Most of us have had at least one bad relationship and many of us have had several. It’s easy to fall into the blame game when you’ve experienced a repeated pattern of poor relationships. We blame our parents, our previous partners, even ourselves. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Science is discovering, everyday, just how much we can actively change our old patterns through meditation. Even when we have a long history of bad relationships or nightmare dating experiences, we can rewire our brains and heal the damage done so we can go on to have rewarding and mindful partnerships. Neurosculpting® is a fantastic way to do just that.
Meditation doesn’t just help the romantically unlucky, though. Even if you’re currently in a good relationship, you may find that your personal meditation practice will help you resolve fights faster, make better decisions, and remain present when you’re spending time with your partner.
Here are five ways that meditation can help improve your relationship:
You Learn to Respond, Rather than React
There’s a difference between an automatic, stress-filled reaction and a mindful response. Think of the last time your partner pushed your buttons—partners are very adept at this sort of thing. How did you react? Did you explode? Did you start calling that person names or start hating on yourself a little bit? That’s a stress-fueled reaction.
Couples who are dissatisfied with a part of their relationship sometimes cite separate activities and hobbies as a reason for a gulf between partners. Meditation is something that partners can do together. If you’re a couple who enjoy trying new things, pop into a Neurosculpting® class for date night. You’ll learn about yourself and you may find that you’ll enjoy talking about your shared experience over tea or a bottle of wine afterwards. Couples who meditate together often find it to be a bonding experience that brings them closer to one another. Who doesn’t want that?
You Learn How To Be In The Moment
When you are present and living in the moment—rather than rehashing the past or obsessing over the future—you can give more to your relationship. Many of the cues given during Neurosculpting® meditations are focused on bringing you back to the present time. Tapping with your non-dominant hand, focusing on the breath, tuning into the body—there are multiple reasons for these actions during Neurosculpting® meditations, not the least of which is that they bring you back into the here and now.
Your partner wants you to be right here, right now with them. When they’re telling you about their day, they want you to be tuned into what they’re saying. As you develop a pattern of coming back to the moment through a regular meditation practice, you’ll notice when your thoughts wander during conversations at the dinner table. Bring those thoughts back to the moment—even with a conscious, albeit silent, reminder to yourself—and your partner will notice. You may even notice that they mirror the behavior and become more present for you as well.
Understand Yourself; Understand Your Partner
The more you learn about yourself through meditation, the more you learn about the world around you. In many meditation practices, including Neurosculpting®, the meditator is encouraged to notice the body and the mind. This expanded awareness and practiced self-reflection follow you into your everyday activities, including exchanges with your partner.
When you have practiced observing yourself and have explored your emotional connections to certain words, memories, or actions, then you might begin to notice your partner’s triggers too. Understanding him or her better helps you avoid unnecessary conflict. Bonus: When they ask you what you want, your heightened self-awareness will help you communicate your wants and needs better so you can get what you want out of your relationship.
Leave Fear Behind
We all have baggage and we bring it with us to our relationships. Often that baggage is stacked onto a luggage cart built from fear. It’s heavy, but we insist on pushing that cart from one relationship to another, adding a bag here and there along the way. Your relationship fears may include anything from not wanting him or her to see you naked with the light on, to fears that he or she will grow bored and wander off because you’ve experienced something similar in the past.
One of the best ways to use Neurosculpting® is in the pursuit of overcoming fears. In fact, there’s a class that specifically addresses fear and our stories around it. The class focuses on releasing fear and giving yourself what you need to overcome it in the future, and students report that it’s incredibly healing. When you learn how to see fear differently through practiced meditations, you will be able to leave that fear-based baggage behind.
Whether you’re new to meditation or you’ve been doing it for years, Neurosculpting® offers a new way to navigate everyday life by teaching you the science behind why your brain responds to stress like it does. In addition to the healing meditations, there’s also tips and tricks given in every class designed to help you come back into the moment, consider why you’re stressed out, and live more intentionally. What relationship couldn’t use a bit more of that?
Megan Winkler
Open, friendly, and compassionate, Megan Winkler is inspired to make the world a better place. In 2013, she began studying Neurosculpting®, a brain-based approach to healing through the union of meditation and neuroscience. She found that it settled her mind and helped her manage stress in life-changing ways. In 2014, she completed her Tier 1 certification with the Neurosculpting® Institute. As a meditation instructor, Megan provides a safe, comfortable environment in which students of all ages—eight to 108—can unlock their innate ability to experience change and healing in their own lives. She currently serves as the Neurosculpting® Institute’s Editorial Coordinator and Youth Program Co-Developer. She also holds a certification in Nutritional Therapy and regularly integrates nutritional suggestions into classes. When she’s not teaching in person or online, Megan can be found working on her tiny home project with partner Mike and her daughter, singing karaoke, or working on her latest novel. Website: www.thebrainybabe.com
