How to Detox and Destress with Mindfulness and Meditation

Photo: 2nd Truth | My Sister

This year, I’m doing resolutions differently. Instead of a list I probably won’t follow through on, I’m focusing on one goal for the year- Detox. In all different aspects of my life. With the holiday stress and new year craziness, I've decided to first start with detoxifying my mind. 
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It's no secret that stress can have a big impact on so many parts of our lives, notably our health. High, uncontrolled stress can be linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. 
 
Plus, it affects our every day. I have a lot of trouble managing stress, so it manifests in headaches, stomach aches, fatigue, sleep problems and more. 
 
It's so easy for me to feel completely overwhelmed with everything going around me, and in the past I've tried all the common stress-management techniques. And though a good workout or yoga session or getting more sleep do absolutely help a ton, it was always hard for me to stick with these solutions as I didn't always see a direct, lasting impact on my stress level. 
 
Enter mindfulness and meditation. Like many others, I didn't always think these two m-words were for me. They conjured up images of pretending to escape (or actually escaping) to a remote mountain, emptying your mind of anything and everything to somehow be spiritually elevated past the craziness and unnecessary stress of the world. And though that sounded great in theory, I could never- and still can't- see my overactive brain becoming completely empty of thought. 
 
I now know my perception of meditation and mindfulness was dead wrong. It's not about emptying your mind and escaping. I would argue it's about doing the opposite- being fully aware and present in your world. 

It started with me reading one of the most impactful books ever. It looks unassuming, it is written straight-forwardly, but it is truly a book I will read over and over: Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
 
Even the title explains the essence of mindfulness. The author writes that most of us live life in a haze of thinking about the past or the future. Very rarely are we fully engaged in the present moment. This leads to assumptions and manifestations, analysis of past events and predictions of future events. Instead of taking in what is actually happening in the now- good or bad- we are constantly overwhelming ourselves with how it connects to the past or affects the future. 

​“In meditation practice, the best way to get somewhere is to let go of trying to get anywhere at all.”
- Wherever You Go, There You Are

​We live in a hyper-connected world, and one where we have incredibly high standards for ourselves. We want to be great at our day jobs, and we want to master our side hustles. We want to monitor our past successes and failures so we can keep getting better. We even approach our relationships and friendships as a way to meet the metrics and milestones we’ve created for ourselves.
 
I’m not saying this drive and ambition is bad. But when it’s rooted in constant searching for something else and something better rather than ever appreciating the present moment, we live our lives in fast forward. We overwhelm our minds and bodies, but we refuse to take a break. And I believe this is why many of our stressful times never seem to end or give way.

​“There is just this moment. We are not trying to improve or get anywhere else.”
​- Wherever You Go, There You Are

​The book is full of so many lessons, and I highly recommend checking it out for yourself. I’m not even much of a reader anymore, but find myself referring to it so many times. (By the way it was written in 1994- more than ten years ago- but is still a bestseller!) The overarching lesson I’m trying to apply is to, every day, multiple times in a day, check in with the present. Remind myself to be still and take in whatever is happening- good, bad, thrilling, devastating, exciting, and saddening.
 
And I think how the author approaches bad things happening is really powerful. He talks about our minds being like a vast body of water. There are some times with really choppy waves and weather and wind. Other times are breathtaking in their calm. 

If meditation was about escape, there would be a magical way to calm these ever so unpredictable waters. But that’s just not reality- we cannot control life’s events. In fact, suppressing them and the feelings they bring cause more tension and stress. Instead, meditation and mindfulness is about being able to be present through it all, and understand stress, find meaning to tough times, and grow from these experiences. 

"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."
​- Wherever You Go, There You Are

​Another great point in the book- anyone can meditate. When I thought meditation and mindfulness was about emptying the mind, I was under the impression meditation “just wasn’t for me.” I could never imagine my overactive mind becoming completely thought, memory, and worry free.
 
The author addresses this notion. Meditation isn’t about being thought free. It’s not about escape- it’s about being fully present. It’s not about manipulating how you feel- it’s about feeling how you feel. It’s about finally being able to let go- by simply being there. 

"Thinking you are unable to meditate is a little like thinking you are unable to breathe."
​- Wherever You Go, There You Are

​I’m no master of meditation of mindfulness. It takes practice for sure. But as the book outlines- it doesn’t necessarily require a silent place and time. I meditate on my walk to work, or in the shower. You can meditate while running or between meetings. And the more mindful we are, the more we will see the benefits- we will be present in our relationships, we will ease the expectations on ourselves, and we will find less stress and worry in our minds. I'm excited to keep working on living more mindfully this year. I've already seen the effects it has on my mental calmness and clarity and know that will continue to increase with practice! 
 
Do you meditate? What is your take on mindfulness? Leave me your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below! 
 
Thanks for reading.
XO
Sameena 

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