“Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; You can use it anywhere, anytime and unobtrusively. "~ Sharon Salzberg
I came home from my doctor's appointment last week and discussed three to four different things that have happened in the world as a result of the corona virus. At the fourth point, my wife asked me to stop. She said please tell me something good.
I told her that my doctor said my pathology report was negative. That the procedure on my neck had removed all cancer cells. (A very good thing!) We hugged and smiled, and then I was back on my cell phone to see if anything else in the world had changed.
If you are something like me, you have been stuck to your phone the past few weeks, fascinated by what is going on. I swiped right (to get the news) thirty to forty times a day, probably more, and it drove me crazy.
Many of us are now isolated from a virus that is changing the world as we know it at incredible speed. For this reason, I think it is important to spend less time on our phones.
Yes, you heard me correctly. Less time. Even if it's only ten minutes less a day.
Now, more than ever, it is important to spend time doing something based on reality rather than fear and panic. I am not saying that what is happening is not real, it is very real, but many of us are amplified by the ridiculous amount of information that is available to us and take us to a place of panic and fear.
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Therefore I would like to challenge everyone to fortnightly meditation. Why? Because meditation is grounded in reality.
It only breathes. Inhale and exhale like the waves of the ocean.
You experience your thoughts as what they are – just thoughts – and then come back to your breath. You take a break from the craziness of the action and get centered.
I am presenting this challenge to you gently because I know that many of us are affected in one way or another. I just found out that a job I was supposed to start today was pushed back for a month and a half. This is money my family could count on.
I can get angry and scream and scream, but what does it do for me? It is what it is. Instead, I can meditate. As scary as it may be, we all have a wonderful opportunity to check in with ourselves and stand up.
I am not saying that you should not inform yourself, but at the same time you do not have to be stuck on your phone. We have to remember to put the oxygen mask on ourselves first. Then others. Hence this challenge.
Take your time. Ten minutes a day.
Hang up the handset. Don't swipe right and immerse yourself in the news like I did. Don't turn on the TV and check out for an hour or two. Use this time we all have to check in with you.
And who knows? Fortnight could lead to a long-term habit – one that makes you a better person and your fellow man.
Imagine a world in which we all do this. Where we ground ourselves in reality, check in and breathe in our bodies, and let our bodies send safety messages to our minds instead of our minds kidnapping our bodies with fear. This is the vision that kept me awake the most last night.
Meditate and let your body remind you that everything is fine. Breathe in and out and know that right here, right now, just for this moment, everything is fine.
Remember, we are full organisms. Everything we think and feel has an associated physiological response. Sit knowing that you are completely safe right here in your body right now, despite what your mind is trying to tell you or what life stress you are facing.
I've never asked that, but I'm asking it now. Please send this to someone you know or share on social media. I think that's important to all of us right now.
Accept this challenge. Give yourself this gift.
About Zachary Goodson
Zachary is a writer, a coach, and a heart-centered entrepreneur who loves helping others. His writing focuses on his experiences with holistic health, inner child labor, addiction, recovery, spirituality and fatherhood. His coaching is designed to help people experience deep fulfillment in relationships, careers and life. You can connect to him at zacharygoodson.com.
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