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present moment

Why I love Covid-19….

Yep, I know what you’re thinking, why the hell would you love something like the Coronavirus? ARE YOU INSANE?? And sure, I totally get that. And while I don’t love the Coronavirus, or, Covid-19, what I do love is how Covid is beginning to shift our mindset.

If you’re someone who misses the old world, or if you still find yourself clinging on to reality pre-Covid, then let me take a brief moment to remind you what that looked like in Australia as far as our health is concerned anyway… When it came to our physical health, around 17 million out of the total population of 26 million of us were overweight, or obese. About 300 of us were developing Type II Diabetes every single day. Around 2.5 million of us had Cardio-Vascular Disease – making it the nation’s biggest killer. Around 150,000 of us were being diagnosed with Cancer each year with 50,000 of us not making it to see the next year. Around 4 million of us were living with some form of chronic pain every day. And over half of us weren’t sleeping properly. When it comes to our bodies and drug use, 300,000 of us were using Methamphetamine’s like Ice and 4 million of us had a drinking problem.

Apart from all of the physical disease, how were we doing in regards to our mental health before Covid? Around 17 million of us indicated that stress was seriously affecting both our physical and mental health. Around 1 million of us had been diagnosed with Depression, and over 2 million of us had severe Anxiety. A staggering 60,000 of us were attempting Suicide each year (think Marvel Stadium in Melbourne at full capacity). Around 1 million of us were calling Lifeline each year. Well over 4 million of us had an eating disorder and close to 7 million of us had Body Image and Self-Esteem Problems. And many of these conditions were being found in not only adults, but also kids too.

Looking at these figures, it’s clear that even before Covid arrived, most of us were struggling to maintain a sense of balance and well-being in our lives. Do we really want to go back to a pre-Covid world? A system which never really worked in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that since Covid everything has gotten better – far from it. In-fact, most of these problems and statistics have gotten far worse.

But in saying that, sometimes things need to get worse before they start getting better. And I truly believe that for many, Covid has helped us to create a paradigm shift in the right direction. You could think of it more simply as a course correction if you like. It has done this by providing an ‘opportunity’ for us to pause, reflect and create a better and more balanced life for ourselves. So, if you haven’t already done so, here are some of the important lessons that we should take from Covid if we want to create a healthier and happier life for ourselves…

To live in and enjoy the present

Covid has reminded us that everything around us is so temporary and everything can be taken away from you in an instant – your health, your life, your loved ones, your job, your house, your finances, and anything else. All that you have is the present moment. So, we need to ensure that we don’t waste time crying over the past or worrying about the future, but rather living fully in the only moment that we have – the present moment, and making sure that what we do with that moment counts in life.

To not have so much stuff

Covid has reminded us that we really don’t need all of the stuff we once thought we did, and that we can still be happy without it. That less is more, because the free stuff is the best stuff – love and kindness, being together, etc. So, moving forward, remember to only buy what you absolutely need, not what you think you need, or want, and also to declutter and ditch the excess stuff you already have. That includes the 300 toilet rolls that you’ve stockpiled too.

On this note there’s also something to be said for doing less stuff too. I say that because I’ve spoken to countless people who have now streamlined their routines because they now realise that they don’t really need to be doing so many of the things they thought they once had to do, or at least not as often anyway. Things like needing their morning café coffee, putting on makeup, getting monthly haircuts, keeping up with the latest fashion, going on expensive holidays, and so forth.

To appreciate the small things

Forced lockdowns took away most of our freedoms to do the things we enjoyed, but which we often also took for granted too. Things like going to a restaurant with friends, to our kid’s basketball match and taking our dog for a walk. Covid has reminded us to reflect upon the simple things which are of value to us, which makes us much happier when we do so. So, remember that there is much joy to be found in even the simplest of things, so never take anything for granted ever again.

To slow down

Covid has reminded us that we very often rush too fast to go nowhere important. Putting a halt to the rat race taught us that by slowing down, we not only have much less stress in our lives, but also that we have an opportunity to stop and smell the roses. Whether its baking bread, growing vegetables, or reading a good book, taking the time to slow down and enjoy whatever we are doing gives everything much more meaning in life. So next time you find yourself rushing through life at a million miles per hour, don’t forget to pull the breaks and slow down. Focus on being a human being, rather than a human doing, and you’ll be much healthier and happier in the process.

To improve our work-life balance

Covid has taught many of us that not only can we work from home, but we can be more productive in doing so. This has been a real gamechanger in the way we do our work and organise our day. It has equated to less time wasted on getting ready for and commuting to work, and more time to do the things we want to do. So, if you are lucky enough to have more flexible working arrangements, including the ability to do some of your work from home, then ensure to spend your time in a way which enhances your wellbeing, such as using that additional time to prepare healthy meals and exercise.

To look after our health

Covid has taught us that our number 1 asset in life is our health. It has taught us that in order to be well, we need to eat well, exercise often, stress less and keep our immune system strong. In other words, it has reminded us that taking a holistic approach to our physical and mental health and wellbeing is super important, if we are to survive and thrive.

So, as you can see, Covid isn’t all doom and gloom after all. And there are lots of other valuable lessons which Covid has taught us, lessons which have already begun to shift how many of us are living our lives. But if there’s just one thing that I want you to take from Covid, it’s that having balance is crucial if you really want to live a healthier and happier life. Which is why I am strongly encouraging you to ensure that you’re making the most of this opportunity to create a better life for yourself and your loved ones.

So, my question to you is, what lessons have you learnt from Covid, and more importantly, what have you changed to ensure that you have increased balance in your life? Leave me a comment to let me know.

Rob

May 5, 2021 0 comment

Meditate

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What is meditation?

Many people think that meditation is about thinking about nothing, but it is not this at all. We cannot block thought and emotion. In-fact we need thought and emotion. Instead, meditation is simply the act of diverting your attention inward, in order to become more aware of, and familiarise yourself with the present moment.

Why is meditation important?

Today, we live in an incredibly busy world, where the pace of life is often frantic. It seems that we are always doing something, to the point where most of us are over-worked, over-loaded, and over-stimulated. The sad fact is that we have become so distracted in the world in which we live, that we miss out on the things that are the most important to us. In-fact, research shows that almost 50% of our life is lost in mindless thought – which directly contributes to unhappiness. What’s even crazier is that we assume that this is the way life is, and that we just have to get on with it.

In essence we have forgotten to be still, and the absence of stillness has led to increased stress and anxiety. In-fact, around 17 million Australians admit that stress is affecting both their physical and mental health.

But rather than distracting ourselves from stress, what we need most is to bring the very essence of who we are back into our lives – stillness. Just as the body needs rest, so too does the mind – especially when you consider that we have about 60,000 thoughts each day – 80% of which are negative and 95% are not original. Your mind becomes like a washing machine, whizzing around lots of difficult, confusing emotions, which we often don’t know how to deal with it.

Meditation enables you to slow down your mind enough to help you return to that place of stillness that exists between your thoughts. A place which is available to all of us in the present moment.

You cannot have happiness until you have inner peace. You cannot have inner peace until you live in the present. You cannot live in the present until you remember who you are. You cannot remember who you are until you go within and mediate. Robert Greco

Every time you connect to this place of stillness within, you become more conscious and aware of what is real and what is not in each moment. In this way, meditation acts as a doorway to who you really are. This is essential, because knowing yourself affects everything you think, say and do in life. Knowing yourself is the not only the key to both preventing and managing stress and anxiety, but is also the secret to lasting peace and happiness.

What are the different types of Meditation?

There are 3 main types/categories of meditation:

1.Focused Attention or concentration techniques (e.g. Zen, Qi gong, Vipassana) is where you focus on a single word, thought or object, excluding all others. It may be your breath, a word, a mantra, sound, a movement, pattern or an inner or external image. The purpose is simply to better develop your sense of concentration. That way, when thoughts or emotions arise, you are able to direct your mind back to the original object of concentration. This type of meditation requires effort to sustain controlled attention on an object, and is characterised by high frequency activity in the front and core of the brain.

2.Open Monitoring includes mindfulness-based techniques, in which all experiences are allowed to pass through awareness without manipulation or control, otherwise known as non-judgemental moment-to-moment awareness. The mind is generally being trained to return to the present moment by using an object, breath, or body as an anchor. This allows us to become aware of negative thought patterns, enabling us to make conscious choices rather than being mindlessly controlled by them, and preventing us from being led into habitual negative behaviours. These techniques also help us to embrace whatever our current experience is (including emotional or physical pain) rather than trying to escape or get into a struggle and thereby amplify it. This type of meditation is characterised by theta activity primarily in the front of the brain.

3.Automatic Self-Transcending (AST) involves neither concentration nor training the mind. ‘Automatic’ means innocence is the key here. Evaluation, control or manipulation will leave you caught up in thinking and prevent transcending. ‘AST’ includes Transcendental Meditation (TM), and the occasional expert in other techniques. It describes any technique which transcends (goes beyond) the steps of the meditation practice itself. Typically this includes resting your attention on a mellow, meaning-free one or two syllable mantra or sound in an effortless way that allows the mantra to gradually melt like a cough drop, leaving a state of inner silence. Whilst this may seem much like a focused attention practice, the method is actually more subtle and easy going than that.

Alpha brain waves (characteristic of reduced mental activity and relaxation) permeate the whole brain, which receives more oxygen. Increased blood flow occurs at the front of the brain (which is coordinating activity) while the core is more quiet, indicating alertness in the midst of deep rest, the state of transcendental or pure consciousness/silence.

Which type of Meditation is best?

Which type of meditation is best depends upon what you want to achieve and more importantly how ‘aware’ you are. As a recommendation, if you are a beginner to meditation, then I would suggest that you start with some basic concentration and mindfulness techniques. Then once you have been meditating for some time and made some progress in becoming more mindful, then I would encourage you to try TM.

Regardless of what type of meditation you choose, I would encourage you to complement your practice with yoga. This is important because many of the emotional and behavioural responses we experience occur because of previous stress which has become trapped inside of our body’s cells as distorted memories. And so no matter how much we mediate, we can only often get so far. However, by including the regular practice of yoga – both physical postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama), we can better respond to the actual demand being placed upon us in the present moment, rather than being forced into reactions pre-fabricated by our stress. In other words, full present moment awareness is actually the gift of a stress free nervous system, not just a present mind.

If you want to begin mediating, then save your self years of wasted time and learn to meditate the right way by joining my 3 keys holistic health and fitness program at www.h360.online

April 7, 2018 2 comments

Live in the Present

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What is living in the present?

Many of us have heard about the need to live more in ‘the present,’ but what does this really mean?

There are different levels of being present, but it basically means to be conscious, aware and in the present with all of your senses. That is, your awareness is completely centred on the here and now. It means not dwelling on or thinking about the past, nor being anxious or worrying about the future.

Why is it so important to live in the present?

It is essential that we live in the present because this is the only moment that really exists – everything/life happens in the now. It is simply all we have. As such, both the past and the future only exist in your mind. The past is gone, meaning it can’t be changed. Whilst the future is not guaranteed, meaning we are never sure what direction our life will go. Therefore if you are not living in the present, then you are simply not living in reality and with that you are not living true.

But I suppose the real reason why it’s important to live in the present is because everything that you truly desire in life, including good health and happiness exists only in the present. That’s why it’s called the ‘present’ – it’s a gift. Obviously the opposite is also true – the more you live in the past and future the more you experience fear bases emotions such as depression and anxiety.

The reality is that 95% of society tries to live in the present – and whilst this temporarily provides access to the present moment, it never lasts. So if you are serious about living in the present moment 24/7, then join my 3 keys holistic health and fitness program at www.h360.online

November 2, 2017 0 comment