6 years ago
Meditation for Perfectionists–Or Not
Perfectionism is overkill–and stressful!
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Meditation carries so many benefits, it’s a technique that really is worth checking out. (For motivation, you can read more about these benefits here.) With practice, it brings quick physical relaxation and resilience toward stress over time. But on the way to obtaining that practice, there are a few challenges that some people encounter. One challenge about meditation that explains why everyone isn’t doing it daily, is that it can be stressful for perfectionists and other types of people. Meditation involves clearing the mind of any thoughts. This includes thoughts about how you’re doing with that mind-clearing. If you’re focused on “doing it right” to the point where it takes you out of the “zone” when you notice that your mind has wandered, or if you become frustrated with yourself when you realize that you’ve again “failed” to be a meditation master, meditation can become a stress-exacerbating practice, particularly if you’re new to the practice. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make things easier on yourself. One of them is to understand how meditation can create stress. Another is to know what to do about this. Easing your way into it with a 5-minute meditation can help too. Today, I recommend that you try one of these three options (read about the challenges meditation, what to do about them, or how to meditate for short periods of time) which are linked in the paragraph above. If this sounds like more than you have time for right now, I recommend that you come back to it later, but for now, clear your mind for the count of 20, imagining “peace” entering your body as you inhale and stress leaving your body with each exhale. And enjoy your day! |
