The benefits of meditation and how to create this new habit

Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated? – David M. Bader

Sometimes our thoughts just wander to the past or in the future. It is not a bad thing at all because the past belongs to us and made us to the person we are today, and so does the future play an important role in our life. What I mean is that we tend do too many things simultaneously without paying fully attention to the here and now. How often have you found yourself scrolling nonstop through your Social Media channels without even realizing that you were wasting your precious time? Been there, done that. (maybe still there…)

In my previous posts I talked about the minimalism lifestyle where I highlighted that you should make space for things that really matters. Besides that, you should also remove distractions to be more present in the moment.

I am pretty sure you have already come across the term meditation. For most of you it might still be something abstract like sitting in a cross-legged position and having a spiritual and religious interaction with yourself. Actually meditation is not about becoming a better person, escaping your problems and duties and emptying your mind completly. It’s more a tool to experience the present moment and to have a clearer understanding of your thoughts and feelings.
Today people recognize more and more the advantages of this long-standing technique. Not only scientists have found out the benefits of regularly meditating, also many famous and successful people are swearing by it. Just to name a few: actress Jennifer Aniston, talk show host Oprah Winfrey or Jack Dorsey CEO of Twitter.

In the video below I summed up my personal favorite benefits of meditating:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6PPJVEZtNg

Source for the video content : https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation

Building a habit

Before starting with meditation, you need to understand how to build a new habit because it is crucial to have longterm benefits for your health and life in general.

Make it so easy you can’t say no – Leo Babauta

You need to implement a habit which is easy enough and for which you do not need tons of motivation. Avoid jumping into a 10-minute meditation right away and instead try to start with 1-2 minutes per day only. If you start with too much commitment in the beginning you are more likely to give up quickly.

Remember that you don’t need to be a professional from the start and it might not work out as you have imagined at first. The goal is consistency to gradually improve your meditation skill step by step (more about that below). Moreover meditation is like going to the gym, noticeable results will be shown after a longer period of practice – stay patient!

Another tip to stick to your meditation journey consistently, incorporate your new habit into daily repeated habits.

For example you could say something like:

“After waking up in the morning, I will do a meditation session.”

Of course, you don’t have to meditate in the morning. It can also be in or after your lunch break or before going to bed or at any other time – chose a timing which is best suitable for you.

There can always be days where you just don’t feel like meditating or your get distracted because unexpected things come in your way. This is totally human, and you shouldn’t stress yourself over it and more accept that those days exist too.

What you can do instead is to think about it in advance and have an action plan in mind for those low-motivation moments. To get back on track each day create micro-commitments and focus more on small wins. For instance you can go one step back and reduce your meditation time again to make it fit into your schedule.
Everything is better than not doing it at all, right?

Next step? – My favorite meditation apps

As now having learned how to build the habit – where and how shall I start?

As a beginner I would highly recommend to start with a mobile application. Your phone is the gadget you take with you wherever you go, so you have the advantage to practice meditation everywhere and at every-time.

My first meditation app was Headspace. It is a great app and very easy to use if you are new to meditating. You can start with easy and short basic guided meditations to learn the fundamental techniques of meditation. In addition to a variety of meditations you can explore for example areas like sleep, move, focus at work or performance mindset. I personally love the calming and relaxing voice of the male speaker. What’s cool is that for some courses you can choose between a male or female narrator.
The app can be downloaded and also many courses can be listened to for free. However, to get access to the full library you can choose between a monthly or an annually subscription fee.

I just recently discovered the app Smiling Mind which is a free non-profit app. Their mission is to give everyone the possibility to practice mindfulness. The app is nicely structured including different programs you can chose from. The programs are designed to support you to manage the pressures and challenges of the busy and modern lives. In addition, you can track your meditation progress in the dashboard. During the current crisis they have implemented an additional program to stay psychologically and mentally healthy while spending lots of time at home.

Maybe next time before watching brainless TV or scrolling through your Insta Feed – use your valuable time for things like:

• Start journaling and write down your thoughts, emotions, future plan or what ever is on your mind (How to start writing a Bullet Journal check out Veronicas blog)
• Treat yourself and take a hot bath with some relaxing music (trust me this works like magic)
• Start with a yoga or stretching beginner session –> I highly recommend Yoga with Adriene

I am intrigued to hear from you if you have ever tried out meditating? If so what is your experience with it?

Let me know in the comment section below if there is anything else you like to hear about this topic.

Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash