Student Explores Meditation To Maintain Mental Health During 2020 Pandemic

With the pandemic going on, Maui students and residents have been living with an underlying stress in their daily lives.  We must social distance and take extra safety precautions any time we leave the house.  With tourists arriving again, we are worried about our Island home, our ohana and especially our kupuna.  With all these potential risk factors in the back of my mind combined with school assignments and homework,  I needed to find an outlet.  It’s not good to keep all the stress bottled up inside so I began to search for a way to relax and it led me to meditation. 

Meditation is an interesting subject that I explored online before attempting. I was curious about what the benefits of meditation were, and the pros and cons. The Dictionary defines meditating as a way to engage in thought or contemplation. To reflect or to engage in transcendental meditation, devout religious contemplation, or quiescent spiritual introspection. If you ever wanted to try something new without leaving your home, meditation is the answer and it’s completely free to practice anywhere. On youtube, you can explore and figure out what works best for you. I discovered nine popular types of meditation practices which are mindfulness meditation; spiritual meditation; focused meditation; movement meditation; mantra meditation; transcendental meditation; progressive relaxation; progressive relaxation; and finally loving-kindness meditation.

The point of meditation is to let go of any of the negative thoughts that you have had throughout the week.   I read it can help reduce stress and anxiety and that it can also help with pain management.  Maintaining a strong mental health is the main reason why people consider meditation.  I struggled with mood swings and meditation has been a healing process for my body and mind.  I found that I enjoy listening to subliminal meditation music in the background while I do my school work.  Subliminal audio refers to sounds played at a level you are unable to hear consciously – but that your subconscious mind can perceive.  Because your conscious mind is not aware of the subliminal suggestions underlying the music, it can’t put up barriers against it. 

Some challenges you may encounter when attempting meditation is staying focused amongst noises, or the nonstop chatter that is constantly going on inside your head.  You can get bored if you do nothing for too long, even if it’s only for 10 minutes.  You can also get tired while meditating and have to actively work to stay awake.  Still, meditation is said to facilitate access to a deep and lasting inner peace and happiness.

After practicing for a couple weeks I’ve found I’m able to focus more on things that matter once my head becomes clear. Sometimes meditation is as short as taking a quick break from working on a project. If you’re someone who can’t sit still for more than an hour, or get grumpy over simple things, meditation might become a handy discipline for you. Even if one of the practices you do is just counting numbers, or counting sheep at bedtime, it can be a practical and readily available remedy to relieve stress and help you feel loads better! So don’t be afraid to take on meditation as a new hobby and remember- It’s free!