I’ve had a lot of “life” happen lately and my mind can go into overdrive. Maybe you know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about when you wake up in the middle of the night with things you think you need to do or you can’t get to sleep because the efforts of the day are still whirring between your ears. Enter meditation.
Some of the things I’ve found that help me the most when my brain doesn’t stop include meditation and what I deem a different type of meditation, whacking a tennis ball on an elastic string. For those classic meditation moments, I’m a fan of essential oils and a diffuser for aromatherapy. My home often has scents rising from the diffuser. To meditate, I tend to go for lavender mixes. Lavender is long-known for its relaxing properties. Ideally, I sit in a darkened room and concentrate on each breath or listen to the many sounds occurring around me. Meditation isn’t an easy practice. The point is to keep the mind in the now, not the past and not the future. If I can sneak in 5-minutes of meditation, my brain feels better and my focus improves.
For those days when I want to get in a workout and keep my mind in the now, I go for a tennis ball on a piece of elastic that’s grounded by a sandbag. There’s nothing like a tennis volley with myself (I am an introvert) to work out the day and refocus my brain. On a tennis trainer like this, the ball comes back so fast that I can’t focus on anything else or I might get hit. Also, it’s great for hand-eye coordination and the physical activity is amazing.
If you have a running brain like I sometimes have, I hope you find a way to calm your brain and enter peace. And know, whatever healthy way you choose to quiet your brain, it takes practice and maintenance.
-Amy Davenport
Director | Fitness and Recreation