a very important concept for everyone to understand because it is the absolute direction toward personal discovery. Enlightenment is incomparable to any physical discovery on Earth. A discovery of mind, body, and soul.
Take these baby steps to quiet the part of you who is confined to normality. Lose yourself so the true you will shine through.
(Something to keep in mind: I’ve found the constant Facebook activity to be a sprint in the opposite direction. A concern for thousands of other lives on a computer screen leaves little to no room for personal discovery. Think about it…)