Short fuses and impatience has been common place in my life for…well…ever really.

About ten years ago, it came to pass that what was an initial impatience became a quite serious jump into all out frustration and yes I hate to say it but total irrational losing it like a crazy lady.

This, coupled with developing crippling anxiety and stress at the ripe old age of twenty six, all came to a bit of a climax during, what is kindly referred to by myself and my fella as ‘Black February’.

Seriously as fun as it sounds (Bruce Willis would have headlined should it have been a film).

In short I’d lost my shit and was in serious trouble.

So imagine my little ‘I’m-actually-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time-maybe-I-should-listen’ radar went off when I found out that Andy Puddicombe – founder of Headspace would be a speaker at a festival I was going to (the Do Lectures)

I’d heard of Headspace before and had even downloaded the app (that obviously means I should get the benefits by iPhone osmosis no?) However never actually had found those 10 minutes to stop, until about two years ago.

When, and get this….it was when I recommended to a friend that she should try it because she felt like she was losing her shit on a regular basis and couldn’t calm down. Ah…I can certainly dish out the good advice…

So, time to put the mind where the mouth was and Take 10 for 10 days.

It was the best spent 10 minutes. EVER.

There was a definite ‘No shit Sherlock’ moment when I realised that BECAUSE I was short tempered, irrational, anxious occasionally, and had a fish-like memory,  that meditation was EXACTLY what I needed.

Now I will admit that I am partial to a bit of incense every now and then and don’t have an issue with chanting or getting in touch with my chakra’s however I know plenty of people who do and this is what makes Headspace so truly magic.

There are no bells or chanting, you don’t have to be able to sit in a lotus position, hell you don’t even have to sit on the floor. It’s simply Mr Puddicombe talking you through what to focus on; your breath – something we ALL HAVE TO DO all the time anyway to stay alive.

Brill.

I am proud to say that I have taken 10, I have taken 15, hell I’ve even taken 20 and am now further into the plethora of series on offer,  and it has sincerely changed my life.

Sure I still get annoyed, however I know now that it will pass, that it’s just a thought or a feeling, that everyone has them and that’s OK and to simply LET IT GO.

So if you have a spare two minutes – download the app and give it a go. Isn’t it time you got some head space?

Have you ever tried meditation? What do you think?

TCTC,

Jo x