Meditate - Why And How It Helps
Meditation has been part of my life now since March 2020 after I came back from my travels to South-East Asia. I said I would give meditation a chance during the first lockdown and every day for four months, I was able to build up a habit and meditation was part of my daily morning routine. I found meditating helps to deal with managing anxiety, worries and relieving stress. Meditation helps the mind to remain in the present moment and not let the mind drift to the past or future.
Some people I have spoken to have described meditation as difficult, time-consuming and pointless. I did have doubts about meditation at first wondering what can be gained sitting in a quiet room for ten minutes and closing my eyes. I found meditation to be helpful as I am more aware in how I am feeling and provides me with focus for the day ahead. I would usually only meditate for 10-15 minutes in the morning. The longest I have meditated was for 60 minutes. I would set a timer for how long I would meditate that day. I would also meditate before I give a coaching session or start writing.
I have listed below different ways that I meditate that allow me to be present which are:
1. Sitting in a quiet room with my eyes closed.
2. Reading
3. Journaling
4. Walking
5. Body scan
Some tips to help with your meditation are:
1. Set a side part of your day. I would suggest first thing in the morning.
2. For how long? A good timeframe would be 10-15 minutes.
3. Have a set place to meditate.
4. Avoid social media and watching television before you meditate as this will clutter and distract your mind.
5. Some days will be easier to mediate than others. Thoughts will come to mind, acknowledge those thoughts, don’t fight them if they trigger a negative emotion and then let those thoughts go. Put your focus back onto your breathing and start where you left off.
Meditation can be a small part of your day that can make a significant difference to your life in how you feel and how you approach your day. Give it a try and after a couple of days you will notice the positive impact it is having on you.
