Day 29 & 30: Meditation Challenge Update

Today is the last day of the 30-minute meditation challenge for this month. I am really happy with the way this challenge went. I was able to consistently meditate for an hour on most days except for a couple of days when I was super tired or got delayed. On those days, I did 30 min only.

Yesterday, on day 29, I managed to complete one hour of meditation before sleeping, and today, I completed another hour of meditation in the morning.

What I have learned is that I enjoy meditating at night before sleeping. Initially, I found it hard to incorporate meditation in the morning. But as I have progressed through this month, I have found it easy to meditate in the morning also.

These are some of the benefits that I have noticed

First, it really helps me sleep better. It slows down my mind and helps me unwind from the chaos of the day. Spending some time with my thoughts in the quietness, helps me sort out the unwanted thoughts and keep the ones that are important for me. It’s almost like cleaning up my mind before sleeping. I have noticed that my sleep has become better. I didn’t really track my sleep on the app via my smartwatch, because I like to remove my watch while meditating. Mostly, I didn’t wear it after my meditation so I slept without it. Hence, it is difficult to track.

Second, I wake up refreshed. Eating low-carb has already reduced my morning lethargy. When I used to eat high-carb, I used to feel stiffness in my body upon waking up. I accidentally discovered this a few years ago, that’s how I got interested in the low-carb way of eating. I will write about it in another post, someday. So, while lethargy was not there, meditating at night before sleeping made me realize that my mind also felt rested.

Third, it has helped me reduce my tech usage. I didn’t watch Netflix or use technology for one hour before sleeping. I think this is a great way to wean away from the tech habit at night. Usually after my meditation, I don’t feel like checking my social media or watching Netflix. Even if I do, it’s for a minute or two before I am fast asleep.

Fourth, I have better focus and concentration during the day. Even during the day, I am less prone to check my social media apps than before I started this challenge. I don’t get caught up in conversations that don’t add much value to my life.

Fifth, it turns my thoughts in a positive direction. I mainly do Vipassana-style meditation, which I learned a few years ago. This month I have used a guided Vipassana meditation for an hour. Usually, when I have a break, I prefer starting with guided meditation, otherwise, I find it difficult to sit through it. Listening to the meditation tape, helps me to practice being in a non-reactive, balanced state of mind.

Sixth, I have better control over my hunger levels & am fasting with more ease. In the last month, I have felt that meditation has had an effect on balancing my hormones. As my response to stressful situations has improved, so is my response to food.

Seventh, I feel that the time has expanded. Earlier, I used to feel that there is not enough time to do anything. But now, I feel I have extra time and can do much more than before. I don’t feel a sense of urgency so much. I am more relaxed and at ease with my workload.

Eighth, I think meditation goes very well with a low-carb, time-restricted eating style I practice these days. Meditating in the morning & then going for a walk, similarly, walking & then meditating at night is a better way to begin and end your day. It allows our body to prepare for the day and end the day with a relaxed, stress-free attitude. Even when I am working till late or early in the morning, a short meditation changes my attitude toward my work and provides a good transition between bed and work.

These are a few of my observations from the monthly challenge of 30-minute meditation every day for April 24. For the next month, I want to focus on writing every day for 30 min. I do free journaling on and off. But this time, I want to do it consistently for a month as a challenge. I will write daily updates on my blog. Writing here daily has helped me track and observe my progress much better.

Day 9: Meditation challenge update

Yesterday, I meditated around midnight. I, literally started my meditation around 11:30 & was done with it by 12:30. It was late, but worth it. I had a good sleep & woke up refreshed at 5:30 am for my morning workouts. I didn’t feel drowsiness or tiredness at all. I had also finished my dinner by 6 pm so even though I was awake until later, I didn’t feel hungry at night. I think meditation is helping me with my hunger levels also.

Fasting for 16-18 hours on most days, eating the low-carb way and now meditation is certainly helping me get my life back.

Yesterday, I also talked to Dr. Shabnam Das Kar in preparation for the Metabolic Health Conference 2.0. I will be hosting a session with her on how low carb can help women address hormonal issues & mental health issues.

I usually don’t like to add a lot of news to my meditation updates, but I wanted to talk about my talk with her as she is also a certified Tiny Habits coach. I told her about these habit-forming challenges that I have been doing each month since February. She said that it’s a good strategy. Once I have time, I am going to read the book, Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, which she recommended.

I posted about these challenges mainly on Twitter, so if you don’t follow me on Twitter, you may not know about it.

But in short, in February, I ran a challenge to eat a minimum of 30 gms of protein for one meal at least. This doesn’t mean that I ate only 30 gms of protein in that meal or that day. I usually eat a lot more on my low-carb lifestyle. However, having at least 30 gms in one meal ensured that I focused on my nutrition intake for the day.

In March, I ran a challenge to walk at least 30 min every day. Although I was already walking more every day, once I started the challenge, after a week, I wanted to take a break. But I kept at it. At times, I found myself walking late at night, after dinner, just to complete the challenge. Even walking after dinner, helped me sleep well.

This month, I am doing the meditation challenge. So far, I am finding it really beneficial. Even though I spend almost an hour meditating every day, I can see the benefits during the day. I am more clear-headed, focused & productive throughout the day.

So, if you want to get better at something & think that time is an issue, try a challenge. Usually keeping a certain time aside works, but initially, you can just commit yourself to doing a task for 10 minutes every day, for a month. You can even do a weekly challenge, but I prefer monthly challenges.

Try it & let me know if it works for you.

Day 5: Meditation challenge update

Yesterday, I meditated for an hour at night before sleeping. I am realizing that meditating at night before sleeping really agrees with me. I had a good sleep & woke up refreshed also.

This has meant that I have resumed my morning walks.

However, the hard part is giving up looking at my phone or laptop for messages on social media or watching Netflix for a bit. I really want to give up that habit because it is not good to use screens before sleeping.

Let’s see how the challenge progresses. So far, I can meditate as per the challenge.

Meditating has also brought a stillness to my mind. I am in better control of my cravings & things that I need to do.

Let’s see how it all goes.

On observing our own minds: Making decisions in the age of the internet

It’s been almost three months since I posted here. A lot has happened since then. Every time, I thought of writing a post, something would catch my attention and I would forget all about writing a post. It always seems that there is something more urgent than writing a blog. Yet, I think writing a blog has value. It allows me to reflect on my life and the way I choose to live it.

Very often we discount the fact that our lives are mainly a result of the decisions we make every day or even every moment. While we may think about major decisions we have taken in our lives such as what college to go to, what subjects to study, where to go for vacations, etc. We rarely think about the micro-decisions we make. Do we ever pause and think about such decisions?

I have always grappled with this question. I have always felt that we don’t really make decisions from a place of awareness. We often tend to follow the advice of our conditioned mind. If that is so, then shouldn’t we be working on how we condition our minds. Are we aware of what we are putting in our minds? I think this is especially important in today’s world, where we live with our mobile phones, which have given us 24×7 access to the Internet.

I have tried to make rules about reducing my internet usage. But after several failed attempts I have realized that it is not possible to do that. I often find a way to justify it to myself that I need to use the internet. I won’t deny that the internet has been very helpful to me. I have been able to explore and learn about things that interest me and are good for my professional career. I have also used the internet to expand my network and form/ sustain friendships, which I otherwise couldn’t have.

So, I have decided to maximize the good usage and minimize the not-so-good aspects of the internet. I think this is something possible for me to do. Becoming aware of my internet usage and how it is impacting my life is something that will take practice but is possible to do. What do you think? Have you ever worried about your internet usage?

I wanted to write a post on a completely different topic about how the past year and what I am planning and looking forward to in the New Year, but I ended up writing about something totally different. This is what I enjoy about blogging.

I hope you enjoy this post. I think I will be writing more about my observations on how our mind functions. It’s a topic that has fascinated me ever since I was a child but could never really explore. But I feel that now, I can.

Daily Musings #5: Listening to self and finding focus

Today, I woke up early at 3:30 am. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t so decided to write this post. I usually like writing early in the morning or dead of the night. The quietness at these times helps me listen to myself. I think listening to ourselves is a luxury these days. The entire day we are engaged in listening to others or trying to tell ourselves that listening to others is important.

As soon as we wake up we open our social media accounts to see what others are saying. We are worried if we have missed out on catching the latest trends. The “fear of missing out” or FOMO is a persistent voice in our heads. Sometimes we do this because we are not happy with the version of events in our own life. Right now, this is true for me. I am really not happy with laying in bed with an injured leg. So, scrolling through social media accounts makes me feel connected. But do I really feel connected?

I find it more satisfying to use this time to listen to myself. Of things that I need to do to reach my highest self. This is the thought that plagues me the most. My mind I feel consists of various thoughts and experiences. Not all of them are useful to me. Once I get entangled in those extraneous thoughts, I tend to venture far away from where I feel I should be. I always feel that meditative practices such as sitting in meditation and observing my thoughts help me bring closer to myself.

I use this technique of focussing on my breath in most activities I do. Whether it is a physical task such as swimming, running, exercising, or mental tasks such as making a mandala or painting, reading, and writing. I feel when I focus on my breath everything seems a bit easier. My mind becomes calmer and more focused on the task at hand. I seem to enjoy what I am doing.

Have you ever tried focusing on your breath when you are in a stressful situation? I feel it works wonderfully to calm myself down and it alleviates those overwhelming feelings that crowd your mind. Often I think the main challenge is to be self-aware so that I can remind myself to breathe. So, I listen to soft music on YouTube, which I think evens out my breathing and helps me focus.

Let me know how you liked this post and if you have used a similar strategy to find focus…

What am I reading and watching?

I love reading and watching movies. Who doesn’t? But we don’t always get enough time to read what we want. But this week as I was a bit under the weather due to changing season, I decided to catch up on some reading and watching movies.

1. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi – It is a memoir written by Dr. Kalanithi after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. On learning that he had limited time left, he decided to write this memoir. Dr. Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon and a neuroscientist, but before he embarked on his medical education, he had studied literature. His memoir brings together his experiences as a neurosurgeon, as a husband, son and father in beautiful writing. It is hard enough to live with knowing that you are going to die soon, but to also write a book about your life in that state is, I think, a more herculean task. Even then, his memoir, I think is less about death but more about life and future. It is poignant at times, making you wonder about the fragility of life yet the strong ties of hope that keeps us at it.
2. The Elephant in the Room by Tommy Tomlinson – It is a memoir about weight loss by an American journalist. Once he reaches 50 years of age, Tomlinson realises how his weight is preventing him to do things and also affecting others around him, especially his family. In the book, he chronicles his weight loss journey over a year, with each chapter corresponding to a month. However, instead of just providing an account of how his weight loss is progressing, he also talks about his life starting from childhood until present. He goes in detail about the causes that increased his dependency on food resulting in weight gain. He talks about moments when he uses food to cope with life’s challenges and emotions. The story of his life looked through the lens of an overweight person is what makes the book interesting to read. The extreme pressure to conform to social standards yet not having the resources to cope with them, can disconnect ourselves from our inner being causing a disruption and disharmony within ourselves. Thus, at some level, the book is about finding a balanced self.
3. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl – Viktor Frankl was a Holocaust survivor and a psychologist. In this book, he reconstructs his experiences of surviving in Nazi concentration camps and the strategies he used to help survive the torture. Towards the end, he also introduces “logotherapy”, a psychotherapeutic approach, which is based on the idea that human being’s search for meaning is one of the biggest motivators of life. He believes that the having a meaning to live for can help overcome even the most trying situations of life. I found this book difficult to read, not because it was complicated, but because of the descriptions of torture. Just reading about the tough conditions under which the Jewish prisoners lived gave me goosebumps and made me think about how much we take granted for in life, especially time. There were many times I had to stop reading, take a break, re-read the passage, pause and just remind myself that what happened was real. That human beings could something like this to each other. The book has left a deep impression on me. If you want to understand the value of the gift of human life, this is a book to read.
4. The Pianist by Roman Polanski – I cam across this movie on Netflix. This movie is also about Holocaust. It portrays the experience of the Jewish Pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman during the Holocaust. The film is very poignant as it portrays the treatment of Jews by the Nazis. Szpilman was well-known as a musician, so he was saved from going to the camp to his death. He was separated from his family. While he lived in a camp as a labourer, he manages to escape and takes help from his Polish friends, who hide him in various places. Eventually, he finds himself all alone, not knowing how to survive. As the war is ending, he finds an unlikely benefactor in a Nazi, who helps him with food. Eventually, he survives till the end of the war and begins playing again. The movie is a masterpiece, a full experience of how human beings find focus and determination under extreme circumstances to survive and continue with life, even when you know that you have perhaps lost all your loved ones.
5. The International (film 2009) – I like watching spy movies these days. So I also watched this film. It was a usual spy movie. I liked some of the fight sequences, especially the one in the museum.

So this was my week, mostly spent indoors reading and watching movies and recuperating. If you have read or watched any of the above, would love to know your comments and responses.