The group this week didn’t lead anywhere new, except a clear understanding that most people can find a safe space with a little guidance, just as many people in their core know themselves worthy of love.
Both things that’s foreign to me, the first I know I’ll find again. But the second I now know, where never taught to me att all.
Both also seems to confound the the groups leders, a psychologist and a specialized nursed. Something I’m used to by now, it happens frequently with Swedish mental health care professionals. They just don’t know what to do with me…
My own work – meditation wise – have on the other hand lead to insights, new knowledge, an ah-moment or two. Once I even laughed out loud, because of the ways I have treated myself.
I’ve kept meditating at least 3 times a day. And challenged myself to find any little spot. On the commute, while walking somewhere, while waiting. This I found, also made me practice self-compassion on a very low, easily attainable level. Even I, can’t berate myself for losing concentration when the tube gets filled with loud kids, babies crying, barking dogs, etc.
While I do push myself, I try to do so compassionately. Meaning I accept “bad sessions”, try to not assign value, tell myself building a new habit and getting well is the goal, not achieving anything special.
I’ve also learned a some important things, and found a few false believes I held about meditating – taught to me by someone who didn’t know better I guess.
- Meditation is a process you can learn and train yourself in.
- Highly beneficial, and generally leading to a “happier” life, dosen’t mean it’s easy, comfortable, fun or a quick fix. It requires work!
Meaning you’ll learn to accept, respect and love yourself, thereby attaining bliss – after you have worked, thought and felt trough everything within yourself. - Meditation starts with conscious breaths.
- The mind won’t be quiet, it will trow up thoughts and feelings constantly. That dosen’t mean you’re doing it wrong, it just means you have to learn to catch yourself and take yourself back to just focusing on your breath.
This is one of the misconceptions I had, that since my mind didn’t quiet I where doing something wrong. - For many journaling goes hand in hand with meditation and mindfulness practices.
- Meditation leads to and train you in mindfulness, but they are separate things.
In one podcast I heard a claim that scientists have found that they can measure positive effects in the brain after 12 minutes of meditation. I don’t have a source, but after two weeks I can feel a definite difference between doing it for five minutes compared to fifteen, so it wouldn’t surprise me.
This week I’ve tried safe-space meditations again, to no avail. I still can’t get there. But I have started to being able to feel comfortable within the meditative mindset, trough guided self-love and self-worth meditations, added before the last relaxing sleep meditation.
And two nights ago I had a breakthrough. First I really felt a shift in consciousness.
Then a mantra of;
I love you – I accept you – I respect you – I love you
Shattered me into every little piece that didn’t get the love she needed, then slowly melded with my breath and intention until I actually felt myself both meaning what I said and receiving it, feeling that the voice meant all of me.
As I slowly came back, I brought with me a feeling of contentment. Of resting safe with myself for the first time in ages. Without needing another human to help me get there. I also knew, I had to tell someone, who gives only positivity, the reason I’m so uncommunicative, is my fear of getting rejected and loosing another friend. So I wrote something to get a conversation started.
After falling asleep, for the first time, since I saw you
Without a profoundly deep, black hole of loneliness
I am ready to confess
How much your encouragement matter to me
That in fact, it’s nearly the only outer positivity my life contain
So I’m terrified to lose it if I confess my need
Afraid to talk to you, should you notice
So I’ve spent a week perhaps more mindful then ever before, I’ve learned and experienced new things. I dared to open up to someone, I wished it been in person, but my few friends are far flung.
It’s not necessarily been easy, or without strong emotion, and I wish I had a teacher. I’m confident this could be good for me, maybe even change my life completely. But I won’t know that for a few years at least.
Read
Intense Meditation, Week 1
Intense Meditation, Week 3
The road might be long and windy,
but with will and intention
we can make the journey the point,
not an unforeseeable future goal.
©RedCat
The world according to RedCat 
“with will and intention we can make the journey the point, not an unforeseeable future goal.”
That ties right into what you said about so many of us (including me) feeling unable to meditate because we can’t do it perfectly, we get distracted. But your piece helps me to understand that the EFFORT to meditate is the point. It’s the journey that will eventually lead us to mindfulness. Thank you for this. I’ll try again.
Yes, I really wished someone before this had shown me that it’s mostly about actually trying, and conscious breaths. So please, try again. If you want to talk about it more send me an email to rodkattan@gmail.com