How meditation can change your life in 2006

You’re stressed? Do you worry about your physical health? Your mental health? Your spiritual health? Do you wish you had less stress and anxiety in your life and more peace and harmony?

Well, I felt all these things a few years ago and I thought I would go crazy or die. I was working 10-12 hour days, 6 days a week in a very stressful job. I had a wife and two children at home who wanted and deserved my time and attention. I had a mortgage, two car notes, license plate, medical bills, back taxes, and credit card debt coming out of my ears!

I ran non-stop through my days trying to take care of everything and make everyone happy, but I never had enough time to take care of myself. In bed at night, my heart was pounding with stress and anxiety. I worried about my job, my marriage, the kids, the bills, the house, my health, and even my sanity.

My health was of particular concern. I felt tired all the time. I was gaining weight. My back always hurt. Walking up even one flight of stairs left me breathless and dizzy. I felt like I was falling apart physically, mentally, and spiritually.

I was really worried about myself, but I didn’t know what to do. I tried the gym, various fad diets, home exercise machines, and even time management programs. I got roughly the same results with every new thing I tried. They all seemed to help at first, but I couldn’t stay with any of them for long. I now realize that they didn’t work because they were short term fixes to a long term problem. I had to change my life.

I knew I had a lot to learn, but I couldn’t afford to buy a bunch of books and everything in the library seemed out of date. So I got used to stopping at the local Barns and Noble on my way home from work every day. I read everything I could find on stress, anxiety, health, diet, and self-improvement. I felt like a cheater sitting there reading the books without buying them, but no one seemed to care. I usually bought a cup of coffee or tea just to ease my conscience a bit.

I have read many excellent books with wonderful ideas on how to improve one’s life. As expected, a theme came up time and time again; meditation. I tried meditating several years before but got frustrated and quit before giving it a try. But he was desperate and determined to try anything that might help.

One book in particular said, “Start right now!” He was too embarrassed to sit in the bookcase and meditate, but he didn’t want to waste another moment. So I went to my car, adjusted the seat to a comfortable position, set my alarm clock for 30 minutes, then closed my eyes and started counting my breaths.

That turned out to be a defining moment in my life. Of course, I didn’t have instant success. Mediation takes practice and can be very difficult at times. But making the decision to incorporate meditation into my daily life changed everything for me.

I continued to stop at the bookstore every night for a while and divided my time between reading and meditating. Nothing else had changed in my life. I still had a stressful job, marriage, kids, house, and bills, but somehow I felt better, less stressed, even more energetic!

No, it did not magically solve all the problems in my life. But once I started to feel more relaxed and less stressed, I was able to focus better on the other things I needed to do to stay mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy.

I soon began a daily meditation practice at home. I also started a reasonable exercise plan that included walking, light exercise, and yoga. These things combined with eating right (most of the time), have literally changed my life. I am now happier, healthier, and at peace with the world around me.

I hope this story inspires some of you to take that first step and start incorporating meditation into your own life. This is the perfect time to make the decision. What better New Years resolution than to change your life for the better? There are numerous meditation methods and practices and a wealth of resources available in bookstores and on the web. I’m sure you can find something that works for you.

In fact, I have collected a lot of information on meditation, relaxation, yoga, and other related topics on my website: http://www.imcalmer.com. I would also be very happy to share my own experience. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions or comments.