Therapy Tuesday
Photo by: dcjohn
A few weeks ago, I was invited to my first professional event where I received swag. It wasn't as glamorous as a movie premiere, but I'm still psyched about the swag. I went to see Dr. Norman Rosenthal talk about his new book: Transcendence. Dr. Rosenthal is an expert in Seasonal Affective Disorder (he coined the diagnosis) and has recently turned his eye towards meditation.
He writes about a type of meditation: Transcendental Mediation. This is one of many ways to meditate, but this technique has been repeatedly empirically validated by the scientific method. Enter Dr. Rosenthal, who conducted a literature review of the science behind this technique. Consistently, he found if practiced faithfully (twice a day for 15-20 minutes each time), TM changed people's physiology (both mind and body).
My first exposure to TM was nearly 10 years ago when my mother learned it. I admit, there were many family jokes when she went off to meditate. I inherit my anxiety honestly, and it has been incredible to see the change in her. She is able to curb her anxiety, feel renewed at the end of the day, and tackle the stress of her work (an event planner). So I figured, why not try it myself? (This is where the swag comes in).
As part of the dinner I attended where I heard Dr. Rosenthal speak, every participant was given a free course in TM as well as Dr. Rosenthal's book. So with nothing to lose, I decided to go for it now. I've almost completed the 4-day introductory course, and I can say that that exponentially, there is something to this.
Here's a perfect example: I had gotten very little sleep Friday night, yet had a full day on Saturday (thank you darling daughter...). We had dinner plans in the evening with friends (an amazing feat!) but by 5pm, I was exhausted. I retreated to my room, sat down, practiced TM for 20 minutes. At the end, I felt energized and ready to go out. Without a nap, rest, or anything longer than a 20 minute meditation. If this can help me survive my infant, I'm all on board!
My thought to share is during this busy season, don't forget to give a gift to yourself. While it doesn't have to be TM per se, some tool for restoration can go very far.
Comments