I thought meditation was RIDICULOUS. Why is meditation necessary? Who wants to sit still for such a long time thinking about nothing? I have more important things to do! I’m bored…. All thoughts I had regarding meditation in the past.

Now if you’ve been following me on social media or this blog for long, you may know that I suffered from post partum depression, which eventually turned into anxiety. It’s still something that I struggle with daily, but I’ve been able to find ways to cope, manage it and even allievate symptoms. I’m guessing if you are reading this… Chances are you aren’t really a mediator either, so maybe this can help shed some light on why I do it and the purpose and happiness it brings to my life!

I’ve always been grateful for my life, but how often did I actually think about it before meditation became a thing? Rarely. I would become consumed with the negative in my day because it felt easier to talk about. Problem was that all I really got from venting was more anger and an unrestful mind. Does that happen to you as well? One small thing sets you off and then you realize you’ve let it impact your entire day? That was me. Totally first world problems I know because let’s face it, my life has always been really, really good.

What my meditations do for me now is allow me to start my day in the best possible light. With optimism, strength and peace. I get to think about all the amazing things in my life that bring me gratitude and happiness, think about sharing it with those I love (and people I haven’t yet met) and visualizing everything I want from my life and where I see it going. Now I’m not an expert by any means and every day is completely different. Somedays I’m on point and focus like a champ and other days I keep my head in the game for a minute or two before it wanders off again. But you better believe those 2 minutes are still helping me remain more consistent, calm and patient.

The best part is that you don’t need a complicated method or to be a certain type of person to meditate. You don’t need an elaborate breathing technique or an unpronounceable mantra to repeat. Truthfully, you just need to be consistent it’s doing it, patient with yourself and know that it doesn’t happen overnight. Even something as simple as a few deep breaths during a stressful moment can help calm one’s mind and make a situation clearer. What I do though, that I find truly amazing are guided meditations. Now everyone here is different and you may prefer one style of voice over another, but I’m a HUGE FAN of Tony Robbins. I find doing his meditation in the morning makes me focus more because of the sound of his voice. It brings me back when I start to drift. It has truly changed my life in so many ways and I still only consider myself a beginner.

The crazy thing is that there are so many benefits to daily meditation… But most of us don’t try it. We wear “busy” like a badge and prioritize everything else over our own mental health. We want things to happen easily for us. To be easily accessible. What do we do now during those moments of stress and overwhelm? Moments where we feel like it’s all too much? We pull out our phones!!! We no longer give our brain that space to relax and to just BE. With information at our fingertips all the time, we are losing our ability to just exist in the moment and process our thoughts.

HOW TO:

When you wake up tomorrow morning, just put your hands on your belly and breathe. It doesn’t have to be 15 minutes; just three to five minutes is a fine place to start. From there, continue practicing in whatever way works best for you. Like I said, guided meditations are my jam because I’ve always had a hard time focusing my mind! But your meditation time can be as simple as sitting in a chair, lying down, or going on a walk, while just focusing on your breath.

ITS BENEFITS:

Meditation is a good way to become more compassionate, patient and calm. It makes people much happier and more grateful by focusing on the good in our lives vs the bad. It will also help with negative self talk, which can be common. We all have this “inner mean voice” in our head that attacks our behaviors and can make us feel less than, inadequate, unworthy. But this is simply not true! We are all here for a reason and are worth everything our heart desires and our mind envisions.

When these negative thoughts pile up in you, they can be destructive. They make you reach for that donut, skip your workout, talk badly to yourself, get angry at your friend. The power of meditation can help you deal with those feelings. It can give you the ability to watch those negative thoughts float by you, unattached, and allow you to focus on your breath instead of your immediate reaction which chances are isn’t positive.

For me, I really enjoy the routine of a daily practice, but for you maybe it’s more important to apply it to your day-to-day life instead. Everyone is different so for you a 4 minute meditation might be enough, for someone else maybe 20 minutes is better? Beyond that, the goal is to learn exactly what you need and when you need it.

I’d love to hear from you. Do you meditate? If so, what has it done for you? If not, do you think you could benefit? And if you’ve made it this far and want to give it a try, I can send you the one I use religiously.

Happy meditating friends ❤️.