Okay, so I had this big tennis match coming up, and I was a nervous wreck. I kept seeing this phrase “meditate ahead of a big tennis match crossword” pop up, and I was like, “What the heck does that even mean?” I figured it was some kind of hint to, well, meditate before the match. I’m no expert, but I decided to give it a shot.
My Pre-Match Meditation Experiment
First, I found a quiet spot in my house. That was harder than it sounds, with the kids running around and the dog barking at squirrels. Eventually, I locked myself in the bathroom. Not the most zen-like atmosphere, but it would have to do.
I sat down on the floor, closed my eyes, and tried to, you know, “clear my mind.” Easier said than done! My brain was a pinball machine of thoughts: “Did I pack enough water?” “What if I double-fault on match point?” “I really need to clean the grout in here…”
I tried to focus on my breathing, like I’d seen in some YouTube video. In… out… in… out… It kinda worked? I mean, I was still thinking about a million things, but I felt a little less like I was going to explode.
- Deep breaths: Definitely helped calm the jitters.
- Quiet space: Bathroom wasn’t ideal, but better than nothing.
- Distractions: My brain is a squirrel on caffeine. Working on that…
After about 10 minutes (which felt like an hour), I opened my eyes. Did I feel like a serene, tennis-playing Buddha? Nope. But I did feel a bit more grounded. Less like a frantic chicken and more like a… slightly less frantic chicken.
I went to the match, and guess what? I still felt nervous! But, and this is a big but, I felt like I could handle it better. I remembered to breathe, to focus on the present moment (most of the time), and to just play my game.
Did I win? That’s not really the point. The point is, I tried something new, something that seemed a little weird and “crossword-puzzle-clue-ish,” and it actually helped. Maybe that “meditate ahead of a big tennis match crossword” thing wasn’t so cryptic after all.
I Will keep at it. Maybe next time I’ll try a park bench instead of the bathroom. Baby steps, right?