Earlier this month I reached 1000 days of consecutive meditation! Since last year, I’ve been promising you all a new post about meditation so I finally took the time to type up this blog post for you all who may be interested in starting a regular meditation practice.
I first started meditation as a way to calm down my stress. I’m a very anxious person and used to get panic attacks when I worked a stressful job so I started incorporating deep breathing exercises to help calm down my nervous system. Eventually, I made it one of my New Year’s resolutions to meditate more which eventually led to a daily meditation practice.
I started by only meditating for 3-5 minutes in the morning to start my day but my sessions range depending on what’s going on in my day and life at the moment, I aim for a 15-minute meditation practice. There have been times where I doubled my timing but to me, meditation isn’t about how long I can meditate but how much I can connect and better myself.
I also wanted to be very transparent. Even though I reached this milestone of non-stop meditation, a part of me doesn’t feel like I earned it because, since late last year, I’ve been struggling to concentrate on my meditation sessions. Yes, even after 1000 days I still have days where I fail to concentrate. With everything going on in the world, it can be easy to be overwhelmed and not shut off my mind. I’ll explain how I manage this struggle and what helps me when I’m feeling defeated later in the post.
ELEVATE YOUR MEDITATION
Work in some aromatherapy
Pleasant smells can lift the mood (I’ve written a post on aromatherapy too) so try pairing your meditation practice with some relaxing or energizing aromas. Light a relaxing candle or incense, turn on an essential oil diffuser, mist a room spray, or open a window to let in some natural smells. When I light some incense during my meditation sessions I always find it extra indulgent and calming.
Habit stacking
I mentioned in my yoga and meditation post that combining the two hits helped me crave more time with each of them. Habit tracking is the process of attaching a new habit to one that you already partake in. For example, if you struggle to make up your bed in the morning you can make it as soon as you get up and follow up with getting dressed first thing or vice-versa. If you’re trying to make meditation a regular habit you can incorporate a quick meditation session before you get out of bed (sit up in your bed so you don’t fall back asleep!) or after you work out, this is what I do.
Create a relaxing environment
Find a comfortable spot in your home, put on some relaxing music in the background (This YouTube channel has a lot of great options), and set a timer on your phone or download the Insight Timer app which is my preferred way to track my mediations. It’s a free app that doesn’t charge you anything, plus they have a lot of free guided-medations, sound baths, and more! No, I’m not sponsored by them but just love that they are a free mediation resource and highly recommend them!
Don’t be afraid to scale back
As I mentioned, I’ve been having a rough time concentrating in my meditation practices lately. So, what’s my answer? To pull back. Yes, I’ve cut back on my time by a few minutes because it just felt like my brain was clouded by too many lingering thoughts so I scaled back on my timing by a few minutes and found this helped me focus on my breathing because I knew that I only had a limited time. Another thing I do when I can’t focus in my sessions is to do a guided meditation. Sometimes hearing someone else guide me helps take my mind off whatever is worrying me at the moment.
And, if neither one of these tips help you concentrate on your meditations then you may want to take a break for a couple of days. There is no shame in taking rests in between trying to form a new habit. If it’s meant for you, it will call to you.
Do you meditate? Are you interested in starting a meditation practice?
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