- Football movies or TV shows. I’ve watched Friday Night Lights (TV Show, not movie) at least 4 times through and I cry at the end of each episode. Remember the Titans? Yeah, I’m a baby. EVERY TIME.
- When my dog goes missing. I found this out back in April.
- When I’m overly stressed out, frustrated, or super duper pissed off.
Typically, those
are the only three instances. But back in September of 2017, I found myself
crying uncontrollably. It was a cry session that really changed my life.
In mid-September of last year, my sister, Jacy, made the
decision to move from Los Angeles back to Nebraska (our home state). I
absolutely love road trips, so I agreed to fly out to LA, help her pack, and
road trip with her to Oklahoma (where I live). She would then make the Oklahoma
to Nebraska journey on her own. During my trip out to LA, Jacy signed us up for
a 2-hour meditation workshop at the most beautiful meditation studio I’ve ever
seen, Tantris Yoga.
I placed my yoga mat down on the floor and began to settle in
to make myself comfortable. Out of the corner of my eye, a gorgeous blonde
woman rolled her mat out beside me. She looked exactly like Charlize Theron. We
were in Beverly Hills, so I was convinced it was Charlize Theron. After a few
side glances, I realized she was actually this really great lifestyle blogger
(I was equally as starstruck!)
The class started, and I let myself succumb to the powers of
meditation. I had not given myself permission to relax for months. I
encountered high levels of anxiety and stress caused by changes at work. I had
not been sleeping well at all. I adopted terrible eating habits and I found
myself drowning my sorrows over a few glasses of wine every night.
After two hours of meditation, I came back to consciousness
sobbing. I mean, I was really ugly crying next to the most beautiful woman I
have ever seen. Super embarrassing, yet super enlightening. Meditation allowed
me to unlock my unconscious mind, allowing all of that built-up stress and anxiety surface. I desperately needed an intervention like this.
After the class, I chatted with the lovely blonde woman for
a while. She recommended that I start doing breath cycles for a few minutes
every day (breathe for four counts in, hold for four counts, release for four
counts, hold for four counts). Once I complete my breath cycles, she
recommended that I grab a journal and write down everything that comes to mind.
Meditation and this tiny little breathing + writing exercise completely changed my life.
After my sob session, I quickly realized that I wasn’t
living my life to the fullest. External factors that I had ZERO control over got
in the way of my happiness. Ever since my breakthrough, I’ve been really
working to find balance in all aspects of myself so that I’m the best version
of myself.
I will dive a bit deeper into the habits that have transformed
my life (I’m still a work in progress), but if you have found yourself surrounded
by stress and worry recently, then I’d absolutely recommend that you begin a
meditation practice. I have to give my sister a HUGE shout out to becoming a
meditation instructor. She’s helped me tremendously with my practice. Please go check out her meditation and yoga studio in Lincoln, Nebraska, starting in August!
Jacy recommended the Insight Timer app to me – and it’s
completely free! Thanks to Insight Timer, I’m able to practice meditation
almost daily. Today, I completed a Yoga Nidra with Nadi Shodhana practice (just
fancy words for saying a sleep and breathing meditation) and it made me feel so
rested and ready to take on my busy week at work.
I can’t wait to share more tips with you, but until then,
unplug and meditate!
In health,
Jess
