WEBVTT - A Lifelong Tool

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<v Speaker 1>Stay Calm as a production of I Heart Radio. Hi.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Bob Roth, and I've been teaching people to meditate

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<v Speaker 1>for fifty years, helping them to stay calm under pressure,

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<v Speaker 1>reboot and re energize their lives, and basically be a happier,

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<v Speaker 1>healthier version of themselves. And now I want to help

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<v Speaker 1>you do the same. Welcome to Stay Calm, your daily

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<v Speaker 1>dose of calmness. Every weekday morning, I'll share a meditation story,

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<v Speaker 1>offer a simple practical tip about how you or a

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<v Speaker 1>loved one can stay a bit calmer in your life,

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<v Speaker 1>and then we'll end each episode together with a moment

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<v Speaker 1>of gratitude. My hope is that I can share what

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<v Speaker 1>I know to anyone who needs it. Ready, sit comfortably,

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<v Speaker 1>take a few deep breaths, and let's begin today's journey.

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<v Speaker 1>It's tough being an adult these days, but it's so

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<v Speaker 1>much tougher being a kid. Kids don't have the cognitive

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<v Speaker 1>capacity to deal with such intense levels of stress and anxiety.

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<v Speaker 1>If a child doesn't have a strong family or a

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<v Speaker 1>community support system, very tough for that kid to survive.

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<v Speaker 1>And even when they have that support system, there's a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of problems. Got me thinking about a young man

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<v Speaker 1>named Teddy. Teddy was twelve years old. I had taught

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<v Speaker 1>his mom to meditate because she had serious anxiety issues

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<v Speaker 1>and it helped her a lot, so she thought, well,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe it will help my son. Teddy was diagnosed with

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<v Speaker 1>something called twice exceptional. To e Teddy was exceptionally intelligent verbally.

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<v Speaker 1>When he was ten years old, published a book and

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<v Speaker 1>won a national poetry competition. But twice exceptional also means

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<v Speaker 1>exceptionally anxious, depressed. A week or so before Joanna brought

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<v Speaker 1>Teddy and for me to teach him to meditate, Teddy

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<v Speaker 1>had sent a letter to his parents saying he didn't

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<v Speaker 1>think there was any reason for him to live anymore,

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<v Speaker 1>that nobody would miss him. One of the problems with

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<v Speaker 1>twice exceptional kids is that there's an uneven brain development.

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<v Speaker 1>One part of the brain for cognitive capacity hugely developed,

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<v Speaker 1>and yet other areas of the brain slow development. And

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<v Speaker 1>that's what breeds that insecurity, that self doubt. I taught

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<v Speaker 1>Teddy to meditate, and he just took to it, and

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<v Speaker 1>right from the beginning he meditated fifteen minutes in the

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<v Speaker 1>morning and fifteen minutes in the afternoon regularly. Now, let's

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<v Speaker 1>fast forward to today. Teddy sent me an email quote.

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<v Speaker 1>Up until my first experience with transcendental meditation, the only

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<v Speaker 1>rest I knew was sleep. Then I learned to meditate,

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<v Speaker 1>and after a few minutes of closing my eyes and

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<v Speaker 1>repeating my mantra, something that I thought was too simple

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<v Speaker 1>to actually work, it hit me the sensation that has

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<v Speaker 1>been dubbed transcending. It wasn't like falling asleep, but rather

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<v Speaker 1>it was like waking up to a well of untapped

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<v Speaker 1>strength and energy, only it didn't require any effort. Although

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<v Speaker 1>the feeling is indescribable, the results I have experienced are

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<v Speaker 1>very real. I'm not nearly as tired as before. I

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<v Speaker 1>feel like I could tackle anything and emerge victorious. This

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<v Speaker 1>isn't some pill or drug that wears off. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>lifelong tool. The takeaway here is why did Teddy learn

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<v Speaker 1>to meditate? Because his mother learned to meditate, and Teddy

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<v Speaker 1>saw an example that his mother was taking time out

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<v Speaker 1>of her busy schedule and taking care of herself, and

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<v Speaker 1>Teddy saw her being calmer and happier. So my message

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<v Speaker 1>to parents and grandparents is we have to practice what

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<v Speaker 1>we preach if we want our children to be healthy, happy, successful,

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<v Speaker 1>to not overreact to small things. We have to be

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<v Speaker 1>a model of that. We have to be on a

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<v Speaker 1>good routine, go to bed on time, eat well, manage

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<v Speaker 1>our stress. We do all those things, is our child

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<v Speaker 1>going to notice? Doesn't matter because your child is taking

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<v Speaker 1>it in learning. And I can't tell you the number

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<v Speaker 1>of times that young people, young adults have told me

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<v Speaker 1>when they learned to meditate. You know, my mom or

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<v Speaker 1>my dad or my parents meditated, and I really wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>interested in it as a kid, but it put the

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<v Speaker 1>thought in the back of my mind, and I'm really

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<v Speaker 1>glad I learned. I'm going to leave you with a

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<v Speaker 1>wonderful quote from the great doctor, humanitarian and Nobel Peace

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<v Speaker 1>Prize winner Albert Schweitzer. At times are light goes out

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<v Speaker 1>and is rekindled by a spark from another person, each

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<v Speaker 1>of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of

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<v Speaker 1>those who have lighted the flame within us. All right,

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<v Speaker 1>let's end this time together doing something that I think

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<v Speaker 1>would be a feature of our everyday life, and that's

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<v Speaker 1>appreciation and gratitude. So let's take thirty seconds of quiet,

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<v Speaker 1>thirty seconds to take a break, Just take a moment

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<v Speaker 1>it turns out when we do that, it's good for

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<v Speaker 1>our health as well. I'll be right back all right.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for joining. This is Bob Roth. Keep calm.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening today. I hope you heard something that inspires,

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<v Speaker 1>that uplifts you and that you can incorporate into your

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<v Speaker 1>own life. Until next time, remember, meditate, be kind, and

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<v Speaker 1>be true to yourself. Hey, all of you out there,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your stories, your questions, or anything else on your mind.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>meditation Bob. You can also send me an email at

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<v Speaker 1>meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com. I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to hearing from you.