It’s a brand new day! It’s a brand new Year! I don’t think that ‘brain rest’ is a high priority for many right now. Maybe it should be! When I ask you what do you do to relax, chances are you might respond with sleep, take a nap, listen to music, go for a walk, exercise, eat, read a book, take a vacation…(these used to be my answers too!) Exercise, sleeping and smart nutrition are already separate strategies for stress management so we are talking about something unique here when we say ‘relaxation’. Finding a space to meditate allows me the freedom to exercise my own brand of ‘brain rest’.

My brain was, and still is, very capable of addressing very stressful situations using the skills I have learned through life and through the specialized training I’ve gleaned along the way. My brain is always watching for any sign of trouble with very little down time – it’s cell connections clean and quick. I had to be told, after my break-down, that my brain’s ‘on’ switch needed to be balanced with an ‘off’ switch, AND that it was important enough to be one of my highest priorities.

I used to think I totally sucked at meditation. Nobody told me it takes time and practice…not just once or twice – try six weeks worth! This is because the brain needs this time to create new new cell connections so it can answer the new, rested environment. I tried to meditate a number of times and quit because nothing was changing…now I know why! I found this fun way to get started and it’s worth a try. Without giving too much away – you’ll never look at a raisin the same way again after you’ve done this a few times. You can find audio downloads if you wish. Start by looking up Jon Cabot Zinn.

Here’s a link to a great starting point to one form of meditation:

Raisin Meditation | Practice | Greater Good in Action (berkeley.edu)