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What Is Meditating and Why People Do It - How I Answered My Grandparents
So, my grandparents who are basically 90 just asked me what meditation is and why people do it. So, I thought I would share what I told them and also add some things I wish I had told them.
Basically, meditation is something that is very commonplace in other cultures...more of Eastern cultures, whereas, here in the West (including the the United States), it's just not part of our upbringing; it's not what's taught to children. And all it really means is being with yourself, spending a little time with yourself. There's so many different meditation practices...what I really enjoy and what I help coach people with is mindfulness meditation. This is basically learning how to realize when you've been distracted and when you're not being present...when you're not being "mindful". And the host of benefits are really almost limitless. From a symptoms-perspective it helps with focus, depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, not being able to pay attention, becoming a better listener, etc.
There are all kinds of things that it helps with, so that's why, for me, it's the most important thing I do every single day and I don't miss it. I might do other things like journaling or affirmations, but nothing is as important to me as meditating every single morning. And one thing that I had I told them was an analogy that I heard recently, which is how do you get to know people in your life like your spouse, your partner, your children, your co-workers, good friends? You spend time with them...you learn about them. If you were getting to know a complete stranger, how would you get to know them, you would say “hey let's meet up for a cup of coffee or glass of wine”, and ideally, if you want to keep it going, you do that once a week for a couple of months...maybe even more frequently. After a few months, you'd probably know that person pretty well.
How often in your entire life have you ever spent that kind of time with yourself? I don't mean just walking your dog or going for a jog, which are great activities, but I mean just sitting with yourself without distraction. And that's the difference. Think about that and give it a shot if you've never done it before. I can't recommend it enough. It's life-changing and it's as simple as that.
If you like more info you can check out my website MikeMesseroff.com or just email me if you have any questions at all. I'd love to hear from you!
Thanks guys and Jeannie and Poppa thank you for your interest and for everything you do and you continue to do. I appreciate it so much. For everyone else out there, give it a shot and until next time, I'll see you soon!
-Mike Messeroff