Your phone is ringing, your boss is calling, your kids are starving and you have no idea what’s for dinner. It suddenly feels like a Calgon moment. Stress and anxiety can be a constant for many of us. Sometimes those moments show up out of nowhere and you feel like you’re about to hit the wall (or pantry).
I have a simple solution and it doesn’t have undesirable side effects or add extra lbs.
Take a 5 minute break, grab your earphones, plant (or hide) yourself in a comfy spot, and hit play. It’s an easy 5-minute path to peace that can be yours at any moment. But here’s the catch, you may get addicted.
Meditation
Have you tried it yet? Taking time to quiet the mind may seem an impossible task when life gets crazy or unmanageable.
Grabbing an unhealthy snack from the pantry or sipping a glass of wine may seem to be the the easiest way to calm your nerves but what serves as a short-term fix until things calm down, can become a long term habit with disruptive side effects.
How about taking a leap of faith to try something new?
Meditation won’t take long to master and it can give you quick relief similar to what you get from your usual feel-good favorites. You know that comfort feeling you get when you enjoy something you love? It’s a rush of endorphins and neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine that makes us feel great, gives us that “high”, and makes us crave more.
Meditation can give you that “high”.
It’s a natural way to feel uplifted, elated and even giddy. It’s an easy path to peace. Unfortunately, many never experience this feeling because either they give up on it too soon, or never get started in the first place.
It’s a new exercise for your brain. A mind/heart coherence exercise that lowers blood pressure, improves the nervous system, hormonal balance, and brain function.
By slowing the breath while focusing on positive imagery, areas of the brain rewire to enhance positive traits like focus and decision making and diminish negative traits like fear and stress.
A developed sense of joy and compassion are achieved regardless of negative conditions in the outside world. It allows easy access to our innate higher intuitive state that can bring a better understanding of ourselves and others.
Meditation for Beginners - Set Yourself Up for Success
Keep it Simple.
A simple way to get started is to find a guided meditation that resonates with you. A soothing narrated meditation with calming background music guides your breathing and walks you through various visualizations. A consistent practice of ten minutes or less is plenty of time to catch the “feel good” effects. There are thousands of online mediations to choose from; many available on YouTube. I recommend the Calm app; it’s free and can be used on any device or smartphone. Calm has a premium for-pay version with added features like bedtime stories and several multi-day meditation series. They are now offering their premium service free of charge to various medical, health, and financial groups. Check it out.
Get Comfy & Turn Off the Noise.
Find yourself a quiet spot where you won’t be interrupted, turn off the outside world so you won’t be disturbed, and position your body as you feel most comfortable.
- Sit up straight with the spine aligned in a comfortable position to create a pleasant environment for focus and relaxation.
- Standing or walking will create a practice of good posture and allows mindfulness during an activity or while outside.
- Lying down may cause you to become sleepy so you may prefer this position at bedtime or before a nap.
Make It A Habit.
Consistency is essential when beginning any new meaningful practice. When starting a new habit, I like to refer to James Clear’s Atomic Habits to find the perfect process to begin.
I would choose his habit technique “Implementation Intentions.” Hundreds of studies have shown this can be very effective in sticking to our goals. People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through.
Example: I will meditate for five minutes at 7:00 a.m. in the kitchen every morning. Even better yet, you can add another technique called habit stacking to make it even more likely to stick. Stack your 5-minute meditation with something else that you’re already doing before or after your new meditation habit.
Example: I will meditate for five minutes after I drink a glass of lemon water in the kitchen every morning at 7:00 a.m.
By keeping your meditation practice simple and consistent, you will set yourself up for success. I guarantee you will feel so amazing you’ll crave it more and more.
It’s an all natural feeling of comfort available to you no matter what situation you face. A feel good “high” anytime, anywhere without side effects.
Happy Meditating!!