The Transformative Art of Mindfulness

Many times in life, we feel that we are not in sync with the earth, maybe we do not feel that we are grounded.

But first off, you are probably wondering what it is I mean when I say "Being grounded."  And what I mean by being grounded is not picking up negative energies from other people, not absorbing their negative emotions; when you are grounded you are fully present in your body and feeling like you are in sync with the earth, this allows you to feel balanced and centered no matter what is happening around you.  It is always a good idea to find your passion or something that you love to do, that you are good at and defines you.  For me, that is music and singing in the shower when I can.  Finding some type of escape is good to release tension, fear, and depression, for everybody this may be different, I know for me that is going to the gym.  I know when I feel like I am going insane and engage with my emotions to the point of feeling like I want to kill someone (NOT LITERALLY, but you know normal human feelings in times of distress!) So I have come up with ways to achieve satisfaction in everyday life without being emotionally dependent on anyone and to accomplish emotional balance in the midst of troubles or whatever it may be:

1.  Hit up the GYM!

The most beneficial thing you can do for yourself is to go to the gym, I don't mean just once per week.  But start lifting weights and make a habit of going at least 3 times a week.  When feeling stressed out, emotional, if you have any mental illness, suffer from depression and anxiety, or if you have experienced any kind of personal trauma in your life, exercising will help you out tremendously! I promise because whenever I have been angry and I went to the gym, I was surprised at how much better I was feeling only after 30 minutes had passed.  It can make all the difference, releasing endorphins

is the bodies way of making you feel happier, and as a result you experience happier and more positive emotions.  Initially, what happens in our brains when we exercise is the endorphins in the synapse binds to the opioid receptors in our brains which prohibits the release of Substance P which is your main pain neurotransmitter in the brain. 

2. Spend alone time with yourself to meditate, write down your feelings in a journal, or even try to learn beginner's yoga!

The best way to heal or to release any negative emotions is to meditate even if it is for 10-15 minutes.  Research from Harvard University's, Dr. Marlynn Wei, and her colleagues did a study on mind-body relaxation for 8 weeks and found that you don't need to be part of a program, that just 10-15 minutes of mindfulness meditation everyday has benefits and consistency is KEY!  Journaling is actually known to help, I know it sounds ridiculous but there is a neuroimaging study that UCLA psychologists conducted on the brains of individuals experiencing intense emotions, such as depression, anger and pain, it has been shown to produce therapeutic effects on the brain.  The study revealed that when an individual labeled their feelings that the right side of the brain was activated, specifically the region called the ventrolateral-prefrontal cortex.  This part of the brain is associated with thinking in words about your personal emotional experiences.  Surprisingly, it is also known to hinder the behavior and the processing of your emotions. 

3. Get your butt out in the sun!!!!

I know sounds pretty obvious, right?  But it is true because being in direct sunlight can actually boost dopamine levels in the brain by increasing the amount of dopamine receptors and create vitamin D--a very important vitamin for absorbing calcium and maintaining bone growth--which activates the genes that release dopamine.

4. Get rid of any toxic relationships or friendships in your life!

It is so important that you throw out the toxic relationships and friendships because in order to gain emotional stability instead of emotional dependency, you need to realize that you are keeping people around for the wrong reasons, you are not doing yourself any good by keeping them around just because you will be lonely and have no one else.  That is not the point of relationships, they are suppose to be meaningful and color our lives.  We are all relational and relationships do define us--as they are a big part of our lives.  Plus, we do grow confidence through and in our relationships with others but they are not everything especially if they are emotionally draining and are becoming negative.  Trust me, I have been here and it is very tough but in the end you did yourself a favor and nobody else.  That is how you have to think about it because in the end no one else is going to be there for you but YOU!  You need to love yourself, become your own best friend and realize that you don't NEED anyone in your life especially if they keep pointing out your flaws or make false accusations about  you.  In that case, it might be time to question and reconsider their place in your life.

5. It is okay to cry once in a while but don't do it all the time!

I have heard some people, including psychologists say that crying is good for you because it releases feel-good chemicals and toxins, I can see where this would be true but it seems like this would only be true if you cry once in a while.  If you cry all the time, then I think that it might make you feel worse because when you are crying you tend to criticize yourself like "I'm so weak", or "I'm too sensitive" or whatever the case may be then you will feel horrible.  I would say know your limit and that it is okay to grieve the loss of someone whether it be the deceased or the living--but let me say that you are not meant to be in the dark forever.  Yes, it may take a really long time, if you recent lost your friends and they abandoned you than I would imagine it would take time to heal but you are not meant to grieve them forever because God has other plans for you.  However, grieving is different for everybody, if you recently lost a loved one than there is NO LIMIT to your grieve at all, it will take time to feel you again, and it is in God's hands, he has a plan for you and your life!  There can be joy again, it just may take time.

6. Always find the time to pray and talk to God no matter what the circumstances are.

Always make the time to pray to God even if you feel depressed, anxious, not reassured, or alone.  He will listen to you, even if you are angry and feel mad at him, he has heard your prayer and he is not ignoring you, it just may take time for him to reply because he has a whole bunch of voicemails that he has to listen to from billions of other people in the world.  But eventually he will get to yours!  If you feel stuck try reading psalms or stories in the bible that inspire strength, faith, hope.  There are many of them that tell the stories of people who struggled with depression and hardship and had to overcome adversity.  The story about the weeping prophet Jeremiah, the grief that he suffers over the destruction of the people and the judgement.  He knows what God is going to do and he embodies God's message in a physical way and he experiences the grief that the people of Israel are feeling.  Later on he writes prayers, which are his confessions to God displaying his anger and saying "God why have you called me to this ministry, I have had plots prompted against me and I have endured persecutions."  He even references God as a "deceptive brook" out of his frustration because he was angry and sad because he did nothing but be faithful to God and had the odds stacked against him.