Meditation: A Tool to Reach Happiness

During these times of social distancing and self-quarantining, it is easy to let our thoughts get the best of us. We can find ourselves falling into bad habits like getting up late, sleeping all day, excessive drinking, drugs, not exercising, or eating properly, which can make us susceptible to illness. If we fall victim to our thoughts and worries, we stay trapped and waiting for the perfect conditions to live our lives. Meditation allows us to expand our consciousness and go beyond our thoughts. It helps us see things clearly without the attachment or emotion that limits us.

Being together in our home for such long periods of time without the normal escape of our previous daily activities can magnify feelings we were already experiencing in life prior to the pandemic like anxiety, stress, fear, loneliness , hatred, blame and depression to name a few. In addition, being bombarded with information from every direction; news, Internet, friends and family, can make us really mentally exhausted, tired and confused. All these elements contribute to us breaking down physically and mentally. Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations, but these times require us to maintain our well-being both physically and mentally. We need to react to situations with clarity and understanding especially if we are in a position of caring for others. That is the reason why the Center for Disease Control and other health experts, are suggesting meditating if you are not doing it already.

Meditation can be as simple as sitting in a quiet comfortable place and just taking deep breaths in and out while focusing on your breathing. You can also join an online meditation class or group. From experience, it is preferable to join an online Meditation group as they are often free these days plus you get the social interaction and support from others, while realizing that you are not alone in these times!

The old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” can really be applied today, but only when you have the clarity of mind to act. Think about how many times we said in our lives “if only I had more time, I would do this or that.” Well now we have the time, let us focus on our most important asset - our mind. Happiness comes from within and meditation is the best tool to reach it. The best time to use the tool is now

Jina Kim, MD

meditationusa.org