It’s hard to destress when it seems like there is no way to effectively get there. I, myself, used to find relaxing difficult because I was frequently in my head, juggling responsibilities from different areas of my life. I will admit that as an FSU student, a friend, a daughter, a sister and many other things, it was easy to forget that sometimes it’s best to just sit back and be ME for a little while. I mean if you think about it, when have you ever just been you for a change? That’s why I decided I needed a change. I needed meditation.
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Most of the time discussions about meditation lead to the typical “save it for the hippies” excuse or, “it only works for people who believe.” I am here to tell you, as a normal college student with no special abilities or powers, that I have found meditation as a means to a peaceful, attainable end. The only qualifications to meditate are an open-mind and at least 15 minutes of spare time. For me, it always helps to take the out of sight, out of mind approach by physically placing my academic responsibilities and worries away from my field of vision. Then, I get my phone and look up free guided meditation videos that contain relaxing sounds and an instructor with a soothing voice. (Pro tip: always find an instructor that has a voice that is most attractive to your personal perception of soothing.) If you aren’t into someone guiding you on a path to complete tranquility, there is also the option of just listening to peaceful sounds and figuring out what works best for you, that is, finding this inner peace without an instructor. Again, there is no right or wrong way to meditate. If you can transfer your stress and anxiety into something mentally calming and relaxing, then you have reached your goal.
Meditation is such a useful tool that I think everyone should adopt into their daily routines, no matter their age. Mental health issues caused by anxiety and stress are such huge problems in contemporary society and it’s only going to get worse unless people realize the pressures placed upon us to achieve. Although meditation is very small, on a wide scale it can reach people in ways that other techniques just can’t. I say this because, instead of dancing around the issue, it targets the most powerful thing that contributes to the problem, which is our minds. Meditation allows for temporary clearing of the mind and hinders stressful overthinking. The thoughts that you hold onto right before you sleep perish and the only thing left is the comfort of a fresh mindset. After you finish reading this article, I encourage you to go back to your home, light a few candles, play some soothing sounds and just relax your body and breath. Meditation has made me adopt a new perspective on the ways I carry stress and I know that with a little curiosity and persistence, you can be free from your worries and focus on the things that make you, you.