Yay! New Year’s here. The time of year where we all set for ourselves, a varying array of resolutions hoping that with this brand new year we will become something more than what we were last year. Hoping to give ourselves a whole new start with some newly found habits be it eating healthier food or procrastinating less.

But we have been through enough new years to realize that none of these new found habits are there to stay. For some these resolutions remain only in thoughts and may never see the light of the day. I too am no saint and have had a fair share of my resolutions lost in oblivion. I too get caught in this vicious cycle time and again despite knowing the reality of it all.

But the story I am about to tell you is not that of New Year. In fact, it was that of a month before. I have not discovered the truth about eternal life nor have I uncovered the greatest mystery of all time. But what I am about to share with you might just be what you needed your whole life.

So it was November 27th, a few days after my friend’s birthday. Now I know I am not the best person in the world when it comes to remembering dates but I don’t usually forget a friend’s birthday. And that would have been the case if I was in the right state of mind at that time.

Just so it happened that a few weeks back I had given my exams. Now don’t get me wrong I am no one complain that exams are hard and I was under a lot of stress. But as I said it was after the exams and I don’t brood over past exams.
But to make my life more miserable than it already was the head examiner informed me that one of my papers were missing. At first, he was accusing me of not having attended the exam but after going through the attendance it became clear that it was in no way my fault.

At this point, you might say what's the big deal just take a re-exam. That would have is the normal thing to say except the fact that you are not aware of my college's rules. Before this incident neither was I.

As the exam questions are made by externals and the paper itself is check by another college under our university so just for one guy no way in hell they would just conduct another exam. Believe me when I say that I tried all that was in my power to convince them to make an exception. The head examiner said that all that was left for me was to wait 6 months for the retest with another batch.

I WAS DEVASTATED.6 months lag? What the hell does that mean? I did not do anything wrong. So, why was this happening to me? This meant that I would have to resume classes with another batch, leave all my friends and would pass out late from my college.

Yes, it was a tough thought and knowing that I could do nothing to prevent this thought from becoming a reality was the worst part.That was what was eating at me at the back of my head. And because of all this, I forgot all about my friend's birthday. And yes, I am not a constant user of Facebook or a keeper of an updated calendar as you may have guessed. I forgot to buy him a gift and forgot to wish him.

And even when I met him the next day I was unaware why he was acting so differently. It was only after one of our friends mentioned it that I was hit a hammer on my head. This may not have been a literal hammer but the shock that was delivered was no lesser impact.

I immediately apologized but he did not seem to take note of it as well as I had hoped. Now, this would not have been a big deal if he was any other friend. He was one of my best buddies. And had planned a surprise party for me with all my friends at my last burden. I hope that enough to let you understand the gravity of the situation.I could feel the anger and the disappointment in his eyes even though he said nothing. And it was clear that he was avoiding me.

So there was that. To make matters worse amidst all the ruckus and sea of thoughts in my mind, I became so careless that I dropped my wallet god know where. My cards and some other things were now nowhere to be found.
Now, this was not the first time I had lost a wallet but with the added stress and the whole mess I was in it felt like the world was crashing down on me.I could not concentrate and I was constantly having bad thoughts. I will admit that I don’t handle stress so well and this time was no exception.

I needed clarity. A new perspective on how to deal with all this mess. So, I did what I do best, I googled ways to relieve stress to deal with stress and solve problems.There were many ideas but none too practical. And one of the ideas that were mentioned in almost all the pages was that of meditation.

I had tried meditation a few times before but never thought it was for me as I couldn't bear to stay still and force myself to concentrate.But I was out of options and thought maybe I had it all wrong and that there was a better way.

I search rigorously for ways to meditate as a beginner. There were tons of video on YouTube but most had a recurring theme.It was later that I stumbled on to this marvelous app after reading through Reddit threads.

Now I don’t think this is that much of a rare app and most probably of you may have already heard of it.

It was HEADSPACE.

But the yet still I decided to write this post as an account of my story and what changes this app helped bring to my life.

So for those who have not heard of this app before, it is a guided meditation app by. The author himself dictates the meditation session each lasting for 5 to 30 minutes. I choose the 10-minute session as I have a busy schedule and felt it was fine for a beginner.

The thing that separates this app form the vast majority of others is the approach. Unlike other conventional meditation techniques, Andy Puddicombe, the author brings forward the concept of a modern style which resonates well with the current generation.

He focuses more on letting the body and mind unfold rather than forcing the mind to concentrate on in point. Within a single session, there are several parts. Each having its own qualitative value and an adequate period of freedom in between so that you don’t feel bound by commands at any point.

After even one session if you follow the instructions properly you will feel that your mind is clearer than it has ever been. It is not a hard task to accomplish if someone such as me can do it.

I started doing these sessions on a daily basis and they would be an oasis of peace for me rather than a burden I had imposed on myself.Gradually I started to feel the clarity in my thoughts.

No, I had not learned of an amazing idea to get my papers back or find my missing wallet. But it helped get in peace with my thoughts. To look at them from a different perspective in a positive way. And that these things should not get the best of me.But the one problem I was, however, able to solve was that with my friend. After some clear thinking, I realize that something needed to be done.

I remembered that he had always mentioned going to Comic-Con. But till now this was only a lost memory. I found that a comic con was being held in a few days. I mailed him the two tickets one for him and the other for his brother who too was a mad fan.The next day I confronted him and he said that he was too excited for the Comic-Con and we were back being good friends.

So this new year why not try something entirely different. Daily meditation sounds tough but you might never really understand its absolute impact until you try it out for yourself!