One of the most effective routes to relaxation and a calm mind is meditation. The toll that stress can take on the body, especially when you’re in the middle of a divorce or other life altering events, is immense. It can disrupt your sleep, your immune system, make you more susceptible to illness, and even affect your skin health. So it’s important to take time out to care for your physical and mental health.
It can seem like meditation is a waste of time.
There’s just not enough time in the day to do it.
There’s too much to do.
I can’t sit and do nothing for hours
The good thing is – you don’t have to!
Even just 5 minutes of meditation each day can make a world of difference.
Start your journey with meditation with these helpful steps –
1. Use a Timer
This will stop you focusing on how long you’ve been meditating. Instead of peeking at the time on your phone screen or the clock hanging on the wall, allow yourself to focus on what you’re doing at this moment. This will also stop you from worrying about spending too much time meditating when you only have a short amount of time to do it.
2. Make sure you’re sitting comfortably
The most common position used in meditation is the cross-legged position on the ground. If you can’t sit on the ground, just sitting upright on a chair with your ankles in line with your knees is a generally comfortable position for meditation. Position yourself wherever is best for you.
3. Close your eyes
It’s said that closing your eyes can actually help you see better.
Although this is a pretty typical suggestion, it’s important to keep yourself away from the distractions of everyday life. It’s easy to get distracted by your surroundings, whether it be the laundry piling up in the corner, or the dishes sitting on your desk, they can easily stop you from getting into a meditative state.
Closing off your visual sense allows you to focus solely on yourself and what you’re doing.
However, many do still find comfort in keeping their eyes open for their meditation journey, so find out which one works best for you!
4. Don't beat yourself up if you find it hard
It can be difficult trying to empty your mind, especially when there’s so much around you occupying your thoughts. So instead of emptying your mind, fill your mind with what’s happening to your body right now.
Take a few slow deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth.
Breathe in for five seconds.
Hold for two seconds.
Breathe out for six seconds
Focus and feel each part of your body, starting from your toes. Slowly work your way up from your feet, to your legs, to your stomach and chest, then to your arms and hands. Focus on how they feel. What they are feeling. Take your time with each part.
Imagine the tension being released through each breath you take. Feel the stress leaving your body. Feel the tension melting away with each breath that you release.
If your mind wanders, that’s okay. It happens. Don’t be hard on yourself. Turn your thoughts slowly back to the present moment.
5. Create a Routine
The first few days are the hardest. You might find yourself making excuses not to meditate. You might feel unmotivated. It’s okay. Try to keep to your 5 minutes a day to ease yourself into the process. Whether it be just before you sleep, when you wake up, or during a work break in the middle of the day, get some time in for meditating.
Patience is part of the process. Soon it will become a regular part of your day, and you can slowly increase the time spent on it whenever you can. It will help you navigate your life with a calmer mind.
Over time this will become easier. Building a routine will help you fall into your meditative state quicker and bring your mind some much-needed peace.
Get started today with meditation and check out some of our other articles for your health! Let us know about your meditation journey in our forum and social media and share some tips that you use to help you get into your meditative state.
