Kate's Plate: Meditation is for Real

I don't know about you, but vacation can bring out the best and the worst in me. When I get out of my routine, I don't eat what I typically eat, I slack off on my regular yoga and meditation routine and my entire family seems to be just a little bit more tired and excited than usual. Sounds fun, right!? I just got back from vacation. Prior to leaving, I had what I like to refer to as "the plague" for nearly 10 days, so needless to say I was looking forward to a break! It was supposed to be relaxing, and for the most part it was; however, I missed four days of meditating, and on the fourth day that familiar feeling of restlessness started to rear its ugly head.

You know what feeling I am talking about. That feeling where all you want to do is go for a run, exercise, have some alone time...do something to make it stop. Prior to being diagnosed with ARVC, I would have laced up my shoes and gone for a long, hard run and come back feeling amazing. In fact, my husband would have left my running shoes by the door and said something like, "Oh look honey: your running shoes are by the door; maybe you should take them for a spin." Now that I can no longer do that, I have had to find other ways to handle my stress, restlessness and anxiety in situations like this. 

I never thought I would meditate. In fact I laughed the first time it was suggested to me. I thought “meditation is for hippies, what could I possibly gain from it?” Boy was I wrong. Meditation has been a lifesaver for me.

Meditation has given me the ability to quiet my mind when nothing else can, to decrease anxiety, it has helped me sleep AND it is easier to integrate into my daily routine than I thought- even as a mom, business owner, clinician, wife...the list goes on.  It has given me a space that allows me to take a step back and calm the constant banter in my head. When I am getting heart palpitations, if I stop and take five to ten minutes to meditate they often decrease or go away altogether. If I can't sleep at night, I put a sleep meditation on my phone and am out like a light in a matter of minutes. Meditation simply makes me feel better. I wish I had learned its benefits even when I could run and exercise as much as I wanted.

If you haven't noticed, meditation seems to be the cool new thing these days. There is a lot of research out there that supports its positive effects on the brain and body.