What I Learned From Tracking My Brain Activity During Meditations
We live in a crazy world where I'm writing this blog post, responding to texts from my husband about the grocery list (not all potatoes are created equal), updating Facebook, sipping on coffee, half listening to The Real Housewives of NYC, and half listening for my kids wake up from nap time... I know, super talented, right?
We can pretty much nix the old format for resume's and just create a universal scale for multitasking. If you can multitask with 0-3 tasks, you are on the low end (shame on you) and if you can multitask with 4-infinite tasks, you are mid to high range, congratulations you've moved on to the next round of interviews. In this round, you will be placed in a room with 3 other candidates and asked to post on every social media platform known to man, while people are asking you questions, your phone rings, kids are throwing food at you and screaming about what show to watch, and one kid is inches from putting their finger in an outlet.
Multitasking is highly valued in our society. Highly. I struggle with this because I see how disconnected humans are from one another, and I remember how much I used to daydream and play when I was younger and had to create my own internal world. What really tears me apart though, is that the good Lord gave me some serious multitasking skills. That interview I wrote about earlier, I would destroy the competition without even spilling my coffee. I am a machine when it comes to doing 75 things at once, and if I am not careful, I will get sucked into being another lost soul who has 795 Facebook friends but can't hold a conversation with the person next to me.
When we are constantly multitasking physically, we are also multitasking mentally, and energetically. This can't be good folks, can't be good.
My brain doesn't know how to stop anymore and I wish I were saying that in sarcasm. I have the excellent opportunity at my day job as a mental health clinician to play around with some amazing hardware that tracks my brainwaves while I meditate. I think of myself as someone who very easily slips into a meditative state, and can be zen as shit in about 3 minutes flat, but using our neurofeedback equipment, I was shown that I have a ways to go before I can boast about my state of mindfulness. During a 10-minute meditation session, I have, on average, 29 seconds of calm brain waves.
I have tracked my meditations for some time now, and while I am showing improvement, I have learned a few important things that I think can apply to you too.
1. Even when I am meditating, deep breathing and doing nothing, my brain keeps working like the Energizer bunny. I have TRAINED my brain to multitask and chug along even when I am purposefully trying to shut it down, so even though I feel calm, my heart rate is low and my muscles relaxed, my brain is like "did you feel that I think it's a spider no probably a puff of air where did a puff of air come from I look good when I wear green I should wear green more often should we get a dog no probably not a good kindergarten holy hell the twins are almost in kindergarten god I'm old how did I get this old..."
2. It's going to take more than 10 minutes a day to turn this brain around. I cannot expect that meditating in short spurts will transform my multitasking brain, I must also give my brain downtime throughout the day. It is critical that I practice mindfulness as part of my moment to moment habits so that I re-train my brain to be fully present in each task. It is undeniable that multitasking will happen, I have two jobs, three kids and like 95 extracurricular activities for everyone in the house, so packing lunch while watching the news and choking down celery juice (it's supposed to be good for you) will continue to be a morning ritual, but I will also remember to put the phone away and give myself a break every now and again.
3. I have become accustomed to a way of life where silence means that I'm not getting anything done. I must reframe this way of thinking, and remember that silence is the space where I find rest for my brain. As an empath, I can easily hit mental exhaustion, and typically I don't stop until I reach the point where I forget my name and hope no one asks me my phone number; then I recharge. As I grow in all aspects of my life, I am coming to understand the value of space and silence, and how those two things are the perfect womb for insight, ideas, and to hear the soft voices of my angels providing me guidance that is usually missed over the sound of my own voice, trying to plan a witty Tweet.
The more that I meditate, the more I get excited to meditate. It's addicting and I am excited to teach my kids how to enjoy silence, listening to their angels, and how to unplug from this overwhelming and harsh world of emotional disconnect. This is my way of impacting the next generation. If I am mediocre in all aspects of parenting, but I teach my children how to meditate, I will have won, and the next generation will be better for it.
Meditate on my friends, and do not fool yourself into thinking that you are the next Gandhi because you sat in silence for 15 minutes. Actually calming your mind is trickier than expected when we spend every day training our brain how to go full speed in every direction. Rejuvenation and relaxation can be achieved. Practice practice practice and you will change the world.
Love & Light
 |
| Photo by Rob Bye on Unsplash |
We can pretty much nix the old format for resume's and just create a universal scale for multitasking. If you can multitask with 0-3 tasks, you are on the low end (shame on you) and if you can multitask with 4-infinite tasks, you are mid to high range, congratulations you've moved on to the next round of interviews. In this round, you will be placed in a room with 3 other candidates and asked to post on every social media platform known to man, while people are asking you questions, your phone rings, kids are throwing food at you and screaming about what show to watch, and one kid is inches from putting their finger in an outlet.
Multitasking is highly valued in our society. Highly. I struggle with this because I see how disconnected humans are from one another, and I remember how much I used to daydream and play when I was younger and had to create my own internal world. What really tears me apart though, is that the good Lord gave me some serious multitasking skills. That interview I wrote about earlier, I would destroy the competition without even spilling my coffee. I am a machine when it comes to doing 75 things at once, and if I am not careful, I will get sucked into being another lost soul who has 795 Facebook friends but can't hold a conversation with the person next to me.
When we are constantly multitasking physically, we are also multitasking mentally, and energetically. This can't be good folks, can't be good.
 |
| Sam Austin from Unsplash |
I have tracked my meditations for some time now, and while I am showing improvement, I have learned a few important things that I think can apply to you too.
1. Even when I am meditating, deep breathing and doing nothing, my brain keeps working like the Energizer bunny. I have TRAINED my brain to multitask and chug along even when I am purposefully trying to shut it down, so even though I feel calm, my heart rate is low and my muscles relaxed, my brain is like "did you feel that I think it's a spider no probably a puff of air where did a puff of air come from I look good when I wear green I should wear green more often should we get a dog no probably not a good kindergarten holy hell the twins are almost in kindergarten god I'm old how did I get this old..."
2. It's going to take more than 10 minutes a day to turn this brain around. I cannot expect that meditating in short spurts will transform my multitasking brain, I must also give my brain downtime throughout the day. It is critical that I practice mindfulness as part of my moment to moment habits so that I re-train my brain to be fully present in each task. It is undeniable that multitasking will happen, I have two jobs, three kids and like 95 extracurricular activities for everyone in the house, so packing lunch while watching the news and choking down celery juice (it's supposed to be good for you) will continue to be a morning ritual, but I will also remember to put the phone away and give myself a break every now and again.
The more that I meditate, the more I get excited to meditate. It's addicting and I am excited to teach my kids how to enjoy silence, listening to their angels, and how to unplug from this overwhelming and harsh world of emotional disconnect. This is my way of impacting the next generation. If I am mediocre in all aspects of parenting, but I teach my children how to meditate, I will have won, and the next generation will be better for it.
 |
| Max Rovensky from Unsplash |
Meditate on my friends, and do not fool yourself into thinking that you are the next Gandhi because you sat in silence for 15 minutes. Actually calming your mind is trickier than expected when we spend every day training our brain how to go full speed in every direction. Rejuvenation and relaxation can be achieved. Practice practice practice and you will change the world.
Love & Light
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