Today morning when I woke up, I was not feeling good. But after an almost hour-long meditation, I felt like a different person – calm, mindful, and in control.
A long run does exactly the same thing to me – it virtually flips a switch, brightening my mood, driving away darkness and pessimism.
Compared to running or working out, meditation takes time to cultivate – but it is so worthwhile. Meditation quietens your brain’s default mode network, often creating a flow-like joyful mental state.
Of course, the real benefits of meditation go much deeper – but that is a topic for another day.
If you allow me – I have a prescription to offer. No matter how bad things look, an intense workout will change how you feel. There is no magic going on here – it just changes your brain chemistry, raising the levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine in your brain.
Working out is a drug – it is legal, free, and all side-effects are positively life-changing. Of course, it is hard. So what? What worthwhile things have you discovered that are easy?
The only problem with my prescription is that it sounds so simple – then why are we all not doing it?
Just because it is simple, doesn’t mean it is easy. But the hardest things are doable once you find your ‘why’.
Nothing is objectively hard or easy – it is how we think about it.
Find your ‘why’, build these habits, change your life – I promise you, there is no hyperbole here
– Rajan