Written by: Niesha Cory
Life can be pretty busy nowadays, where the days, weeks and months move so quickly in a blink of an eye. Where the walk of life can often have feelings of happiness and bliss, but can also bring in stress, fatigue and feeling like you are being pulled in numerous directions. And in these hectic moments, it can be hard to find a time to ourselves where we can pause and let go of the things that are currently happening in our lives. But one way that I have found to be able to release the negativity and allow stillness in my life is meditation.
Meditation is a great way for one to take time for self care that can help you boost your mental, physical and emotional health. With being able to improve one’s mood, manage stress, focus on being present in the moment and reduce negative emotions. As a therapist, I often hear from client’s on how hard it is for them to start meditating. If you are wanting to start mediating but are feeling a little hesitant about it, check out some of the tips below on how to get yourself started on your journey of meditation.
1. Have Realistic Expectations For Your Meditation Practice:
Be gentle and kind with yourself, when you are beginning you meditation practice. Like forming any habit, it takes time and these things might not go the way that you want right away. Make sure to go into each meditation practice with realistic expectations. A lot of people have the expectation that they are going to feel completely different after meditating. And sometimes that is true, while other times it is not. Just remember, the purpose of meditating is to be able to go inward and be able to get to know your body and mind a little bit better from where you started.
2. Start Off With Short Periods of Meditations:
Most people feel that they have to meditate for long periods of time in order to do it correctly. When it fact there is no specific way on how to meditate. Starting off when it comes to meditation might be difficult for some people to accomplish, especially if you are not used to sitting in stillness for that long. So start with short periods of meditations ranging from 5-10 minutes, that will help people you into meditating. As you get comfortable with the short meditations, you can then start to challenge yourself with longer meditations if you’d like.
3. Get Comfortable:
It can be pretty hard to try and decompress when you are wearing clothing that is not comfortable. So make sure that you are wearing clothes that are comfortable and cozy. After all, no one can concentrate on trying to calm their mind and body while wearing clothes that are uncomfortable. Also, when you are meditating make sure to find a posture that is the most comfortable for you. A lot of people suggest sitting in a upright, cross legged posture, but that does not work for everyone. Feel free to lay in your bed or on the couch or sitting in a chair twith back support with both feet on the ground.
4. Find Your Calm Place:
Meditation can be hard enough, without getting constantly interrupted. So you are going to want to make sure that you pick a place that brings you a sense of calm and peace. And feel free to add things to your space to bring in more relaxation. For example, you can add plants, scented candles or incense, and colored lighting to your space.
5. Use Meditation Apps:
Whether you are a beginner or have been doing meditating for years, meditation apps are a great way to help in your practice. Meditation apps provide thousands of meditations that range from solely soothing music to guided meditations. You can filter through meditations that fit your needs from helping you decrease anxiety and depression symptoms, stress management and increase ones self esteem. Feel free to check out Insight Timer and Calm App, that can help provide you relief during your stressful day to day life.
