Welcome to part two in our series about emotional resilience. Last time, we looked at the relationship between emotional resilience and sleep. If you missed it, I shared my top tip for getting better quality rest. This week I want to talk about meditation for emotional resilience, or more specifically, doing something that is meditative. And this may not necessarily mean what you think it does.
Meditation’s image problem
Meditation, you could argue, has a bit of an image problem. We tend to imagine sitting cross-legged; eyes closed; breathing deeply for a significant amount of time. And yes, that is one way to do it. However, there are many other methods of meditation for developing your emotional resilience. And what I’m encouraging you to do in this week’s SNAP will perhaps feel a little more achievable in comparison to spending hours on end in the lotus position. So I want to ask, what is something you could do routinely that is meditative? And if you’re not sure what that means, allow me to explain…
Do something meditative
If you’re wondering what that might look like for you, allow me to share an example. I used to work with a lovely lady who was extremely senior in London’s banking sector. She was having difficulty collecting her thoughts or decompressing between meetings and had become frustrated as a result. She had tried meditation using various apps but didn’t feel she was getting any benefit from them. At home, she liked to knit, and one day tried bringing one of her craft projects into the office to work on during downtime. She never looked back!
Repetitive movements
Knitting may seem a bit funny at first, but its repetitive nature is very meditative. In fact, some studies have shown it can be just as effective in relieving symptoms of stress and anxiety as meditation. And this is because the repetitive movements work to engage your parasympathetic nervous system, signalling the body to relax. It also helps to reduce heart rate and blood pressure to promote feelings of calmness.
Make it non-negotiable
Now, I’m not telling you to learn to knit. When it comes to meditation for building emotional resilience, there are all kinds of options. It’s down to you to decide what that looks like. So think about it. What could you do that is meditative; that relaxes you; that allows you to slip into that parasympathetic state, but also helps you to become a little bit more resilient, because your nervous system is no longer under constant stress? And when you’ve found what that is, make it one of your daily non-negotiables: small things you do every day without fail that will have a big impact over time on your health and wellbeing.
Wellbeing webinars
Leanne Spencer runs a regular roster of free to attend wellbeing webinars for businesses looking to create a culture of energy, belonging and performance. Helping leaders and teams increase their stress resilience, improve communication and productivity, whilst beating burnout and having more fun in life and work. Check out what’s coming up!
