What is meditation?
I started meditation years ago, and it never really stuck with me. I did it off and on, and I really didn’t see the point. I mean, come on – sit still? I have 2 kids, a busy husband, a busy career, and you want me to sit still for 10 minutes a day? I should be drinking water, or doing dishes, or reading to my kids.
And if that is the attitude, I go into something with, you can image how well it went. I had friends who meditated, my husband meditated, but it just wasn’t for me. And now I realize that it just wasn’t for me …. At that time.
Fast forward 3 years, and I have a 167 day streak for meditation. I use Insight Timer, which is an app that has guided and non-guided meditations. This photo is from that app.
What does this mean? And how does meditation help me?
First off, I think you need to be ready to meditate. It can’t be because your coach told you to meditate, or because you think meditation is going to give you some great insight into your life. It just won’t if that’s all you are looking for.
Meditation for me has allowed my mind to slow down. It’s 10 to 30 minutes every day where I’m on my own. My thoughts are my own. My feelings are my own. I am not influenced by social media, or the news, or my kid’s reaction to a teacher at school, or any such thing.
It is just me in my thoughts. There is scientific proof that meditation does a certain number of things.
- It will help with your overall physical mental and emotional health
- It decreases stress
- It can help alleviate anxiety and depression
- It can help manage chronic pain
- It’s proven to improve sleep.
All of those things (which are very impactful) still weren’t enough to make me meditate when I didn’t want to.
Meditation comes from within. And once the noise on the outside is loud enough, the time to sit with yourself for 10, 20, 30 minutes a day will show itself. And you will be ready to do it.
There are times where my meditation is very short. I am just not feeling it some days.
I have literally done 5-minute meditations where I’ve looked at the clock 5 times. Those days will happen, and I give myself grace on those days.
Again, meditation is different for everyone.
Over the years, I’ve learned that for some people meditation is prayer, for others meditation is sitting in silence staring out the window at nature. I choose guided meditations, because I still have a hard time not letting my brain wander. Guided meditations help me with that.
I can’t tell you exactly where meditation has helped. And meditating one or two times probably didn’t help. For me, being consistent with meditating is where the real change is made.
Over the time I have been meditating, I have better relationships with my husband and kids, I have more clarity in my business, and I am starting to know myself better. And I think meditation has played a part in all of that. Is it the only factor? Probably not. But it is a factor. So now, when I look back to that first 7 minute meditation on Dec. 31, 2021 I always smile. Because I didn’t know what was to come of it.
167 days, going strong. Most of the time.