Get in the Right Mindset with the Help of Headspace

Sep 16

Sep 16 Get in the Right Mindset with the Help of Headspace

If you are someone like me, you might be skeptical about meditation. Before trying out Headspace, which guides you through daily, secular meditation sequences, I scoffed at the idea of meditation. In fact, one of my fraternity brothers who recently graduated (re: Nothing Matters on Instagram), was the first person to introduce me to the idea of meditation. The thing that made it more difficult to start this practice was the fact that he and I were completely different people when it came to the foundational principles of life and existence. I quite honestly did not want to be entangled in his (what I previously thought was) silliness. I needed to examine myself to find that this silliness was in fact completely functional and beneficial; not silly at all.

I have always been someone who has faced a large amount of anxiety and stress. You might call me a type-A personality. I am intense and even a little bit nutty. I used to rely solely on exercise in the gym and on running paths to reset my mind and reduce the stresses of life. I am the prime example of someone who would benefit from this app (any UChicago student in fact).

After completing Spring finals just months ago, I came home with a deep need to detox and find peace after a hard academic year. One morning, I was reading an article in the Wall Street Journal about a Google executive who began meditating for twenty minutes a day via Headspace. My curiosity grew and I did some research about the app. I found that everyone from professional athletes to Wall Street bankers (don't laugh!) to late-night hosts practice meditating. Headspace provides a service (meditation) that has been practiced and tested over hundreds of years. Meditation has also been studied over and over and over again by scientists looking for the psychological and biological effects of meditation. Meditation helps you understand and manage your thoughts and feelings. Through mindfulness (synonymous with awareness), meditation reduces stress, makes you feel happier, makes you more compassionate, helps you perform under pressure and has countless other affects. It is a tool that therapeutically affects almost every moment of every day.

For that reason, I downloaded the app and began my free trial. It ended too soon. After just 10 days, I actually felt great! I annoyed my parents, siblings and co-workers with how much I praised the app. But it is true, this app actually is great. I was motivated to continue my practice and purchased membership. Now, after a summer of daily meditation before bed (my choice), my life is way more manageable (I have had a very busy summer). I intend to continue my meditative practices throughout the school year... and you should too! Or at lease check it out, that way I won't annoy you about it!