According to Cathrine Pedersen, project manager, and instructor at Acem, “when people sign up for a meditation course, they are typically at a period in their life where they are under strain in some way or another.”

After holding administrative roles with the Postal Service, Cathrine Pedersen began studying educational institutions and the interactions between instructors and students. Meditation has aided me in daring to try out different approaches to problem-solving along the way.

She discovered meditation when she was 21 years old, in 1992. She spent more than ten years in various management roles at the Norwegian Postal Service before earning her Ph.D. and beginning her career as a researcher.

“The many activities of Acem have taught me to embrace my weaker sides. Being in touch with diverse aspects of yourself is the goal here rather than feeling sorry for yourself.

Things could occasionally come out of Cathrine in strange ways and a little undigested in her early 20s. Cathrine claims that meditation has made it easier for her to detect unpleasant feelings without allowing them to affect her interactions with others.

“It is now simpler for me to analyze my own responses before responding to the outside environment. Both as a leader and a researcher, it has benefited me.

Even this will pass.

She has learned how to manage her bad emotions through meditation.

When dealing with challenging events or tasks at work, it can be helpful to have the meditation experience on hand. You might think, “Okay, so that’s how things are today.” But that won’t always be the case. I’ll have a better understanding of what is difficult right now in a few days.

Cathrine has had feedback that she can be extremely clear but sympathetically as a manager of research initiatives as well as the Postal Service.

I collaborate with autonomous, highly skilled professionals as a project manager. You need to know when to intervene and when to let others make their own decisions.

Cathrine faced a hurdle when she was the Postal Service’s project manager for a sizable IT initiative.

“I wasn’t actually in charge of the human resources. But your job environment is impacted by your personal life, thus it was crucial for me to recognize this as a manager. My increased sensitivity through meditation enabled me to see things from several angles. It got simpler to avoid being overly constrained by my own viewpoint. I was able to alter my course as needed because of that.

Having already spent a chilly night out

Cathrine engaged in research for a while after earning a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Trondheim. When she began her Ph.D. studies in 2014, she later made a comeback to the industry.

The doctoral program was challenging. Although being a student had been a positive experience for me, after spending many years in the workforce, that muscle needed to be worked out. There was a change from needing to participate in daily meetings, lots of collaboration, and everything else that helps you stay on top of things during the course of a working day, to sitting there alone with just one meeting with a supervisor every two weeks.

It is a solitary and extremely taxing voyage, according to Cathrine.

“At the beginning of the endeavor, I felt like an “imposter” for a while. However, I had promised myself that if I decided the program wasn’t for me after a year, I could stop. It became difficult, but I decided to continue. I believe that meditation was a big assistance to me. Resilience, or the capacity to face challenges, is a skill that can be developed through meditation. You have the impression that you had previously spent a winter night outside.

Helping others

Cathrine’s motivation for going back to her studies was moral.

“I wanted to pursue something more health-related and to assist people. The goal of the PhD research was to inspire people to become more active. At the Postal Service, I worked with mailmen and drivers, who aren’t always given the chance to participate in organized physical activity.

Cathrine is currently involved in academic research.

“It is important to concentrate on improving how instructors, students, and principals experience school life on a daily basis.”

Cathrine’s role as an instructor in Acem allows her to put some of the same abilities into effect.

“When people enroll in a meditation course, they frequently are going through a stressful time in their lives. It is wonderful to meet people at that time and impart knowledge that will help them deal more effectively with their current circumstances. After taking an Acem meditation course, I frequently feel peaceful and inspired when I ride my bike home.

You can’t just remain motionless and hope for wisdom.

The change from working life to research life did not happen naturally. Cathrine believed she would have plenty of time to consider what she wanted to do with her life after having a kid and taking her first maternity leave.

“I believed that a prescient vision of the future would spontaneously materialize. But it wasn’t like that.” Cathrine was enmeshed in the numerous struggles and duties of daily life.

I’ve learned from meditation that you can’t just wait around till insight and knowledge strike you.

The recurrence of the meditation sound induces transformation during meditation. Cathrine makes a comparison to regular living.

“It’s necessary to challenge oneself physically and mentally. Consider applying for that position even if it isn’t quite right for you. Although it is calming and helpful for your mental health, meditation also teaches you that you must have the courage to take risks.

Cathrine thinks it’s important to allow for groping.

It’s simple to believe that if I stumble and groan right now, that says bad things about me.

Most people undoubtedly believe I’m insecure. However, the path forward also becomes more obvious if you have the courage to take a few steps without knowing where they would go. One crucial lesson I take away from the meditation process and apply to my entire life is to challenge yourself and dare to attempt.

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Interview by Jonas Meyer

Translated by Eirik Jensen