by Amanda Blankfield-Koseff, Founder and CEO of Empowervate
Mindfulness meditation is a great way to still the mind and stop the thoughts from causing stress and anxiety. Our brains have a default network which creates all kinds of thoughts all the time except when we are focusing on something and being “in flow”. All the other times, our thoughts continue. The problem comes when we get stuck on a thought, and obsess about it, which causes negative emotions like fear, worry, anger etc.
When these thoughts get entrenched, they become beliefs and the lens through which we see the world. Things do not happen “to” us, but we perceive the world that way if we are not mindful. We are actually living in an inside-out world – reality is there but how we each perceive it differs and they only thing we have control over is how we react to/manage this reality.
One way to train our minds not to get stuck on these negative thoughts is to practice mindfulness meditation for at least 5 minutes every day to start. The aim of the meditation is to firstly focus inwardly, to do a “body check” and to feel where we have stress or pain so we can deal with it later, and to breathe deeper and more consciously for those 5 minutes.
How to do it – there are many kinds of meditation and they have different methodologies. The simplest one to start with is to sit in a comfortable position on a chair or on the floor. Have a blanket around you if you may get cold. Close your eyes and just breathe in for 5 counts, hold your breath for 5 and breathe out for 5 counts. Do this 3 times to calm you and centre you. Then breathe normally. Whenever a thoughts comes into your mind, don’t fight it, just distract your mind by focusing on your breathing or the sounds around you – whether it’s birds chirping or traffic, it will stop your mind getting stuck on a thought.
I started mindfulness meditation three years ago and attend monthly sessions (online now) where we share our experiences of this and help one another. In December 2019 I did a course in Transcendental Meditation which takes meditation to another level. Since doing the course I have continued doing twenty-minute meditations with a mantra the teacher provides at the course twice a day. I have found that especially now during lockdown, the routine of doing these meditations and the mediations themselves have really calmed me down and centered me. I have more energy, more positivity, and more peace of mind. I recommend it!
Extra reading:
https://www.nikiseberini.com/coffee-and-conversations-with-niki
https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/
Amanda Blankfield-Koseff is the Founder and CEO of Empowervate Trust since 2013. The core programme is the Youth Citizens Action Programme (YCAP) which empowers learners to be active citizens through project management skills. The programme was created in 2009 and incubated at Afrika Tikkun until it moved to Empowervate Trust. An entrepreneurship programme for youth is the next programme being developed. Previously, Amanda worked at Afrika Tikkun for five and a half years doing marketing, events and communications in the community and youth development space. Her career began in the sales and communications industry at DS-Max, Camper Shoes, Ventureweb and Dennis Jankelow and Associates after completing her Bachelor of Communications Degree at Bond University.