The mind-blowiest thing meditation has taught me

I started meditating for my health. I didn't expect it to change how I approach everything.

Last winter, I was diagnosed with elevated blood pressure. This came as a shock because I had zero symptoms, I’m generally healthy, eat pretty well, and am active. But I also have a family history of hypertension and a nasty psychological hangover from the events of the last few years.

The diagnosis probably shouldn’t have surprised me. Few of us have emerged from these years unscathed.

I decided to attack the problem from a few different angles:

• I started taking blood pressure medication.

• I began treatment for anxiety.

• I committed to learning about meditation.

My therapist suggested meditation training called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). I found an eight-week class and signed up that same week.

(This is new behavior for me. When scary things show up like medical stuff or official-looking envelopes in the mail, I have a bad habit of avoiding them. Part of Operation Become a Real Grownup involves facing problems and taking action.)

Meditation isn’t what I expected

Spiritual comm…