As this week began, I started to realize the amount of work that I needed to complete to finish up the semester - revising final papers, studying for exams, and finishing up projects such as this blog. Needless to say, I've been feeling more than a little bit stressed, and really wish that I could go back and have those 20 hours of the weekend to work on school work. But, as a full-time college student and part-time employee, it is my responsibility to juggle the demands of work and school, while still trying to stay sane.
During the past few years of college, as I've felt my activity level and stress increase, I've become more and more detached from my sense of personal spirituality. This is a shame too, as connecting with your inner emotions can be a great way to relax and relieve stress. Yesterday evening, as I was sitting with two friends trying to forget about the work that I still needed to work on, one of my friends, Ross, began talking about meditation. He knew another student from GC last year who had extensive international travel experience, and during several of his travel destinations he spent time at monasteries. Ross described his friend's description of how meditation helped him relax, regain focus on things that are important in life, and see things clearly. "That's what I need," I thought. I decided that today I would specifically take time to meditate and work at reconnecting with my personal spirituality.
This morning I found the book "Being Peace," by Thich Nhat Hanh, at the GC library. Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk whose writings I have seen before, as amazing knowledge and insights about how to meditate and find inner peace. To begin my reading of this book I went to the prayer room at College Mennonite Church, a place that I could quietly sit by myself and meditate on the writings of Nhat Hanh.
I read the first two chapters of "Being Peace," and after just one session of meditation I could feel a difference in how I felt. In his first chapter, Nhat Hanh writes about "Dwelling in the present moment." He encourages the reader to focus on calmly breathing, recognizing the wonderful, present moment, and smiling about this moment. At first I felt skeptical of this practice, but after several minutes of focusing on my breathing and reciting a poem by Nhat Hanh in my head, I began to feel a clarity that I had not experienced in some time.
Today's meditation session helped me see the larger pictures of my life. Sure, I had to work a lot this past weekend, and I will be very busy this week finishing up my schoolwork, but I realized that all I can do is be aware of the present moment. My business will pass, I will get my work done, and in the meantime, why not look for the wonderful things all around me? After an hour of meditating at the church, I visited a friend's apartment to sit and chat for a while. All I thought about while there was the present moment and the experience of being with my friends. I then went to work for a few hours, and instead of worrying about the schoolwork I would do after my shift ended, I focused on the people I was working with and the customers that came in, particularly a couple of children whose bright smiles and energetic laughter put a smile on my face.
Obviously, one hour of meditation will not help relieve my stress forever. But my session today reminded me of how important it is to take some time to step back and relax. This week I am making it a point to take and hour each day for meditation; I'm not sure how else I'll get through finals week. Hopefully this will be a routine that I continue next semester and beyond, as I will only be able to increase my personal inner peace through practice. Eventually I hope to radiate that inner peace to those around me, and in my teaching reflect that peace to my students. As Nhat Hanh writes, "It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing, and being peace that we can make peace."
Click here for more information about Thich Nhat Hanh.
(Action #7 Develop ways to "recharge your battery")
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