Now You Know, Now You Grow: happiness

Meditation has saved me.

I've worked in public relations for almost 15 years, and for just about that long, I've been stressed out and anxious. PR is regularly ranked amongst firefighters and airline pilots as one of the highest stress careers. Caffeine contributes to my stress and anxiousness, but it's a must-have to get my day going. And go, go, go is what I've done. From long days in the office, straight to a business dinner, to organizing media on a red carpet for a nightclub opening (all in one day) when I worked in Las Vegas - to months-long trips when I did PR for the blimp and an action sports event company. When not traveling or opening nightclubs, I'm regularly answering emails and responding to customer comments on social media during my personal time. PR is a lifestyle, not just a career.

Almost three years ago, during a rough time, I met a good friend - who was also going through a rough time - for a spontaneous weekend retreat. After a few glasses of wine one evening, this friend asked if I wanted to meditate. What?! (Cue the skepticism) Isn't meditation for hippies and those few well-known enlightened gurus?

Luckily, I agreed to partake and we did a guided meditation via my friend's iPhone. It was a 15-minute meditation, during which, I struggled to stay focused on the mantras and visualizations and ignore the constant to-do lists my brain relentlessly reviewed. I struggled to keep my eyes closed and I struggled to sit still. I struggled to quiet the negative chatter in my head.

I was surprised by how much work it took to meditate. Part of the reason I'd never attempted it in the past was my insistence that I'd never be able to quiet the thoughts running through my brain a million miles an hour - and indeed, it took work. Somehow...when the 15 minutes was up, I felt more relaxed and at ease.

When I returned home following the weekend getaway, I made it my mission to continue this practice. I downloaded an app called "Calm" to my phone. I alternated between the two free guided meditations. With my hurried lifestyle and my hurried mind, I decided to could only handle 5-minute meditations. During many of my sessions I took the entire five minutes trying to quiet my mind. Some weeks I'd do four meditations, some weeks none. (Newsflash: I am not perfect).

I always observed that when I committed to the five minutes and did my best to follow the guided meditation (whether focusing on my breath or doing a body scan or repeating a mantra), I felt surprisingly calmer. Not just my mind, but my body. I looked at situations differently following those five minutes of calm. I made more rational decisions following those five minutes of calm.

Fast forward three years, and I'm still a work in progress. There have been months at a time that have gone by with no meditation, and there have been days where I have felt that meditation was the only thing that helped me make it through that day.

I recently began attending a yoga studio that offers a 30-minute meditation prior to a restorative yoga class. Some of those 30-minutes are guided and some are just silent. Regularly, my mind wanders from the visualization to all of the problems in my head (and even the teacher assures that her mind does the same), but with practice, I count my breaths or return to whatever visual is being provided that week and work to gain calm and stillness.

It is amazing what quieting our mind for just a few minutes can do for our overall wellbeing:

Meditation has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety.
Meditation can increase attention and concentration.
Meditation or mindfulness is often used as a treatment in those who are experiencing depression.

But don't take my word for it, there are a plethora of articles on the topic, just do a simple Google search.

Any good teacher will tell you it's a marathon, not a sprint. Mindfulness requires regular practice. Not every practice will be perfect, in fact, most won't. Your mind will wander. But stick with it, and the benefits to your mind and body will be well worth the effort.

If you're ready to give meditation a try, here are a few apps I recommend (I like the free ones):

Calm

Stop, Breathe & Think

When I'm not meditating indoors with the help of an app, I enjoy getting outside in nature. A good hike, sunshine and fresh air will quiet my mind like nothing else.

Comment below and let me know if you meditate, and what app or practice you participate in.

I have a refrigerator magnet given to me by my mother that says "Happiness is a journey, not a destination." And it couldn't be more true.

Life gives everyone lemons, some more than others, and I am a firm believer that happiness isn't something we just wake up with every morning. It takes effort, and is something we must consciously strive for.

Negativity is all around us. Aside from whatever stress or misgivings we each have going on in our daily lives with work, school, family, friends, relationships, health, we are bombarded with scenes and images of crime, hatred, inhumanity, injustice, and violence on our television sets, our computers and our mobile devices. We are treated unfairly at work, we get into an argument with a loved one, we fail a test at school, we are hit with a health crisis, we get our heart broken. The negativity seems to carry a larger impact on our minutes, days and lives than the positive. And yet, we cannot crawl into a dark hole and hide. We must digest and process and overcome all of this on a daily basis, and muster a smile. We must find a way to block out the negative in order to present ourselves as fabulous, well-functioning, contributing human beings, and engage in meaningful relationships, and share love with those around us.

It is our daily journey to spread happiness and love and light in a place that is peppered with sadness and hatred and darkness. It is our daily task to find the pockets of beauty that exist. Beauty is there. There is more of it than we can see. Behind the bad test score, is a mother who will help pick you up no matter how many times you fall down. Following the violence, is a community that comes together to rebuild and spread love. After the failed relationship, is an opportunity to make connections with people you might not have met otherwise.

I challenge each of you to look for the beauty in your days. Or better yet, create the beauty. Smile at a stranger. Lend a hand to someone in need. Mail a card to someone you haven't spoken to in awhile. Play with a child the way you played when you were a child.

Remember, happiness is a journey, not a destination. We must make the effort for ourselves, and for others.

Sharing some happiness from my life: