Man Helps People Meditate Without Meditating — 'You Cracked The Code For Us ADHD People'
Staying present and calm isn't easy, but one man helps people meditate without them even noticing.
Isaac Burke via Unsplash / Sparklestroke and Alex Gontar via Canva A TikTok creator who goes by the username @TheMentalLevel believes his content will “transform and elevate your mind and emotions,” and he might be right. He recently posted a video that he claims is a life hack for learning how to meditate.
The video helps people learn how to meditate without meditating.
For some people, certain meditation techniques can have a counterproductive effect, feeling more uncomfortable than anything else.
"The reason most meditators and practitioners of mindfulness struggle is because they have a faulty assumption about the central objective of the entire endeavor," wrote David Gerken, a mindfulness and meditation teacher, in an article published on Medium. "Specifically, they believe that it’s all about slowing down or even stopping their thoughts, which, if done successfully will produce sublime inner calm." He explained that when people feel like they can't adequately stop their thoughts, they give up.
To help those who feel as though they can't meditate bypass those feelings of failure, @TheMentalLevel's TikTok tricks people into completing a guided meditation that feels like anything but.
“You say you can’t meditate, but have you ever noticed how the front of your teeth can get dry sometimes? And that you can actually smell the inside of your nose?” he starts.
He continued, explaining that “there’s actually a buzzing in your fingertips if you pay attention to them? Don’t look at them, just feel them. Notice how you can feel the buzzing sensation and vibration in your hands and fingers.”
“Notice how you can hear the sounds in the room around you as you feel your hands and fingers at the same time,” he said. “And notice how you can see the whole field of vision, without taking your eyes off your phone, you can see everything in your peripheral, without even trying too hard, as you hear the sounds, as you feel your hands.”
"Stay with the details another moment," he said. "Stay locked in and focused."
He urged his followers to pay attention to the sensations around them, staying focused on, “hands, sounds, whole field of vision.”
“Take a deep breath in,” he stated. “Relax the muscles on the way out. Notice how you feel — you just meditated. Great job.”
The man's guidance is helpful for people who struggle to stay in the moment by breaking meditation down into small, actionable tasks.
His post on meditating without meditating garnered over 6 million views, showing just how high the demand is for content focused on bettering one’s mental health. As the top comment exclaimed, “You cracked the code for us ADHD people.”
Another person noted in the comments that the techniques the man guided followers through “also works for folks who have panic attacks.”
Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels
According to an article from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “the term ‘meditation’ refers to a variety of practices that focus on mind and body integration and are used to calm the mind and enhance overall well-being.” The article mentions various meditation techniques and practices, including “the practice of mindfulness, which involves maintaining attention or awareness on the present moment without making judgments.”
A piece published in Psychology Today expands on this practice, stating that mindfulness requires two key components: awareness and acceptance.
The article claims that “Awareness is the knowledge and ability to focus attention on one’s inner processes and experiences, such as the experience of the present moment. Acceptance is the ability to observe and accept — rather than judge or avoid — those streams of thought.”
The man’s guide to meditation without meditating seems to incorporate the technique of focusing on grounding details, paying attention to your body’s physical sensation, and as a result, helping people stay truly present in their current moment.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers mental health, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.