In our current situation where anxiety-causing Covid-19 shows no signs of dissolving, peace truly is a rare gem to be found. Days spent in Quarantine has allowed me to spend a rather excessive amount pondering over the time I spent at school before our yr11 group became the Class of Covid-19. While being in full-time education seems to be a distant memory, the mindfulness, and meditation elective at Newstead Wood School has paved the path for me. Suddenly, I find myself eagerly entering the wonderful world of Headspace.
Headspace, one of the world's leading mindfulness and meditation apps has been quick to pass on its knowledge throughout the world. NHS doctors are being recommended the app in order to aid relaxation as their stressful jobs continue and mental health charities and organizations are spreading news of Headspace's great qualities in the hope that people find peace in our situation that is brimming with anxiety.
While at school and in the elective, my meditation class followed the 10-week meditation plan crafted by Andy Puddicombe, co-founder of Headspace. Every week we would begin the class with a new 15-minute Headspace meditation session, though after downloading the app, I have learnt that you can vary your meditation times and sessions ranging from 5 to 45 minutes. I currently use the free version of the app every day but have found that for a small fee of £9.99 a month (or £49.99 a year), Headspace has ample resources. Ranging from different headers such as 'The wake up', 'Move', 'Sleep' and 'Meditation', each section has a huge variety of activities. Personally, I find the 45-min sleep casts before bed perfect for relaxing and avoiding nightmares or disturbed sleep. My favorite sleep-cast involves an antique shop, where a soothing voice tells me stories about the items, and the 2nd person narrative allows one to fully immerse themselves into the story.
I have found that daily meditation allows better focus for daily tasks and I find myself more at peace even with the news commenting on the chaos continually. An NHS doctor, who had been working on the frontline until she herself caught Covid-19 told me 'Headspace was a necessity in my recovery from the virus'. She explained that mental exhaustion and fear gained from the situation affect a person internally but the meditations allowed some peace while she was sick - allowing her to reflect and calm herself even in her situation. While she has now recovered and is back to working hard at the hospital, she urges anyone and everyone to make use of the app.
Puddicombe himself explains “Meditation can’t change what’s happening around us, or to us, but what it can do is profoundly change our relationship with the experience,”. Therefore, I urge others who may be suffering from anxious thoughts or simply looking for a peace-filled getaway, use Headspace, and 'focus on the Orange Dot'.
