How to Meditate to Calm an Overactive Mind
Meditation can affect the overall state of our mind, body, immune system, and even how we live. It is a simple, yet effective way to practice self-care that is inexpensive and practiced by people all over the world. Some argue that meditation is difficult, but with some practice, meditation can be done with ease. Knowing how to meditate to calm an overactive mind could be the key to helping you improve your overall health and well-being.
Meditation flirts with life energies, directing them where you want them or where they are needed at a certain point in your life. Through regular meditation, you can restore your inner peace and balance. If you find your mind overactive, give meditation a try to see if you find some relief.
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What is meditation?
Verwellmind.com defines meditation as “a set of techniques that are intended to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention.” I think of it as deep contemplation or thought. It’s deliberately indulging in quiet time to engage in deep thought.
When you think of meditation, you generally think of someone sitting alone, focused, relaxed, and comfortable.
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Why is meditation so powerful?
Experts link meditation to numerous emotional wellness benefits. Therefore, many mental health experts recommend taking time for focused thought. Taking time to be still to concentrate on something specific for a designated period of time can be so beneficial for your well-being.
Some of the most powerful benefits of meditation are
- To learn to better manage stress.
- To become more self-aware.
- To calm anxiety.
- To decrease depression.
- To increase mindfulness.
How do I practice meditation?
Practicing meditation is not complicated, but it does take some intentionality. Here are some steps to get started with focused quiet time and reflection:
1. Find a quiet place, without any distractions (your thoughts are your distraction anyway). It would be ideal to have a place that is your oasis of peace. It is a place that should be your first association to relaxation.
2. Decide whether it is more convenient for you to meditate in silence, with music or guided meditation.
3. If silence doesn’t suit you, look for various mobile apps or YouTube channels you can use for meditation. Sometimes it is not easy to decide what is most suitable until we try it. You can search for music with a certain frequency for an overactive mind, anxiety, and similar.
4. The next step is to find the ideal position for deep thought and concentration. For some, it is sitting for others is lying down. There are no rules. Whatever works for you. When you are comfortably seated, remember that your palms should be facing up and your eyes completely closed.
5. Now it is time to focus on your breath. That will help you in controlling your thoughts. For an overactive mind, it is not enough to breathe only. You should use one of the breathing techniques. Do your research and discover which one is the best for you. You should apply that technique in the first minutes of meditation until the body relaxes completely.
6. Scan each part of your body, from the toes to the top of the head. Try to observe any feeling of discomfort or tension. Dedicate at least fifteen seconds to each body part.
7. Restore focus to breathing.
8. If unpleasant thoughts occur during deep thought (no matter if your focus is on your breathing or a specific part of your body), try not to get upset. A thoughtless state is something you have to achieve through practice, and no one has said it is easy. Put back the focus on what you were doing before that thought occurred.
9. Now, let your mind run free. Do not try to control it.
10. For the end, bring your awareness back by touching the floor with your feet or something similar while still having closed eyes.
11. Now, open your eyes, and try not to move for a minute or two. Be aware of how you feel at that moment and compare it with the feeling you have before the meditation.
Other ways to calm an overactive mind
Meditation is one way to calm an overactive mind, but here are some other exercises you can try:
Take a break
Listen to music
Take a walk
Write in a journal
Listen to an audiobook
With so many things on our to-do lists, it’s inevitable that our minds will go into overdrive occasionally. But, if we are in tune with ourselves, we can recognize when we begin to feel overwhelmed by our thoughts and be proactive by practicing meditation or trying other exercises to relax.
