Increase Your Awesomeness With This One Simple Trick

Meditation is a super power!

Super Cool Photo That Has Nothing To Do With The Article: Pixabay

 

Imagine for a moment I developed a pill that could reduce stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, insomnia and fatigue. It could improve hypertension and symptoms of psoriasis, as well as boost your immune function, creativity, focus, empathy and memory. It will improve your relationships and generally make you a more pleasant person to be around. Oh yeah, and as an added bonus it slows age related structural changes in the brain and reduces degeneration of our DNA. The pill has no known negative side effects and cannot be overdosed. There are no known drug interactions and the more you take the stronger some of the benefits become.

This drug would make me the richest person in the world (until the patent ran out). Well, it turns out there is a treatment just like this and it’s free. Anyone can access it without a prescription or pharmacy nearby.

It’s called meditation, and you should be doing it!

I know, meditation is one of those loaded words that often bring up an image of some dude with long hair and robes, chanting while burning incense. Of course this guy meditates for 7 hours a day and is only allowed to own 10 things. He is a strict vegan, smells a little funky, refuses to kill mosquitoes and can never, ever own an iPhone.

If I just described you, hey, keep doing what you are doing if it works, but I am here to tell the soccer mom and the guy that paints his face at football games that they too can benefit from meditation without radically changing your routines.

Serious meditation

Serious Meditation Photo: Pixabay

What probably doesn’t come to mind with the word meditation are elite professional athletes, military Special Forces, CEOs and other high level executives. But these are the people using it to great success. Meditation is one of the closest things to a superpower that I have discovered, and interestingly the time commitment required is minimal to start to see benefits.

What the heck it is and how to start:

There are many different types of meditation and there are hundreds, if not thousands of books on the matter. I hate complexity so I will distill this down to what I see as the essence of what you need to know. Scholars of meditation get ready to cringe.

There are two basic types of meditation. One style cultivates concentration and the other mindfulness. Some combine a little of both.

Most contemporary scientific studies that I’ve seen seem to be directed towards the mindfulness type so this is what I will focus on here. It is also, coincidentally, the type I have the most personal experience with.

So I think we all understand concentration, but what the f*&k is mindfulness?

At first blush mindfulness is another one of those garbage words like synergize or dynamic or spiritual that is so vague and overused almost to the point of meaninglessness, but in fact it is a useful and descriptive term. My favorite definition is:

“Moment to moment non-judgmental awareness cultivated by paying attention”.

In other words paying attention to whatever is happening right now, and simply letting it be. It is not about eliminating or controlling thoughts, simply observing.

Simple, right?

Well…maybe. It is a simple concept, but it is not particularly easy to do without practice.

Mindfulness is not a new concept; it was popularized through ancient Buddhist teachings. In fact, it probably originated earlier from older eastern religions and philosophies. There is a rich 2500 year history of meditation and mindfulness that one could do their PhD dissertation on so I will leave that discussion to the experts.

Eventually the concept became more popularized in the west. Jon Kabat-Zinn but the concept of mindfulness in a scientific context with development of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR) and subsequent Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBSR is an 8 week program based upon vipassana, or insight meditation techniques, with mindfulness at its core. There is some pretty crazy research showing a diverse array of clinical applications which I alluded to earlier.

History lesson over.

So how does this stuff work in the real world?

ecuador-meditation

Meditation
Photo: Pixabay

Turns out it is fantastic.

Let me tell you about my experience:

First of all, I am terrible at meditation. Yes, that’s right; I’m inconsistent and easily distracted. There are days I forget to do it, often several in a row. The longest I go is about 20 minutes a day (usually closer to 10). I often do it at night because it’s quiet and I can remember (sometimes). Many times I lie down and end up falling asleep, especially when listening to this woman because her voice is just so damn relaxing. I won’t even listen to her while driving because I’m scared of what may happen!

At the time of this writing I’ve only been meditating for a few months. If meditation were a pill I am the equivalent of patient taking it about 30% of the time and completely disregarding the instructions on the side of the bottle…you know the ones that say don’t take with food or stay out of sunlight.

If anyone would have no effect from meditation it should be me, but the crazy thing is I can see profound results.

  • I have less anxiety.
  • I’m able to deal with negative emotions better.
  • I have more empathy.
  • My sleep has improved.
  • I have more patience.
  • I get more done with less stress.
  • I’m less of an asshole.*

The only thing I’ve ever done with such a profound short term effect has been kettle bell swings (and I’ll talk about those in another post).

I don’t suggest just jumping into meditation with no further reading (I will provide helpful books, links, etc. at the end of this post) but for those of you that are impatient here are the cliff notes.

  1. Sit down (optional). Close eyes (optional).
  2. Breath.
  3. Focus on breath.
  4. Get lost in thought.
  5. Recognize you are lost in thought without judging.
  6. Go to step 2 and repeat.

Step 5 is the key. Recognize when you are thinking and observe your thoughts. Do not judge them. When we are lost in our thoughts we are not mindful of the present moment. By returning again and again to our present awareness through the breath we train our mind to be in this state, and let me be the one to tell you, this state is badass!

That’s right, there is nothing ‘woo woo’ or ‘hippy free love’ about this. Meditation is like doing dead lifts or 400 meter sprints for your mind. It’s like CrossFit without the sweating and high fives.

Why does this work?

I have no idea, but here are a few cool things it does. In addition to changing the metabolic activity and physiology of the brain, you are actually changing the structure by increasing cortical thickness in certain areas, decreasing activity in parts of the brain that cause stress, and altering expression of your genetic code, something in the not too distant past scientists thought was impossible. This is called neuroplasticity, and its implications are profound. We can re-wire our brains to some degree and strengthen the parts of our brains that are beneficial to us.

 

Important point

One aspect of a meditation practice that is often glossed over is the concept of a formal AND informal practice. The formal component is actually meditating; sitting down for 10-30 minutes without distraction. The informal part is applying the skill of mindfulness to your life.

If you have a regular formal meditation practice it is likely that you will develop some degree of informal practice without trying, but a simple awareness of this concept will help you progress. It is as simple as a pause or a breath multiple times each day to just realize when we are becoming lost in thought and resetting. Each time I find myself irritated, angry or afraid I use this pause. The effect of this is massively empowering and I cannot overstate this. It allows for more purposeful action rather than reaction. You will develop a subtle confidence and sense of control that may have been missing in your life. In some ways the informal practice is more important than the formal. This may be why I’m so bad at meditation, but have seen great results. I focus on the informal practice more than the formal.

 

Just to be clear

  • You don’t need special clothes, meditation beads, incense or any other paraphernalia.
  • You don’t need to wear flowers in your hair.
  • You don’t need to be vegan.
  • You don’t need to be a Buddhist.
  • You can still use a smartphone and keep your Twitter account.
  • You can still shower and wear deodorant if you want to.

 

So what if you don’t have a spare 10 minutes in your day? Well, first of all you’re lying. Everyone has 10 spare minutes in their day, but even if you are not lying and are the busiest person in the world do you have 5 minutes? 1 minute? Meditate for as short of amount of time as you have. Do it in a single breath. You have to breathe right?

Just meditate. Do it for a month and see what happens.

The real treasure of meditation is the brief feeling of being completely present and awake, an experience that is hard to describe without feeling it yourself. Once you realize what this is you can learn to recognize it in other areas of your life. I guarantee there are moments of complete presence in your life that you don’t even notice. As you gain more awareness you can also recognize when you are at the exact opposite end of the spectrum, consumed by thoughts. Distracted.

As you practice you will start to feel a calm come over you more and more often. Thoughts and emotions will still be there, but you can respond to them instead of react.

Namaste, you lovable freaks!

 

PS: Meditation is simple, but not always easy. Sitting alone with your thoughts for 10 minutes can actually be very distressing to some. If you feel like your brain is going to explode you probably need a meditation teacher to guide you.

 

*I did not do a double blind randomized controlled trial, but my wife confirmed this and that’s good enough for me!


 

In no particular order, here are a few resources I like to get you started:

http://palousemindfulness.com/selfguidedMBSR.html

http://www.tarabrach.com/

http://liveanddare.com/

https://www.mindandlife.org/

http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/

https://www.headspace.com/

http://www.calm.com/

 


Here are a few books I like on meditation and mindfulness:



Please comment below on your experiences with meditation. Let us know about other resources you liked and had success with.

I’m working on TheHappyPhilosopher’s guide to meditation and mindfulness which will be a more comprehensive document. Sign up for the newsletter to get a free copy when it’s finished!

18 comments

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    • Jeff on February 29, 2016 at 9:31 am
    • Reply

    Haha! Great post, Jeff. I’ve been dabbling (struggling) with meditation off and on for over a year now, but more regularly, somewhat, since the start of the year. I have been an insomniac for some time, but it seems to be getting worse as i get older. I frequently wake up in the middle of the night with my mind racing, not about anything in particular, necessarily, but just constantly moving from thought to thought. I was just having a conversation with Jan the other day about at least part of what I think the problem is and here is my current theory: it’s lack of mindfulness. Now I am not really a stressful person, but my mind seems to constantly be trying to multitask. My thoughts often drift when I should be more focused in the moment. For example, the other day at my daughter’s concert, though the music was very enjoyable, i kept finding myself thinking of other things I needed to do, or up-coming events that I am involved in. I mentally shook myself and thought, “Be here. Enjoy this now. You don’t have to be anywhere else.” It sometimes happens when I’m trying to read or listen to a program. It’s very frustrating. I end up wasting a lot of time thinking about what’s next when I should be more focused on the here and now. There are times when that kind of thinking is appropriate but there are others where it’s just absolutely not necessary. I blame it partly on the fast-paced, instant access world that we live in and have become accustomed to. There are many valuable moments in life that will just flit by unless i can make myself more acutely aware of them WHILE THEY’RE HAPPENING. Does that make sense? Anyway, I’m pretty shitty at meditating so I limit my sessions to merely a 5 min block until I get better at it. I’ll keep trying though. (Forgive my stream of consciousness).

    1. Glad you enjoyed the post Jeff. I encourage stream of consciousness around here. I do it about once a week and call it a blog post 😉

      Meditation before going to be really helps me with falling asleep, but not so much on preventing me from waking up in the middle of the night. I’ve actually meditated a few times in these cases and it helped me go back to sleep.

      Your story about your daughters concert is a great example. Just noticing you are getting lost in thought and gently coming back to the present(without judgement is key) is a great mental exercise. It sounds so easy, but there is some pretty crazy cognitive rewiring being done behind the scenes.

      There are hundreds of fantastic guided meditations at http://www.tarabrach.com/ and many of them are about 10 minutes. I’ve found having that guidance makes it easier and also I’m more likely to do it on a regular basis.

    • Sean on May 11, 2016 at 11:24 am
    • Reply

    Thank you for posting this. I wish that I had discovered meditation many years ago. In fact, I think it is so valuable, it should be taught in school. I look back to when I was younger and think about the stupid things I worried about and was preoccupied with rather than just living in the moment.
    I agree that guidance is important for beginners. There are also some excellent mediations on mindfulness-solution.com by a Harvard psychologist Dr. Ronald Siegel. I think Tara Brach’s are wonderful too.
    I also suggest expanding meditation time to 20 minutes (and even 40) after consistent practice. It is difficult to do however, and I would recommend just starting with a few minutes at first and then daily working up to it. From my personal experience, it takes about 5-10 minutes for concentration to form or to just “get into it” and then it’s not as difficult after that.
    It’s great for sleep too, because not only is it relaxing, but there is some cognitive behavioral benefit too. One of the problems with insomnia is the thought process that we all have when we can’t sleep: “oh my gosh, I really need to sleep”, “I can’t believe I have been awake for 2 hours and can’t get back to sleep” ; “not again”, ” I have an important meeting tomorrow!” This mental chatter creates so much anxiety that makes it almost impossible to fall back asleep. When you meditate, you accept the moment as it is as and it takes that calms that anxiety-provoking chatter. For me, I see insomnia as an opportunity to practice meditation. So, if I am awake, it’s a good thing because I have more time to practice meditation, and if I fall asleep that’s a good thing too. It’s so much better than taking a pill!

    1. Thank you for the thoughtful reply Sean. Good observations.

      “In fact, I think it (meditation) is so valuable, it should be taught in school.”

      This is spot on. There are so many things we should be teaching in our schools that would benefit us so much more than memorizing useless facts or learning calculus, for example. This is probably a blog post in the making.

      Meditation is fantastic for sleep! I can’t meditate more than 10 minutes lying down without falling asleep. It really is effective in quieting the rather useless self-talk. I would never take a medication for sleep without trying a serious trial of meditation first.

    • Ursula Dekle on September 10, 2016 at 1:28 pm
    • Reply

    Simplify: just pay attention constantly ….that simply ensures living and acting in the present.no more, no less.

    Resist the gloss i.e. the usual “unnecessary complications that seem to appeal”

    1. Terminology that’s empty ….but invariably carries that “veneer” of special or exclusive …..( sad, but, culturally /intellectually impoverished wanna be unsophisticated .humans fall hard for that all the time) …e.g. mindfullness, meditation, spirituality,spirit, passionate, consciousness of the “higher” (lol) kind!
    Stream of consciousness….comes from mis-application of once novel simple Litereary device in Ulysses, Finnegan’s Wake (J.Joyce)it’s just that ……that’s all! .. Power of the latter kind!! references to restructuring of : DNA one’s Cognitive ability, one’s neuron connections without a shred of scientific proof! I”ould go on ad infiitum and ad nauseam. Why mention it at all? Well, it distracts. So beware of ruse #2
    2. You need book (s), tapes, instruction, help from a “guru”…..ergo-$$$$$$$$$$$
    That’s a crock of you-know-what…..you’re born with the ability to pay attention. That’s exactly what your brain does and your pet’s brain, obviously, too……until you surround yourself( by choice) with such a plethora of inane contraptions, and distractions ……(because you don’t like work or effort …simple! …and you know it!!!)
    your phone, TV, vehicles, more living area than you need or want!, equipment you hardly use, instruments you can’t play…(same reason listed ..bone -ass lazy!….) books you won’t read, clothes, gee-gaws, baubles, art-work you don’t even appreciate……shoes, of every material known to man, and on and on and on …..adding too the entropy in the universe and the energy depletion of the universe ….so….before it’s too late

    3. STOP…..just pay attention ….it’s easy…get rid of the crap, or use it and learn to play your best music, paint your best art, write your best book.read a few , while you’re at it……give your $$$$$$ to those who need medical help, towards scientific research, learn to enjoy work and effort…… relax ….eat….exercise…love …..have worthwhile
    sex…..get an education every day ….all for free ….be smart and original..be aware of scammers …..the ones of the empty words above who like suckers who’ll pay to learn something they already know.i.e,.

    .HOW TO PAY ATTENTION…

  1. You know, I honestly don’t know how I feel about the people who teach concentration. To me, the obvious benefit of meditation IS mindfulness. That is, to be in meditation is as simple as being in the state of thoughtless awareness.

    But, I absolutely agree. Meditation is lifechanging and you don’t need anything special, just a place to sit and a couple minutes of time. To be mindful is simple but difficult: all you have to do is notice and not analyze.

    Cheers,
    Dan

    1. Yep, I actually think mindfulness and concentration are two different practices. They both probably are quite useful. I should probably practice some of the concentration based meditation just to see what it is like.

  2. Ha . . . we are birds of a feather. I just found this post from a tweet, but this is a key component of my morning routine. It has made a big difference for me as well, and I’m about as far from woo-woo as you can get.

    I find it fascinating that we are taught about so many things in life, but not about how our minds work. We start out with a basic temperament and then over time, we layer on experiences. The voice in our heads runs around with very little guidance as it tries to make sense of it all. The tendency is for this mental chatter to be about fears of the future or regrets in the past. Meanwhile the present is just a blur. It’s like eating candy with the wrapper on, and you miss all the flavor. Drugs and risky behavior are external ways that people try to manipulate their mental state. It’s like a superpower when you learn to manipulate your mental state from within and with purpose.

    If you want to check out my take, check out http://bit.ly/themonkeymind

    1. Yeah, there is nothing woo-woo about the nuts and bolts of meditation. It is strength training for your mind. Nice blog post by the way!

      🙂

  3. I see this is an old post, but I’ve also been trying meditation recently. It helps slow all the traffic in my mind. It also helps me stop stewing over things that are pointless. My hair has gotten a bit longer, but I haven’t had any urge to stop showering yet 🙂

    Great read, as usual 🙂

    1. I’m glad for your family that you still shower 😉

  4. Just heard your interview with MadFientist this morning and enjoyed it. I enjoyed your story and your concluding thoughts on focusing on happiness rather than FI. Thanks for the write-up on meditation. I’ll have to try it.

    1. Thanks for stopping by. Meditation is a pretty cool trick. Huge return on investment!

    • Will on July 20, 2017 at 12:56 pm
    • Reply

    I very much enjoyed this post. You have a space with book recommendations but it is blank (at least when I look at the page from my phone). Would you mind sharing your favorite meditation books? I’ve been sitting for almost 8 months myself and have noticed some big benefits. I’m always interested to read others’ experiences, especially those in high stress jobs.

    Thank you for the great blog.

    1. That’s odd, I had a link there that vanished.

      Two books I really like are Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach and 10% Happier by Dan Harris.

      I’ve read others, but those two stand out in my mind right now. Thanks for the comment.

  5. I heard your interview with Brandon on Mad Fientist and was so happy to hear you talk about your experience with meditation. Thanks for sharing those thoughts during your interview and for this blog post.

    I’ve been practicing meditation off and on for about 10 years, and started practicing daily about 2 years ago. It’s been a transformative experience that has helped me through very difficult times – with chronic pain, deaths of close family members, and managing difficult emotions. Meditation has also helped immensely boosting my happiness in day-to-day life. My defaults are now gratitude and a feeling of abundance.

    I wrote about how it has benefited my FIRE journey, too, if you’re interested in checking that out:
    https://grumbysonthemove.com/7-meditation-benefits-for-fire

    I also read Dan Harris’ book and really enjoyed it. My husband is not a daily meditator, but has enjoyed going through some of the courses on the 10% Happier App with me.

    Another book I enjoyed was Chade-Meng Tan’s Search Inside Yourself.

    I also like Tara Brach’s guided meditations and have used some of them on the Insight Timer App.

    Lastly, I’m not a Buddhist, but had a great experience at a 5-day mindfulness retreat at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido. If anyone is interested, here’s the retreat schedule for the 2017 mindfulness retreats at Deer Park and other monasteries that practice in the same tradition: https://plumvillage.org/retreats/info/usa-tour-2017/.

    Thanks again for this great post!

  6. Awesome! Thanks for the comment.

  7. As always, another great post. I’m going through the older posts randomly…

    I started meditating about 2 months ago after reading “The Miracle Morning”. My wife had been doing it for a couple of years. I use the Headspace app and find it very helpful. I’ve heard you reference Tara in a few articles now. I’ll have to see what hers is like.

    I have only been doing 5 minutes but thought just this morning that I should start doing the 10-minute version. After reading this, I think I will.

    I had not heard of some of the scientific points of meditation before reading this (that I recall), so thank you.

    This post also made me laugh several times. I enjoy your humor.

    Thanks.

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