I started my first meditation practice in the summer of 2011. I would do a 45 minute guided meditation every morning. After about two weeks, I noticed that I started to sleep better at night, my anxiety was lessened to the point of feeling no anxiety at all under normal circumstances, and I was much more focused throughout the day making each day very productive. Doing these 45-minute sessions in the morning set my day off to a good start. On the days that I felt most uneasy and anxious and not wanting to do the meditation were the days that the meditation was most helpful. I was diligent and did not miss a day until I started to go to Massage Therapy school in the Fall of 2011. This is when my meditation practice took a backseat to everything else. I got through my 15 months of school just fine, and my anxiety levels remained under control during this time. I never resorted to medication, because the meditation seemed to do the trick. I guess there is a reason why there is only a one letter difference between medication and meditation!
In the past year, my anxiety levels began to rise. My massage therapy practice has grown to maximum capacity, and I always have a million things I would like to do in my business. Anxiety levels increased from thinking of all I want to do and feeling like I don’t have enough time in the day to do everything. My back muscles (in the area of the adrenal glands just above the kidneys) were really starting to bother me to the point that my adrenal glands were feeling like they were being squeezed to death. Blood work indicated that my adrenal glands were almost completely depleted of cortisol. This brought memories back of how grounded, good, and focused I felt when I was doing a daily meditation practice, so I wanted to start it back up again. I again started my daily 45-minute meditation practice on December 15, 2017. I have already noticed a dramatic decrease in anxiety, and my back muscles are not hurting anymore—my adrenal glands don’t feel like they are being squeezed of everything they have. I am now looking forward to accomplishing many of my ideas and making 2018 a very productive year. I don’t think I would be able to do it without meditation! I highly recommend to anyone to start a daily meditation practice if you are feeling anxious or have muscle tension that just won’t let go. If you need help with how to get started, let me know and I will fill you in on what I have done.