As someone who has dealt with my fair share of anxiety and stress, I have gotten to know mindfulness pretty well over the last few years. I first heard of meditation when I was a kid but always thought it was a woo woo practice that only Buddhist monks did.
In 2015, I read about mindfulness/meditation online and learned about the positive affects it could have on your overall body, mind, and soul. I was going through a particularly stressful time and figured it was worth a try. So I began trying guided meditations and instantly felt more relaxed and like my stress was melting away.
The gist of mindfulness meditation is to focus on the present moment and let go of any thoughts that come into your head. It’s an opportunity to be completely present in the “now” and let go of all the worry thoughts in your head. It can be really hard at first because many of us are so used to constantly being distracted by the constant stream of thoughts in our head (at least I am!). That’s why it was a welcome relief when I first tried meditation and was able to let go of my thoughts for a little while.
I started a meditation practice in 2015 and have been on and off with my consistency since then, but I definitely have noticed that during the times when I am sticking to it on a normal schedule that it helps me with relieving stress and feeling more balanced.
Something that has helped me to stay consistent with mindfulness lately is subscribing to the Headspace app. My goal is to do a 10 minute mindfulness meditation each day. The series I am doing now focuses on managing anxiety. It mostly teaches you how to become aware of your thoughts and train yourself to let them pass by. I have found that actually subscribing to an app helps me to stay accountable. And 10 minutes seems to be the perfect amount of time for me; It’s enough to feel really relaxed without taking too much time out of my busy schedule. I highly recommend giving Headspace a try!
What are your thoughts on mindfulness meditation? Have you tried it? Do you have a favorite app or program that you use?
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-Coach Lauren
