Meditation has made me more proactive about my heathcare. I’m used to living in a very reactive system where we only go to the doctor when we get sick, we only stop doing harmful things like drinking, smoking, and eating fast foods when they’re literally killing us, and we only exercise as much as we need to when we need to. My favorite example is the person who walks 30 minutes a day for exercise but then drives around the parking lot for 15 minutes trying to get a closer spot. I was taught to squeeze as much enjoyment out of life while I’m young and just deal with the miserable concerquences when I’m old. The problem with this model is that it’s just a temporary escape. I’m not really enjoying my life at my core because subconsiously I realize I’m actually harming myself and others.
One cool aspect of meditation, and more recently yoga, is it helps me see immediately what makes me feel good and allows me to continuously build upon positive actions. My mind is directly connected to my body, so while I can’t escape the perpetual aging of my body, in order to keep a healthy mind I need to take care of my body. Instead of attempting to escape the unanswerable questions about death, meditation helps me purify my mind so I can enjoy life until my death. Instead of trying to get away with distructive behavior, meditation encourages me to behave in healthy ways today. Mindful living is definitely different from my old way of living, but it’s healthier for me and for the people around me. Time to meditate.
