The Side Effects of Meditation and You

Have you ever sat down under a tree, listening to the birds chirp, and just closed your eyes in a moment of peace? That is meditation - a peacefulness that grows inside of you without effort. Meditation is a state of relaxation where a person feels at one with the universe, God, and the connection between all living and non-living things. Many cultures and religions practice meditation in its many forms, from praying and reaching out to God to sitting in the lotus position and concentrating on a symbol or a chakra.

People meditate for many reasons. People in high stress jobs take 10 or 15 minutes a day to relax and meditate as a way to refocus on the work at hand and to relieve their work stress. Religious people will meditate to become one with God or to "know God." Becoming one with the universe and learning to sense the interconnectedness with all things is another common reason why people meditate. There are also people who practice magic. These people do what is called "armchair magic," and practice magic in their minds through a series of creative visualization and meditation. People also use mediation to heal themselves or others by sending healing vibrations or energies to the area that needs healing or to the person who has requested healing energies.

A common side effect of meditating is feeling spacey, slow, or "out of it" after the person ends her or his mediation session. If this happens to you, try a grounding technique after each meditation session. Quick grounding techniques include placing your hands on the ground and letting the haziness flow out through your hands and into the ground while pulling crisp energy from the ground to reenergize yourself. Another way to break out of the haze is to hold your hands under cool water and splash some cool water onto your face. You will also want to try different breathing techniques to avoid the spaciness altogether.

Meditating releases so much pent of energy and memories that some people find themselves crying uncontrollably after meditating. If this happens to you, do not feel embarrassed. In fact, let yourself have a good cry. Sometimes you will know what it is your are crying about. If this is the case, think about what has made you cry and find someone to talk to about it. If you don't know why you are crying, work through it. Perhaps you have been experiencing so much stress that your psyche is using crying as a release.

Like crying, sometimes a person might start feeling depressed after meditating. Something is bothering her or him. It is recommended that the person explore what the trouble or problem is. Find someone to talk to about it. Acknowledge the depression and find a way to work through it.

There are times when you may experience a feeling of pain when meditating. The pain can be anywhere, from your big toe to the top of your head. When this happens, acknowledge the pain, don't run from it. Focus on the pain and gently let it break apart and go away. Another way to acknowledge pain while meditating is to send a blue healing light to the area of pain. Blue is a healing color and it will help soothe away the pain.

When you open yourself up to God, the universe, or the super consciousness, you become more aware and sympathetic to the people around you. You begin to feel more and understand more. You also become more sensitive to people's actions and words. While empathy and sympathy are good traits, you must be prepared for people who will lash out at you and try to hurt you with their own moments of insensitivities. To avoid having yourself hurt by other people, you will need to learn to let go. For example, when I worked at the hospital, I had a patient who was in a serious car accident and, finding himself in a strange place, was scared. I felt sympathy for him, but he was understandably in a foul mood because of his fear and pain. He lashed out verbally at myself and the staff. Still feeling sympathy for the man, I let his angry words fall away from me. I did not take hold of the negativity, knowing that I would feel as he did if I were in his situation. Mediation makes you overly sensitive. The trick to dealing with it is to understand how to let go of the negativities that you face.

Anxiety, restlessness, procrastination, and aloofness are also known to be caused by meditation. If you feel anxiety or restless after meditating, practice a few yoga poses or simply take a walk. For those who suffer from procrastination or feel distant after meditating, taking walks are a helpful way to reenergize the body and get yourself moving again. Also, procrastination and aloofness are symptoms of avoidance. Think on what it is you are trying to avoid and learn to face the issue.