(Shareables at the bottom of this post if you’re in a hurry!)

I’ve been bitten. And this bug is powerful. The effect is like a drug no one realizes they should be taking. It’s so powerfully free, and grossly habit forming. I was in the shower the other morning thinking, does everyone not realize they have the power to feel this good?

I’m talking about meditation. I mentioned in a previous post about a meditation session I did in my Fear of Driving program, and how afterward I was an entire spectrum of good feels.

Since then, I discovered a book called Mindful Way Through Anxiety, and on the website for the book, there are free meditation sessions.

It was through those sessions that I realized I was a mountain. That the weather could change, weeds could grow, people could climb up and down, but I was still a mountain. Unchanging, sturdy, and strong. Despite EVERYTHING.

Then, I discovered Headspace.

Headspace is a meditation app, but like the king of all meditation apps. It’s as colorful and fun as a social network, and it makes you take meditation in small, easy bites, for those that aren’t used to it, or for those who think it’s some buddha humdrum that only super spiritual people and yogis do.

Did you know you could feel good at literally any point in the day?

It took awhile to get used to. I want to say, maybe about 3-4 weeks for me. Maybe 3. But there’s something miraculous about taking control of your breath and body for a few peaceful minutes. It’s powerful, because after the meditation, you step into every problem with the same amount of peaceful breath from your session.

Let me put it to you this way. On the freeway, no amount of slow breathing could ever relax me. In fact, if I were nervous, nothing could relax me ever. Not plugging one nostril, not breathing into a paper bag, not laying down and breathing with my belly, not anything.

But after a few meditation sessions, the calm is easier to access in times of stress and anxiety. It’s almost like the body gets used to achieving calm, and can reach down into its reserves when we’re running wild.

A couple of days ago on the freeway, I was able to achieve calm with two or three easy breaths. Yes, the panic came and went (I’ve learned to think of my panic as an excited puppy within me–we’re friends that way), but it was easier to pull through than before hand. It was easier to accept it, than previously. Which was bizarre and thrilling all at the same time.

Now I’m still having a bit of trouble with unguided meditation. For right now, the guided meditation is the best medicine, because it tells me what to do, and that feels nice and steady when you’re just starting out. Maybe one day I’ll be able to do some unguided stuff, but for now, guide me, meditation. GUIDE ME!

Anyway I had to tell you about it because it can help you, if you need help. You have to know how good it feels to remember your breath in stressful situations. It brings about so much clarity, it makes me wonder what fog I’ve been living in up until this point. It makes me wonder why I’ve ever turned to anything else in times of discomfort.

Here are some good looking shareables to start your good looking weekend.

Fuck Yes or Fuck No (Seriously, my favorite read of all time. If you’re single, please read)

We Feel Old After Watching Teens React to a Classic NES

10 New Must-Reads For September

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Your Ego and the Cosmic Perspective

I No Longer Have Patience

Some Guy Recreated a Bunch of Tinder Pics and They’re Glorious

15 Free Content Marketing Tools to Make Your Life Easier

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Monique Muro

Monique is an exceedingly happy human from LA. She runs the blog A Novel Quest, and writes. A lot.

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