Sometimes, well, mostly, I feel worn out. I am tired! Life becomes a routine, and nothing excites me anymore. I wake up tired, sluggishly push through the day, I take my dinner bored, and for some reason, it does not taste as good as it used to. Turn on the News on TV, and nothing gives me a glimpse of hope. That has been my life for a couple of months.
What hurts the most is I cannot dare share my frustration with anyone; they seem to have it worse. I don’t want to listen to my colleague with a newborn whine about getting an hour of sleep after telling her I only slept for four hours. My newly wedded sister told me she has not slept since July because her husband snores like a bear. Do not get me started on the delivery man this morning. He feels like his salary is cursed because he never progresses in life (yet his strongly devoted to his beer}
Like the vast majority I know, my life has fallen into the sad trap of modernity. With all the ambitions, frustrations, social media, voices in our head, baby cries, yelling bosses, and all the noises within and without. I have to take deliberate action to switch off. So I did what everyone does, run to Mr. Know it all, his Excellency, Mr. Google. And typed ‘how to calm my mind’ and boy, there are a million and one choices I tried most but don’t work. Then I accidentally stumbled upon Transcendental Meditation (TM).
So, what is Transcendental meditation? Transcendental meditation involves silently repeating a mantra for 15–20 minutes a day, sitting with eyes closed. It allows your active, agitated thinking mind to settle down and access a field of calm that lies deep within every one of us. Research shows it reduces anxiety, depression, insomnia; it improves focus, creativity, resilience, and all the good things we all crave.
While ideally, you should do it with the help of a certified TM teacher, do not let that limit you. There are many resources available that range from books, blogs, videos, and free youtube channels. Well am not an expert; God knows I struggle to achieve any quietness. But It feels good, and I like that I get instant results, unlike a diet plan where maybe my waist will cinched in 6 months; here I get instantly, a whole 15minutes of calmness! I cannot wait to experience the long-term effects.