Keeper of Thoughts

Getting out of trauma is not easy.

Sometimes, even realizing that we went through a trauma – can take a whole lot of time.

Then, knowing that the trauma left us impacted – the impact being much worse than we ever imagined it to be – can again take a while.

Then, comes acceptance – accepting the fact that trauma damaged us can take another while.

And then finally comes the healing.

Yes, getting over trauma and healing can be slow, but it is possible, and it happens.

I went through trauma too. It was not a childhood trauma, it was not my profession, it was my relationship. I found myself in a relationship where I was only the one who cared. And for a long time, I did not feel it was wrong. As I understand, the reason was that I never loved myself, I did not have faith in myself. I lacked the confidence that I deserved to be loved. And so I let myself be in that relationship before I ended it.

The trauma came after the end of the relationship, that’s when I started realizing what I had gone through. And then it took me a long time to realize that I needed healing too.

I did not know then what would healing mean, or how I would feel after I healed. But I know now, we need to heal to feel good about ourselves. We need to heal to feel good from within. We need to heal to be able to feel happy while being alone too. And that takes time, that takes courage, and that takes patience, a lot of patience.

During my journey, I tried many things and many techniques. And there were many things that helped me too, but one thing that kept me sane through it all was my meditation practice.

And if I cannot help my fellow human beings going through similar problems, then what’s the point of me learning to solve my own problem?

So, here I begin by sharing meditation tips from my own personal experience

When starting, guided meditation is easier.
The results start showing with practice.
Meditation really needs practice.
I have heard people give up when they can’t sit for a few minutes. Don’t do that. Just start and be consistent.
In the beginning, it’s okay to meditate for 5 minutes too.
When done in the early hours – especially the Brahma muhurta (which starts 90 minutes before sunrise and ends at sunrise), it’s easier to focus and get into a meditative state.
But meditation can be done at any time of the day.
While meditating, you need to accept your surrounding voices and not run away from them.
Meditation does help reduce – anger & anxiety, and, promotes the feeling of – calm & peace.
Yoga can be a perfect companion for meditation.
Meditation opens the doors to spirituality.
Meditation is not about any religion or sect. It is about improving mental health.
With meditation, the first benefit I ever felt was that my thoughts felt seated and organized. I could easily navigate through them.
It’s said, “Whatever you are looking for outside lies inside you.” Meditation helps us go inside and figure it out.
Meditation has helped me be a better writer too.
Psychologists recommend meditation as a great way to take care of self i.e. self-care.
There are many types of meditation and techniques.
In the beginning, focusing on a consistent practice is more important rather than focusing on different results.
I was always a believer, but I also had my doubts. With meditation, I am glad to say – I am now a complete believer.
The most powerful organ that we have is our brain. It can make us or it can break us. Meditation is the most efficient, easy-to-operate, free-to-use tool known to man that can help us keep our brain functioning positively.
There are some among us who feel disconnected from our emotions (this can happen to any of us.) In such scenarios meditation can help us reconnect with our own emotions.
It’s not that during meditation your mind should not wander. It will wander but you have to keep coming back to not focusing on your train of thought.
With practice, the mind learns to be still for longer intervals.
Whatever we do in life, it is for 2 things – happiness and peace. Meditation helps us achieve both by going within.
Meditation also gives us better focus as our mind does not wander that much. This helps us achieve our goals better.
Meditation also opens the pathways to better psychological & spiritual health.
Meditation is a part of yoga.
When we do meditation after a series of yogic physical activities – we are able to meditate better. So, you can start with a physical yoga practice and then do meditation at the end of it.
While meditating, you can also ask yourself some questions that had been troubling you and you can get answers for them from within yourself.
Meditation also teaches us patience – a major skill that we seem to be forgetting.
If we all do meditation, we all would be able to understand ourselves better. Our understanding of others then would improve too. And that would really help make this world a better place.
With meditation, you can start looking at scenarios from a more patient and understanding point of view.
Even though I do meditation sitting down in a cross-legged position, it is not essential to be in that posture. You have to be in the posture that’s comfortable for you.
Meditation is all about you. It is not about anyone else.
Meditation will make you see you.
Meditation will eventually make you learn to love yourself. Even though initially you might not feel that way.
For me, meditation also helped me have better relationships. As I was more patient in my relationships. I could see the flaws in others and could forgive them for it. Because I knew I was not perfect and the same was with others.
Meditation also fills us with gratitude for daily things we might otherwise take for granted.
That warmth that we feel when we do something really good – like helping someone or hugging a loved one, or being surrounded by people who genuinely care for us – meditation can help us feel that too.
For me, I did not only stick to one type of practice or one type of technique, or one teacher. Exploring the different ways that different teachers teach meditation has helped me see what is universal, and what is specific. That way I can tailor my own meditation sessions according to my needs.
The result of meditation has made me a better family person and a better friend. I feel satisfied with the kind of relationships I have. And I know my own people feel the same.
There were times when going from one moment to another seemed like a challenge for me, and I had to do meditation twice a day to feel okayish. Even though I was talking to my friends, I was with my family and I was exercising too – I only felt better once I meditated.
Today, after practicing meditation regularly for more than 3 years, I can sit with myself in peace, without being worried.
Meditation != Being a Saint
Meditation helps us navigate our lives better than otherwise.
Meditation may seem like it is demotivating us or that it is making us less ambitious. But in the long run – I have seen – it is trying to declutter our life so that we see what really matters.
They say meditation may make you detached. But it’s not detachment that you feel, it’s just that you start looking at things from a new perspective. A perspective that gives you the chance to review your choices and not just panic.
There are studies that say there are negative impacts of meditation but they were only after intensive practices like meditation retreats. And there is no conclusive research done in this regard. Mostly, people say after consistent practice – and according to my experience – spiritual awakening does involve some hard times but they only come when we are also able to deal with them.
Meditation results in self-awareness.
We might start seeing our flaws, but that also means that we are more self-aware now, and we know what our problems are. And, once we know the problems, we will also be able to find solutions.