Ultimate Guide to Meditation In Real Life
We hear a lot about the benefits of meditating, and while the essence of meditation is focusing on your breath and slowing down to allow your mind to rest, that can feel terrifying, impossible and daunting. Our minds immediately go to thinking “I can’t possibly do that, I’ll never have time for a meditation practice.” We don’t live in a society that praises or encourages slowing down and it feels selfish & unnecessary to stop and take 3 minutes to sit in silence. That’s the myth I’m here to bust today!
We’ve had it all wrong, it’s not selfish to give yourself 3 minutes, it’s actually wrong not to. My favorite analogy is when a flight is ready to take off, and you’re told to put your air mask on before assisting others. I hate to admit this, but for years this made absolutely no sense to me. But then it clicked, I can’t help others if I don’t first take care myself. It’s impossible to give fully when you’re depleted, anxious and exhausted.
Together let’s go against the grain and fight the messages that tell you to go-go-go. Meditation can provide you a reset button in as little as 1 minute. We all have one minute to spare in our day, even Oprah, and if Oprah can make time I know you & I can. Today my hope is to empower you with understanding of how to meditate in real life, free of beautiful zen dens and silent spaces. No, this is real life, you can meditate in your car or between meetings or while your kids are at soccer practice. You can do this, you just need tools and an understanding to help give you the nudge to start. I’m a firm believer that our health is formed by baby steps, not big grand changes, nope it’s all the tiny micro changes you make and continue to build upon. One minute, not an hour, that one minute is will change your health for the better! Read on to find out how.
To start, let’s look at the top 5 benefits of meditating. The benefits are amazing, and will create excitement and breakdown the overwhelm. Here’s my favorite top 5 list of benefits shared from the Mayo Clinic:
Build skills to manage stress
Increase patience and tolerance
Reduce negative emotions
Improve sleep
Better self-awareness
I want to keep this short and to the point, but as a little sneak peek into future posts, I want to share that meditation can be beneficial in treating anxiety, depression, sleep issues, headaches and chronic pain. Stay tuned for a deep dive into this in the future.
Now you have a glimpse into how life can change if you meditate for a few minutes a day, but the problem remains, how do you actually do this? You’re busy, you run from place to place and the idea of pausing seems unrealistic. Here’s the deal, I have a young family, work full time, go to school and am building my own business. The juggle is real. I fought for years to find a way to make meditation doable, I wanted to make it a practice, but I never seemed to stick to it. I’d meditate every day for a week, then drop off the grid. It was all or nothing, and more often nothing. If this sounds familiar, let me share with you my tips for making meditation doable in our hectic lives.
Let go of expectations
It doesn’t have to look any certain way, or last a certain amount of time. No one else is looking at how you meditate, so focus on how it feels and release your expectations.
Find ways to couple meditation with other activities in your day
Do you have a commute to work? Great, there’s a set time you know you have dedicated time and could do mindful breathing. Do you have set meetings on your calendar? Block out 5 minutes to meditate before or after the meeting, so it becomes a habit to meditate, just as it is a habit to attend your meeting.
The key is you you don’t have to find new time in your day. By pairing your meditation with other routines I believe it helps create a sustainable practice.
Don’t be afraid to explore and be curious
Again, no one is watching! So what do you have to lose by trying different types of meditation and seeing what feels right for you? We’re all unique and will resonate with certain practices more than others.
Take advantage of technology
There’s an abundance of free resources at our fingertips in today’s age of technology. Apps, podcasts, spotify playlists and youtube, these are just a few areas to explore. If you’re at a loss, Google “meditation options,” your new favorite technique may be a keystroke away.
A this point we’ve broken down the overwhelm and unrealistic expectations around meditating so you can focus on the incredible benefits. I encourage you to find one minute in your day to hit pause. One minute to give slow down and simply listen to your breath flow in and out. It all starts with this foundation. Simple and accessible to everyone. Add a comment below to let me know where your free minute is going to come from in the day, I’m here to encourage you!
If you enjoyed this post, please check out “How to Reset with One Minute of Mindfulness” where I share four simple meditation techniques to try with as little as one minute’s time. Meditation practices that can literally be done anywhere, by anyone! Check it out, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.