Easily 2-3 years ago, I wrote a blog entry on how ludicrous I thought it would be that I could meditate and where that little experiment landed me.  I had studied the effects of various types of mediation on some pretty heavy-hitting health challenges; but I never really saw the purpose in using it as a daily practice for “the rest of us”.

#fail

Now I realize that focused meditation (the kind that uses a mantra) is a huge help for those with anxiety.  It effectively teaches you how to control your thoughts so that they don’t run away with you–causing an anxiety or panic attack.  I found focused meditation was also profoundly helpful to my clients that “couldn’t turn their brain off” at night–often falling asleep with the TV on so that they could distract their brain with nonsense to fall asleep.

My next little experiment is going to be on my BigGuy.  I’ve wanted to do this before and even tried, but I’m Queen Inconsistency and never managed to get him on track for more than (literally) a day.  Now, I have to do this for myself and I’m going to pull him along with me–hoping it will prove useful in him being able to control his thoughts and stay more focused.  He’s been on board for this for a long time because HE doesn’t like being distracted, but he can’t control it.  As a result, he also can’t manage to get on top of the practice on his own.  

So I encourage you to consider this if you or your children have anxiety, distraction or even just a hard time falling asleep each night.  Make sure you are focusing on a mantra during your practice.  The link to my business blog entry above will give you great starting points (free ones!).

Do you already meditate?  Do you use a mantra?