Interview 3: Mrs. McCarthy (practices yoga/meditation)For my final interview, Mrs. Anderson directed me to Mrs. McCarthy, who attends yoga and meditation classes in her free time! I had a lot of questions specifically about meditation itself to ask her, and I learned a lot about the fundamentals and variations of modern meditation. To begin, I asked a straightforward question: What is meditation? Her response: meditation is the stilling of the mind to find internal peace and quiet. Mrs. McCarthy told me that she has added meditation to her everyday routine, where sometimes she does breathing practices, guided meditation, or just sitting still in nature. For her, she finds mantra (the repetition of positive phrases or encouragement) and yoga helpful to encourage her internal focus as well. We talked about the process of building up a meditation practice. She told me that learning to take one simple deep breath while stilling the world around you is a good start to getting into meditation. Slowly after that, one can begin to lengthen the time focussed on meditation as they get used to the process. It's not necessary to pair yoga and meditation together, but in her own words, "yoga prepares you for meditation" so the "mind can settle" through your bodily preparation. I asked her about her personal experience, and she shared her experiences as an over-thinker and perfectionist. Meditation has become a tool that she can use to refocus on her present, especially when she is worried about the past or the future. She admitted that for her, even after years of practice, it still is difficult for her to meditate. However, this is all a part of the practice and the value in meditation as a challenge to the brain. Mrs. McCarthy suffered a running injury due to her not breathing correctly in response to stress. Her doctor told her she couldn't run anymore, but she could do yoga, where she was first introduced to meditation. Through yoga, she began practicing "pranayama", which is a part of yoga that focusses on breathing control. Breathing heavily relates to the successful practice of yoga and meditation. Lastly, I asked if she thought anyone could meditate. She said that anyone can benefit from a form of stilling the mind and taking a break from the stress of the day. She says that she sees people losing the connection to that part of their inner peaceful selves and that taking time, even a small time, to just breath and calm down can be a good practice for any person. Progress: My progress hasn't really changed since my last blog update as I've been in the same stage of my progression. Meditation takes a certain diligence and focus to be consistent. Taking the time has been very beneficial to my practice, but in quarantine I've had some difficulty, as I said before. With the end of this project coming to a close, I'm beginning to see the differences in each stage of meditation as I've tried to integrate the practice more thoroughly into my routine, and I've been reflecting heavily on the role that meditation should play in my life. Reflection: As this is my last blog, I thought I'd reflect on the process as a whole. Starting the year with only once a week, then to twice a week, then to every day meditating was a good progression to follow. I've really struggled through a lot of the year, but when I've sat down and meditated I've seen immediate mindset changes. Like Mrs. McCarthy said, no matter how someone meditates, anyone can benefit. In my most anxious moments I've seen what meditation can do and how it can alter how I'm feeling in that moment. I see it as a useful and effective tool for my life. I don't think that meditating every day, especially during the time we're in now, would be a realistic choice for my own life, but when I need it, meditation has proven to help. I'm truly grateful that I chose to do this throughout this past year. I've learned a lot about what meditation really means and how I can adapt it to my life when I need to, my overall goal. I'd encourage anyone to give it at try. It doesn't have to be an every day, or even weekly practice, but if anyone is having a particularly rough day, I'd say to try to take a moment to introduce some peace back into their life.
Active destressingWhen I talked to Mrs. Ross, she talked a lot about how exercise can help people to relieve stress in their lives. Throughout quarantine, I've tried my best to exercise when I can and with the resources available to me. I created a video compilation of me exercising just as a visual of what specifically I have done to keep active during a time where I'm extremely tempted to stay inside all day every day. It's always a relief whenever I can do something active, especially outside in the sun. Luckily quarantine has begun to be lifted slowly, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to exercise and go out even more as school ends and summer starts. I only filmed two of the times I exercised, but I also went on more walks, some runs both by myself and with my dad, and swam quite a few times. Thank you to my grandparents for letting me use their pool, and to Leyna for passing with me!
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Interview 2: Mrs. Anderson (AP Psychology, Health)After interviewing Mrs. Ross, I still had some questions about the mental and physical science behind stress, so I visited Mrs. Anderson's classroom to ask. We started off the interview by discussing what really goes on in your head when you feel anxiety. Mrs. Anderson brought up the fight or flight response that all people have when faced with a threatening situation. She said that this response is more evident when something is physically threatening, but that for most people the source of stress is something in daily life, like not enough time or too much homework, making the response ineffective in many situations today. She told me that evolutionarily, anxiety as an emotion is meant to prepare someone for something that is going to happen in the future. However, because of how many overwhelming things there are for people today, anxiety has become the fear of the future and the endless things that people need to accomplish. People's responses to mental or physical threats are completely different, even though the response is rooted in common emotions and hormones. When someone becomes overwhelmed with anxiety, whether it is mental or physical, there is a physical response to the perceived threat. Adrenaline is released in any threatening situation and sets off a series of physical reactions. Afterwards, another series of responses attempts to return your body back to a calm and neutral state with the help of hormones such as serotonin. Neurotransmitters also come into play as apart of the physical response to anxious situations, and then also play a part of bringing the body back to homeostasis. We talked about meditation specifically. To quote Mrs. Anderson, "the idea with meditation is... you're giving yourself a break from new information and focusing on within". She compared this process to getting a full night of sleep, a beneficial break for your mental and physical wellbeing. Progress: I'm a month into daily meditation, and I can say that being in quarantine has made it surprisingly difficult for me to be consistent. All the days are starting to blend together, and I keep forgetting to meditate. I have meditated a few times, but with not much going on, it doesn't seem as important or helpful at the moment. I spend a lot of my days not doing anything too stressful, so luckily anxiety has been down lately. Reflection: I have seen meditation really help me in the past. In some of the worst moments it has helped to calm me down and refocus myself. In those aspects, it is really useful and beneficial. Right now, I am struggling to see it being effective for me. I'm a little disappointed with myself for how inconsistent I am being, and I want to try better. I now have a job, which means my days have some structure to them. Maybe I'll set a specific time for me to meditate after or before work so I can really see the results more clearly.
a good mentalityClearing your head while meditating can be really challenging, and when I'm very overwhelmed this becomes even more difficult. However, I have found that visualization has helped me immensely while I meditate. On some of my worst days, just picturing serene and peaceful visuals releases stress in my head and has helped me to feel so much better. To illustrate what images have helped me, I decided to make physical representations. This is an image of a tethered ballon, grounded and secured to the earth by a hand. When I struggle with existential dread, especially now that this is my main source of stress in quarantine, I have to force myself to remember what reality is. I have God, my family, and my friends keeping me grounded to this earth. They remind me that I have a purpose here, and that I do not have to face my struggles alone. When my thoughts spiral, I force myself to remember this image, and I am brought back to a place of peace and security. The beauty of nature is that it can be used to represent anything in life itself. To let go of anxious thinking, I imagine water pouring out of something and dripping off of my shoulders, leaving my body. I created a video that shows this process while I meditate. The water has a source, but it slowly leaves as I picture the anxiety parting with my body and my brain. This one has probably been the most influential practice that I have adopted into my meditation.
Welcome back to my blog! I took the liberty of interviewing a few of the teachers at Pacifica who know a little about psychology and meditation, and their responses were very informative. In the next three blogs I am going talk about each of my interviews in order to give some better context about my project. I'm also going to share some things that I have found helpful in de-stressing along with the traditional meditation that I have been practicing, so stay tuned. Today, let's go over what Mrs. Ross and I talked about! Interview 1: Mrs. Ross (psychology, Civics, Econ)Mrs. Ross heavily focuses on behavioral psychology in her classes as they are less in-depth in the science aspect in the regular psychology classes. At the beginning of the interview, I asked, "Is anxiety directly linked to stress?". In response, Mrs. Ross described the two sides of stress. Stress can be a motivator, such as in a sports game or an important test, and can actually encourage someone to perform well. She called this the "good kind of stress". On the other hand, there is the "bad stress". This is often triggered by the things that a person cannot control, such as abusive and violent family life, which provide no release or outlet. We discussed how both buildup and triggers can lead to anxiety attacks. Bad experiences leave certain people more sensitive to specific circumstances or words that can trigger a panic attack without warning. Mrs. Ross suffers from an anxiety disorder herself, and she shared some of her personal methods for preventing anxiety attacks. The very first thing she said was that she avoided triggers as much as possible and avoided the things that she knows will cause stress in her life. For teenagers specifically she said that working out, staying physical, doing extracurriculars, and eating healthy could all help students to cope with bad situations at home or toxic situations with people at school. She also mentioned that for many yoga and meditation could be helpful. For her personally, reading the Bible and prayer are also helpful for her to focus on the good and not on the bad. She emphasized that coping methods are different for everyone, saying that people need to find the thing that works for them. She mentioned the Placebo Effect and how the brain has more power over the body than most people realize. In regards to meditation, she said that society today makes it very difficult for people to calm their thoughts. With the busyness of life, it can be extremely difficult for a person to meditate, but it can also be very beneficial.
Progress: So the second phase is officially over! I'm done meditating only twice a week. Its time for daily meditation. I'm not going to lie, the twice a week meditation was rough. There were times when I forgot because I was so busy with the chaos of the holidays and the start of a new semester. I'm actually looking forwards to daily meditation because it provides more consistent. When I was only doing two days, it was a lot easier to push it off or get distracted. By doing it every day I am implemented meditation more securely into my daily routine. Reflection: In doing this project, I've been exploring and thinking about situations that calm me down and make me feel my best. I find it really easy to get lost in all the negative aspects of my life and I am seeing how important it is to find the things that help change that negativity to positivity. This project has also been challenging my procrastination issues. I know that if something is important to me, I will make the time for it. As I plan times to take a break from school work and other responsibilities, and as I plan times to meditate, I feel how little I value taking that time for myself, despite how immensely it can help. In my head, breaks seem like a waste of time, a mindset that can be extremely detrimental to my well-being. As I continue my attempt at meditation, I hope that I can slowly change this mindset and come to value meditation and what it can do to help me. how i de-stress: musicMusic has been a big part of my life. I come from a very musically-talented family who love to both play and listen to music. Every since I was a baby we have loved listening to music and it has become something that I find a lot of comfort in. Although I do not play instruments as much as I used to, I still love to sing. When I had the opportunity to play music with Toby, I was super excited. Here's a video of us practicing for our Open Mic performance this past March. I don't know what it is, but something about singing and playing music with people relaxes me. I stop thinking and stressing so much and just have fun. There's no over-thinking involved, giving me a much needed break from it. *I planned a time to record a newer and longer video for this blog post, but with the COVID-19 quarantining measures we were unable to meet to play music. This is the only video I have of us playing recently where the audio is good.
Progress:
Happy New Years!! As I said in my previous blog, I've started meditating twice a week. Since it's just the start of this, I'm still getting into the hang of things. I'm going to start setting reminders during the week so I remember to take that necessary mental break that will help me keep going, especially during finals. I'll keep this blog updated on what's going on with my meditation! Reflection: The last few weeks for me have been extremely packed with sports, school, and other responsibilities. This means I'm getting less sleep, which is definitely effecting my attention, focus, and mood. Unfortunately, it's making it a lot more difficult to meditate. One would think that when someones tired, they can relax easier. However, with meditation focus and attentiveness is super important. Meditation for me is a way to improve myself, and there are many things I want to work on in my life that all relate to each other. I'm working on being more diligent with my homework, and I'm trying to be on my phone less. I'm also trying to be consistent with my sleep. All of these things are important to my mental and physical well-being, and so I am turning some of my focus to fixing these things. The hope is that by the time I'm meditating every day, my focus and mental control is improving, but there is still a long way to go! Merry Christmas!
Unfortunately, I’m really sick right now. It’s definitely not fun being quarantined on Christmas, but you know what, that’s ok because luckily for me, meditation isn’t an active activity. Seeming that I’ve been stuck in bed watching tv the last few days, taking a break, sitting down, and taking some deep breaths was definitely what I needed. Progress: I am still on the first phase of my progress where I am meditating once a week. I only have one more week of that, and then I move on to two times a week! That’s when things get more and more consistent, and I will definitely be more purposeful to make sure I meditate. I’m finding that it’s becoming easier for me to clear my mind, and I had absolutely no idea that i would see actual progress in that. I’m crossing my fingers that I can continue to push my focus and control over my mind. Reflection: I’m not seeing much overall change from the single day meditation, but after I do it I do feel a lot better mentally and physically. Hopefully, as water polo season gets more and more busy, I start to see some results that carry on throughout each week. This post was supposed to be my first one, but I felt that now would be a better time to do it! This isn't really a progress/reflection type post, but I think it would be beneficial to explain a little better exactly what I am doing for this project. Meditation initially sounds a little weird. I personally didn't know much about the topic for the longest time, but I was recommended a video on YouTube that made me curious about the subject. A man named Matt D'Avella tried to meditate for an hour every day for 30 days. In his video, he talks about the scientifically proven health benefits, such as better sleep, focus, energy, heart health, the list goes on and on. He also talks about how he has personally seen a change in his life, and that after his challenge, he does want to continue to add meditation in some form to his everyday life. This really intrigued me. If it's such a beneficial thing, why do people often say that its a bunch of pointless spiritual crap? I wanted to try it for myself, and this project provided the perfect opportunity for me to do that. The Process: I've found that for me, an hour of meditation is unrealistic. Not only do I have trouble concentrating for that long, but I would definitely hate sitting still and doing nothing when my brain is telling me to be productive. I've found that 3-5 minutes whenever I can allow me to make the most out of my meditation. Its short enough to where it isn't getting in the way of other tasks, but its long enough to feel like a mental break. Another interesting thing I've been doing is changing physically how I meditate every time I do. I've tried sitting up, laying on my back, laying on my stomach, wherever I happen to be. For me, there is not a specific way that helps me the most. It's mostly mental anyways, so whatever position I'm in does just fine. So far, I've been meditating once a week. But in a few weeks, I'll start increasing how often I do it. Its the perfect time to do that too, with sports, crazy school, finals all happening around the same time. Hopefully I'll be diligent and really make the time to take that vital mental break. Below is the video I referred to above, its a really well done video, and very informational and specific, so definitely check it out. Finally, a blog post! As you can probably tell from the date, I sort of pushed off writing. Just a little... I have a really good excuse though that will make up for it: I've been busy. I'm guessing you've never heard that one before. I knew this was going to happen, which is why I chose a project that would help me cope when things get crazy. But then things got so crazy, the idea of de-stressing stressed me out, and I pushed it off. I'm at a time in my life where I definitely need meditation, and I'm finally starting to really make time for it.
Progress: I'm not going to lie, I'm not meditating as often as I should. However, a huge part of this project for me is working on taking the time to sit down and relax, and I have made some progress there. I am proud to say that I have meditated twice this month. It doesn't seem like a lot, but meditation is extremely difficult. Completely clearing your mind is way more effort than letting your brain spiral into everything you have to do, what your friend said to you that day, what you're going to eat when you're finished meditating, etc. I had this really interesting experience of meditating on a giant rock in Joshua Tree national park, which was quite the experience. The group I was with took a picture of me because they thought I was crazy, and I mean, I do look a little strange sitting on a giant rock with my legs crossed and my eyes closed, but it was nice. I had a lot more trouble meditating there because of the pressure of people around me, and I was tired when I did it, so it was harder for me to concentrate on not thinking. But being up on that rock and looking down on the park was a really peaceful experience for me, and I'd like to revisit that spot, preferably by myself, so I can really relish in my surroundings. Reflection: I think that the best way to track my progress is by reflecting on what needs improvement, as well as what I would like to continue as I try different meditating techniques. I really loved being in nature. There is something so serene and removed about it, and it creates an environment where I feel calm, so I definitely want to go outside and away from my normal life to meditate in the future. I do need to work on my concentration, which I've heard improves the more you meditate. Being well rested helps too, and getting more sleep probably would help me be less stressed as well. After meditating a few times, I've realized it's really not as big of a hassle as I've made it out to be in my head. Hopefully that means I'll start getting on track with my plan. Thanks for reading, talk soon. Here's that picture I was talking about, it's actually kinda cool to look at. |