Meditation is Medication

While misspelling "meditation" as "medication" is a common error, it's not far off the mark. Meditation can be a  powerful medication for the mind and spirit.

In today's world, our attention is constantly bombarded with stimuli, leaving us feeling tired, anxious, distracted, unfocused, and even less socially adept.  This constant battle for our attention creates a chaotic mental landscape.

Meditation offers a way to silence the background noise and cultivate a peaceful inner garden where joy and clarity can flourish. By taking time to quiet our minds and focus our attention inward, we can find respite from the external chaos and reconnect with our inner peace.

Here are three types of meditation, each with its own approach and benefits:

• Eastern Meditation: Focuses on emptying the mind by concentrating on a single object, sound, or thought.

• Mindfulness Meditation: Involves non-judgmental observation of present thoughts and feelings.

• Biblical Meditation: Aims to fill the mind with scripture by focusing on a specific principle, phrase, or verse until it becomes ingrained and habituated.

All three can be valuable tools in managing anxiety. However, Biblical meditation goes beyond simply recognizing negative thought patterns (a key aspect of mindfulness) to actively establish healthier ones.

One simple pattern for daily Biblical meditation follows the acrostic "AMEN":

• Ask God: Turn your worries into prayers, entrusting them to God's care.

• Meditate with Gratitude: Express sincere gratitude for the good things in your life, and even for the bad things that haven't happened.

• Examine your thoughts: Identify negative thought patterns like catastrophizing, blaming, anger, or guilt.

• Nurture New Thoughts: This is the most crucial step. Spend the majority of your meditation time focusing on new, scriptural thoughts until they become a part of who you are. Let these thoughts replace the automatic negative ones. Write them down, doodle them, or even turn them into music – do whatever it takes to make them habitual.

By incorporating this practice into your daily routine, you can cultivate a more peaceful and positive mindset, better equipped to handle anxiety.