Quieting the Mind

Today I am grateful for the healthy communication my husband and I have in our marriage. I am also grateful for some overnight rain and cooler air.

In my recovery from alcoholism, prayer and meditation are important tools. There are two phrases about these actions that I particularly find helpful.  One is "Prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God."  The other is "Meditation is quieting the mind and prayer is opening the heart."

I have always found it difficult to quiet my mind. Given free rein, it races to and fro at a fast pace.  It takes real practice for me to be able to pull in the overthinking and overanalyzing. I am happy to report that I am making some progress. That progress is more on the practice of meditation. I have to create opportunities to meditate, be quiet, be still, be open to what may come through.  It might be on my morning run, while walking the dog, or keeping the radio off on my commute. For me, writing down my thoughts can also help quiet them.

Prayer also helps me stop the runaway train in my brain. I pray for others. Family and friends. People with cancer. People struggling with addiction. Those currently facing life challenges. That simple act of praying for others takes me out of my own stream of throught, and that is a good thing, particularly when the stream is muddy with negativity.

How do you quiet your mind?

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