Day 12: Meditated. I am now able to sit stiffly and nicely during the meditation session without thinking about the timer or getting interrupted by many thoughts. I hope that I can make it another habit and meditate longer than just a few minutes.
So now I am finally cultivating myself into Exercising and Meditating. I don’t know how long I am gonna stay away from P, but I will consider it as day 1.
Day 16: Meditated. Mind has really been rushing today and when I meditated I realized how logical it is that meditation is super beneficial for you. Your mind wants to keep rushing through thoughts at an insane pace and when you sit down and force your mind not to do that, that's gotta be huge.
Day 18: meditated I'd say that the substantial benefits will manifest themselves after months of consistent meditation. That being said, you can notice a difference after a few weeks. Even in the short term, i.e. after meditation, you will feel more relaxed. Now to come to your first question: increased focus, less brain fog, better memory, better at dealing with stress, etc. For me, I tend to react less emotional to situations of discomfort (like bad news). I feel that I can put things in perspective more and feel more detached. Tips: start small and increase the length of your meditation gradually. Don't overthink this. There is a lot of information about meditation but that can cause a fallacy of complexity. It is simple: close your eyes (not even necessary) and try to focus on your breath. Whilst doing that, thoughts will race through your head but you let them come and go.
Been 7 days, 5 min Monday-Friday before turning on the work computer. Today I was very scatter brained. The other days it gave me a good “reset” from any dreams I had the night before or expectations (negative or positive) of the day. A blank slate on which to start the day.
I've been meaning to do this more regularly. I decided to abstain from alcohol, since it seems to lead me into bad decision-making. However in its place I will need to find other ways to relax, so am committing to meditate daily, even if for short periods of time at first.
Day 19: meditated Good decision. I'm also abstaining from alcohol for a while (it's been 18 days). It always led to a loss of momentum and entailed lifestyle choices that were unhealthy (laying in bed the next day, gravitating towards comfort food, etc.). If I had a 'mediation streak' going on, then I'd most likely lose it because of a hangover. Besides that, abstaining from alcohol has given me more energy. I also notice that I have lost some body fat.
It's weird, it's not like I've been drinking that much - haven't had a hangover in probably 10 years - but I do not seem to handle my booze well anymore. After the temporary boost, it seems to make me just sort of lethargic and even mildly depressed. I get an upset stomach and don't usually sleep very well either. Maybe it's just my age catching up with me. I think, at least for now, the alcohol situation is a net negative for me, so I feel good about going on hiatus. I think that will boost the positive energy I expect from committing to a meditation schedule. Thanks for the support - I'll check in and let you know how it goes.
Day 19: Meditated I mostly meditate via the help of guided meditation videos in youtube, and occasionally without any aid. I feel difficult to concentrate when I am meditating without any guidance. Do you think I should meditate more often like that to get the most out of this process? How do you guys meditate?
Day 20: meditated Yeah, I get that feeling. Alcohol deregulates my sleeping pattern, my energy, and the quality of food I gravitate to. The reason why I'm taking a break for 30 days (maybe I'll sustain it for longer) is that I looked in the mirror and saw a substantial amount of fat around my neck, where I couldn't even see my Adam's apple (the fat is still there but it's improving). I found that weird because I exercise regularly, eat pretty clean, walk a lot and use a standing desk for most of the time. So I had to do dig deep and do some introspection. I became more aware of my drinking pattern and the choices in food that entails. I started to become aware of recent instances where I would come home drunk from partying and go to a night shop to buy 3 bags of chips to down it in one sitting. Or how I would go to the bakery to buy a panini, a slice of pizza and some cookies to eat it for comfort when I'm hungover. These things would also happen when I just had a few beers in the evening and didn't get drunk. And besides, these calories of the beverages really build up. And now that I quit I start to see how alcohol undermined a lot things in my life. I wouldn't stick to an exercise routine. I would just lay in bed and indulge in digital entertainment. I wouldn't cook a healthy meal but just get something easy and processed. I would procrastinate deadlines. I thought I didn't drink a lot but now that I quit, I realize that even when I drank a few beers/glasses of wine on 2-3 days a week, I would pay a pretty substantial price in terms of general well-being. Whatever keeps you going man. As long as your concentration is optimal during the meditation, then using guidance is fine. I prefer to rely on nothing but my own body. I don't even use a chair, I do it while standing (you can try it too, it is better for blood flow)
Day 20: Meditated I want to include some challenge in my session, so I'll meditate without guidance for the rest of the month
