How to reduce your own suffering
“I became interested in meditation because I heard a phrase, “True happiness is not out there. True happiness lies within.” And this phrase had a ring of truth to me, but the phrase doesn’t tell you where the within is, nor how to get there. One day it hit me that meditation would be the way to go within.” -David Lynch
Do you ever feel like you’re at war with yourself and your own mind?
One of the reasons I first picked up meditation all those years ago is because I recognized that so much of my suffering was self inflicted, and it didn’t make any sense why I should go on being so miserable if there was something I could proactively do about it. I took matters into my own hands.
Meditation is a tool for reducing the incessant overthinking, worrying, avoidance, cynicism, negative/fearful thinking and restlessness that has become so commonplace in our society. Meditation has helped bring more love, peace of mind, confidence, appreciation, and connectedness to my life. That’s what I want for ya’ll.
So let me break it down. Here are some ways you are suffering and how meditation can help.
Why you’re suffering: Anxiety, depression and general sense of unease
When we can’t control our minds, our minds control us. And for some godforsaken reason, our minds like to take us into dark and scary places. This is how meditation helps: Science tells us that meditation LITERALLY rewires the brain. Additionally, meditation teaches you how to live more in the present moment, which greatly helps reduce anxiety and depression. The more you meditate, the easier it becomes to experience beauty in the everyday things. Furthermore, meditation helps you see and understand your thoughts clearly, which can help you discern the truth from the false. This gives you the power to respond to situations in a healthy, empowered way, rather than react to situations in a panicked, draining, insecure way.
Why you’re suffering: Self doubt, indecision, confusion, lack of clarity or an inability to move forward
As someone who is incredibly indecisive, I know first-hand how painful indecision and lack of clarity can be. Meditation is a MIRACLE for anyone who struggles with these issues. When you sit in silence everyday, you come to know and understand yourself on a very deep level. This kind of self-awareness, which I call wisdom, gives you the clarity you need to make decisions with a lot more ease and grace. Learning to hear your intuition and act from it brings confidence to almost any situation. When it comes time to make decisions, speak up, or move forward, you can do so from a clear head and open heart, and trust in yourself.
Why you’re suffering: Chronic dissatisfaction. Life lacks meaning or something feels “off”
We have all felt at points that something is missing from our lives that we can’t quite put our finger on. The answer to this question comes from within. If something is missing, meditation will bring clarity to your situation (see above). But as you meditate, you may come to realize that nothing is missing, and that the very thing you’re looking for can be found through meditation. The truth is, connection, understanding, and transcending beyond the everyday of our superficial lives is an instinctive part of the human experience that we all crave and long for. Meditation is a gateway to these things. The answer to your question is already a part of you. In deep states of meditation, you discover who you are beyond your superficial identity (your job, your roles, your accomplishments, your social media feed). Meditation is an opportunity to tap into your higher consciousness and cultivate a relationship with it that can seem inaccessible in your day-to-day life. When you find the happiness that comes from within, you are released from your dependence on external factors for validation, which is deeply freeing and gratifying.
Why you’re suffering: You’re critical of yourself and others, which makes you feel both inadequate and guilty
We all, from time to time, sit in judgment of others and, perhaps more consequentially, ourselves. Most of us are SO hard on ourselves - we compare ourselves to others and we feel guilty for not doing/being enough. This leads to suffering. The wonderful thing about meditation is that it helps us slow down, breathe and relax. Loads of research tells us that the act of meditation changes our brains to help us feel calmer and more compassionate, on a physiological level (more on the science behind this later). This act of slowing down automatically brings more softness, love and acceptance into our lives. This means you can stop beating yourself up and judging others as well, because you and I both know that doing these things leave us feeling gross and depleted. When you learn how to relax, let go, and be more present, this benefits not just you, but the people around you, too.
If you’re a human, chances are you’ve experienced some if not all of the above forms of suffering.
I’m here to help you take matters into your own hands. The reason meditation is so awesome is because it is this totally accessible thing that anyone can do, anywhere, that will have profoundly positive effects on how you see and move through the world, how your brain process information, and how you treat yourself and others. I love meditation because I truly believe it reduces suffering in this world.
Nothing but love,
E