The Daily Mind

Daily Steps To Mindful Living

Noemi Ruth

What the NBA Playoffs Can Teach Us About Life

Inspiration

Come NBA Playoffs time, the routines of basketball fans around the world experience a massive shift. Some even change their schedules to make sure they catch their team’s games live. It gets even worse when the Finals begin.

Arguably, this year’s Playoffs has been one of the most interesting in recent times, and even if you are not a basketball fan, there are some things you can learn from the game, the team leaders, and the sportsmanship of the players.

With the season being over, let’s take a look at some life lessons the NBA Playoffs can teach us. [Read more…] about What the NBA Playoffs Can Teach Us About Life

Originally posted on June 17, 2015 @ 8:00 am

4 Guided Meditation Apps to Help You Get Started

Meditation

In my last post, I talked about guided meditation and how it can benefit you. I also promised to share some guided meditation apps that will help you get started.

Meditation is not an easy thing, and some people really can’t get the hang of it. To be honest, I cannot do it alone for a very long time – hence my foray into guided meditation.

I also have a confession. Even though I use guided meditation apps, I find that in order for them to do the trick, I have to do them repeatedly. That means every day, or several times a day. That’s not to say they do not work, but if you have anxiety (or other similar) problems, you might want to get some help on top of using guided meditation apps.

That being said, here are four guided meditation apps that you might want to try.

Oh, and one last thing, most of them are free, but they have in-app purchases to unlock more sessions.

Guided Meditation Apps

Pure Meditation – 20 Guided Meditation Techniques with HD Video Backgrounds & Ambient Meditation Music

App description:

“These guided meditation techniques (yoga based program) can be done anywhere and at anytime, and you can notice results in seconds. You need calm, you need relax time. Now you can learn how to meditate with this fantastic meditation app.

Perfect for all levels from beginners to highly advanced meditators.

There’s a variety of guided meditation techniques so you will be certain you will find one that is perfectly suited to your lifestyle and needs. From quick meditation techniques that can be done in seconds to nice long relaxing meditation sessions.

Featuring a continuously updated library of guided meditation, the app allows you to choose from a wide variety of different tracks to accompany you to sleep.”

My experience

I got the free version, so there was only one 25-minute session. I found it relaxing, but I had to get used to the narrator’s voice. The instructions were simple and did help me relax, but as a beginner, I found 25 minutes to be a little long. If you’re comfortable with that period, however, give it a try.

And, it’s free for today!

Get Pure Meditation.

Mindfulness Meditation – Guided Mindfulness Meditation

App description:

“Guided meditations – This application will help you practise meditation with a series of audios adapted to the different needs of your everyday life. It will guide you from the beginning to an advanced level.

Timer – The timer allows you to meditate without listening to the narration. A bell will alert you whenever a quarter of the time has elapsed.”

My experience

Just like the previous app, Mindfulness Meditation is free. What I like about it is that it has sessions with different lengths – 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.

The problem is that only the 5-minute session is free, and you’ll have to pay for the rest. Try out the free session first, and if you like it, then go for the in-app purchase.

Get Mindfulness Meditation.

Complete Relaxation: Guided Meditation for a Happy, Stress Free Life

App description:

“Set to the stunning music of Australian composer Christopher Lloyd Clarke B.Sc, Msc.D. Complete Relaxation features a bespoke mix of his hypnotic tracks “The Essence of Peace” and the angelic “Heavens Gate”.

With each composition working seamlessly alongside the relaxation script, you’re taken on a guided journey through the body, relaxing each and every muscle before being invited to float down into Complete Relaxation, where the positive affirmations begin.

With the latest meditation and relaxation techniques, this app will ease every muscle in your body, offering you complete relaxation…”

My experience

One thing I can say: it does help you to relax. And, yes, the music is a very nice touch.

I like doing these sessions in bed, so I feel relaxed even more.

There is a lite version, and a full version for $1.99.

Get Complete Relaxation.

Guided Mind — Guided Meditation, Relaxation & Mindfulness for Stress, Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia & More

App description:

“Relax and get guided through meditations on a variety of topics dealing with the stresses and challenges of day-to-day life.

Updated frequently with new guides and meditations.

FEATURES

  • Easy & effective step-by-step, voice-guided meditations
  • Short (~5min), medium (~15min), and long (30+ min) meditations
  • 8 different meditation guides (speakers)
  • 20+ FREE high quality meditations
  • 150+ high quality meditations
  • 14 FREE nature soundscapes
  • 20+ instrumental tracks
  • Looping for continuous play
  • Download any meditation and listen without an internet connection
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Instructions on how to use the app to meditate
  • Information about each guide
  • Meditations for both beginners & experienced meditators”

My experience

I saved this app for last because, in my book, it is the best. It is the app that I use most.

It offers a lot of guided meditations based on various topics. If you are dealing with a particular problem, you can search for that, and you’ll probably find a guided meditation session targeting that issue.

Additionally, it has a good number of free sessions, which I find really useful. There are some topics which are in-app purchases, but they’re well worth your money.

Get Guided Mind.

Do you use guided meditation apps? Maybe you can share them with us!

Originally posted on June 9, 2015 @ 8:00 am

What Guided Meditation Is and Its Benefits

Meditation

Meditation is a popular practice in many parts of the world today, but its origins date back to approximately 5,000 to 3,500 BCE when archeologists discovered signs of meditation in wall art.

Indian scriptures, as early as 3,000 years ago, highlight meditation techniques, and as time passed, other religions and sects developed their versions of meditation.

Today, from the east to the west, people practice meditation for various reasons, one of which is to attain spiritual development.

Guided meditation

Guided meditation is no different from regular meditation except that there is someone else leading the session. This is particularly useful for beginners who may have difficulty meditating. As the name says, guided meditation needs a guide to help an individual or group to reach a deeper level of consciousness and reap the benefits of the practice.

One of the most common ways you can practice guided meditation is to go to a yoga center or a similar place. They offer sessions or classes for guided meditation. If you’re fortunate enough, you can even find a personal guide for your meditation session.

guided meditation benefitsSource

During a guided meditation session, the narrator will start with asking you to find a comfortable position – sitting or lying down. He or she will then verbally help you go through visualization processes with the aim of relaxing your body and your mind. As you go along, you will get more and more relaxed, and your mind will become calmer.

How can guided meditation help?

Guided meditation is not much different from meditating on your own. It’s the presence of a guide that helps you focus, with the ultimate goal of you being able to – at some point – meditate on your own.

Guided meditation benefits are numerous, the main one being targeted at those who struggle with sitting still and quieting their mind. If you find it difficult just to sit there and find inner peace on your own, then guided meditation will make it much easier.

There are many variations of guided meditation, most of them with specific goals.

Here are several examples:

  • Guided meditation for relaxation
  • Guided meditation to relieve work stress
  • Guided meditation to quit smoking
  • Guided meditation to start the day
  • Guided meditation for “grounding” yourself
  • Guided meditation for self-healing
  • Guided meditation for coping with divorce or breakups
  • Guided meditation for forgiveness
  • Guided meditation for dealing with guilt.

And the list goes on and on.

Whether you are going through a rough patch in your life, or you simply want to improve your current state of mind, meditation is one of the most effective things to do. And, if you are not comfortable meditating on your own, or you are uninitiated in the practice, then guided meditation can help you achieve your goals in ways you may not imagine.

Are you ready to make a huge change in your life? Try guided meditation. In my next post, I’ll be sharing tools which you can use for guided meditation.

Get your meditation place ready: 9 Cheap Ways to Make Your Place Peaceful and Conducive to Meditation

Originally posted on June 3, 2015 @ 8:30 am

Best Fatherhood Quotes: A Tribute to All the Dads Out There

Family, Life

Father’s Day is the special day of the year when all of us can show our love and appreciation to our dads. While I believe that we should do this all year round (just like with Mother’s Day), it does not hurt to designate a specific date to pay tribute to our fathers – more than usual. After all, it is quite a feat to balance fatherhood and a career, and even the simplest gesture of appreciation will make our fathers’ day.

This year, Father’s Day falls on June 21, so there’s ample time to plan something special for your fathers. Whether it’s a material gift, an experience, or extending an olive branch, it doesn’t matter. One thing is for sure: your dad will greatly appreciate the gesture.

In anticipation of Father’s Day, I’ve gathered some of the most heartwarming and best fatherhood quotes. While some may not be able to relate to them, now is a good time as any to reflect on your relationship with your dad. You never know what might come out of it.

1. I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom. – Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum

2. The monsters are gone.”
“Really?” Doubtful.
“I killed the monsters. That’s what fathers do.”
– Fiona Wallace

3. I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection. – Sigmund Freud quotes

4. My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. – Jim Valvano

5. My dear father; my dear friend; the best and wisest man I ever knew, who taught me many lessons and showed me many things as we went together along the country by-ways. – Unknown

best fatherhood quotes

6. Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express. – Joseph Addison

7. My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. – Clarence Budington Kelland

8. When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry. – Unknown

9. A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall but instead picks you up, brushes you off, and lets you try again. – Nishan Panwar

best fatherhood quotes

10. I’ve had a hard life, but my hardships are nothing against the hardships that my father went through in order to get me to where I started. – Bartrand Hubbard

11. A working definition of fathering might be this: fathering is the act of guiding a child to behave in ways that lead to the child’s becoming a secure child in full, thus increasing his or her chances of being happy and fruitful as a young adult. – Clyde Edgerton

12. My dad is my best friend, my father, and my boss. When I do something that is exciting and he likes it, it feels three times as good as you can imagine. – David Lauren

best fatherhood quotes

13. When my father didn’t have my hand….he had my back. – Linda Poindexter

14. The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get. – Tim Russert

15. No matter how stronger and harder a man appears to the outside world in the life’s challenges, but he still remains the weakest and softest inside in his heart to fulfill the demands and desires of his children. – Anuj Somany

All you dads out there, we salute you.

More on family:

How to Accept a Gay Friend or Family Member

Why You Shouldn’t Be An Absent Father And How To Avoid Being One

Originally posted on May 26, 2015 @ 8:00 am

5 Most Common Relationship Problems and How to Solve Them

Life, Relationships

Relationship problems come in all shapes and sizes, and truth be told, there isn’t any single “cure” to these. The best a couple can do is to work things out from both ends.

While there may be a plethora of issues couples face, here are some of the most common relationship problems and possible solutions, in no particular order.

Most common relationship problems

Lack of communication

[tweetthis url=”https://www.thedailymind.com/deeper-thinking/5-most-common-relationship-problems-and-how-to-solve-them/”]“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.” ~Henry Winkler[/tweetthis]

This is perhaps at the core of most common relationship problems. For one reason or another, a couple may be unable to talk things out. One may think that the other should know what he/she is thinking or expecting, all the while the other partner is totally clueless.

Another matter that falls under this is when one partner stonewalls the other, that is, he/she retracts into a shell and does not express his/her thoughts. With this attitude – conscious or not – couples will not be able to understand each other, leading to a bigger wedge in the relationship

SOLUTION: Make an effort to share your thoughts even if it’s not your personality. Don’t assume that your partner knows what you’re thinking, and don’t assume you know what your partner is thinking. Ask outright. Say your thoughts verbally.

Wrong way of communicating

While you may be communicating with each other, if the manner by which you do so is not right, then it is not helping at all. There are two things to consider.

Criticism. It is easy to point out each others flaws, even if the intention may be good. This may come across as criticism, and that is not always constructive.

Defensiveness. As a response to criticism, some people naturally put up their defenses. They respond in a negative manner, defending their case adamantly without realizing that perhaps, the criticism was meant to be constructive.

SOLUTION: Start out by making it clear that you are not criticizing your partner. Choose your words carefully. For example, instead of saying “You always stay too late at the office. It’s not helping our relationship,” you can say “I noticed that you have been working long hours. Is everything okay at work?” Then you can express how it makes you feel and present possible solutions to the problem.

Finances

money problems

For some people, finances is never an issue. They share their resources and even rely on a joint account. For many, though, finances is a huge matter. This is especially true when one partner earns more than the other. It’s even worse when one partner is not responsible when it comes to money.

This can result in resentment, which builds up if not dealt with early on. If financial disagreement becomes worse, it can result in breaking up the relationship.

SOLUTION: Go back to the first problem – communication. If you’re facing money stress in your relationship, here is a good resource on how to talk to your partner about it: Money Stress: How to Talk to Your Husband, Wife or Partner About Money.

Life stages

We all go through different life stages, and even couples who may have the strongest bond and a lot of common interests may find themselves at different stages at some point. When this happens, a couple may drift apart and find themselves feeling disconnected, not content, and wondering why they are still in the relationship.

SOLUTION: Think about yourself and what stage in life you are in. What do you want? What are your goals, and how do you mean to achieve them? Then think about your partner. What does he manifest in this regard?

Don’t stop there. Set aside time to talk about what you’re both going through and how you can make adjustments to accommodate each others’ needs at this stage in your lives. Be open. Be ready to make concessions.

Infidelity

This may very well be the deal breaker for most couples. That doesn’t mean, however, that there are couples who haven’t been able to get past through a traumatic experience such as infidelity.

SOLUTION: First, decide for yourself if you can accept and forgive your partner’s infidelity. Or, if you were the one who cheated, decide if you want to continue with the relationship. If the answer is no, then sad to say, but it is better for both of you to part ways.

Second, know why you want to continue.

Third, talk about everything – no holds barred. Together, discuss what happened, together with the points mentioned above.

If you’re both determined to keep the relationship going, you’ll be part of that percentage of couples who get past infidelity.

Note: If this happens several times, my personal opinion is to get out of it.

What other common relationship problems have you experienced? What did you do to solve them?

You might also find this useful:

How to Handle Difficult Conversations with Your Partner

Originally posted on May 19, 2015 @ 8:00 am

6 Relaxing Hobbies That Will Relieve Stress

Meditation, Mental Health, Mind

Are you living a life of stress? Does it seem that stress is all you can feel day in, day out?

Then you need to examine your lifestyle. Perhaps your work is taking over your life. Perhaps you have issues about taking on the burden of everyone around you – even if you don’t have to. Perhaps you just need to take a break from everything and carve out some “me time”.

When was the last time you spent time doing something that you really enjoy? If you can barely remember, or if the instances are far and few in between, then I suggest making an effort to make time for this activity.

If you think you need something new, here’s a bit of help: some relaxing hobbies that will relieve stress.

Painting

Not everyone is skilled in painting, but even if you don’t know anything about color palettes and brushes and whatnot, it’s worth a try. Look for classes in your area, sign up for one, and find out if painting is for you. You might be surprised at the results.

Photography

relaxing hobbies

 

These days, everyone can be a photographer. While the hardcore hobbyists have expensive equipment, which you might not want to invest in just yet, you can easily use your smartphone. Photography is definitely a relaxing hobby, as there are endless choices for subjects – and there should be at least one that you are interested in.

Cooking

If you like your food, why not up the ante and challenge yourself in the kitchen? You might already be making your meals every day, but if you see that as a necessity – one has to eat after all – it probably isn’t relaxing at all. Instead, you might see it as a chore.

Why not turn things around and make cooking a hobby? Browse cooking/recipe sites and buy cooking/foodie magazines. Look for recipes that make your mouth water, and go for it!

Gardening

It has been proven time and again that gardening is one of the best relaxing hobbies. Before you ditch the idea, give it a try. Gardening outside exposes you to the health benefits of the sun. The mere act of tending to your plants (you can even talk to them) also helps you relax.

And, who doesn’t like seeing flowers grow and brighten up your surroundings? If you grow some vegetables or herbs, you’ll have the added satisfaction of consuming them.

Ikebana

relaxing hobbies

 

Ikebana is the ancient art of flower arrangement, a distinctive part of Japanese culture. Learning and practicing Ikebana will not only help you relax, but give you a sense of achievement and an appreciation for beauty for it is not simply putting a bunch of flowers in a vase, but an art form and philosophy that highlights how nature and humanity come together.

Transcendental Meditation

Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s, Transcendental Meditation, or TM, is a technique that requires the use of sound or a mantra that is practiced twice every day for 15 to 20 minutes. The TM technique is supposed to bring your body to a relaxed state and profound rest. If you take up this as hobby and do it regularly, you’ll find that your life doesn’t have to have much stress.

Originally posted on May 13, 2015 @ 8:00 am