Take a few moments right now to consider your daily routine. What do you do every day to improve your mind? What habits have you incorporated into your daily routine that help you to feel positive and present?
In times of uncertainty and worry, it can be hard to reflect and to consider ways to improve our mindset or look to a more positive outcome. But paradoxically, this would be the time when you would benefit the most from doing so!
Meditation is an amazing way to connect with your mind, body and spirit. It offers you the opportunity to check-in and see how you are feeling, notice if there is any tension, any areas or thoughts that are consuming you, and then work on letting negative feelings go.
What is meditation?
Meditation is a practice in which an individual will use a technique to train attention and awareness. While the long-term aim is to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state, the meditation journey is just as powerful in achieving a happier, healthier lifestyle.
How can it help
There are many reasons meditation can help us. Studies show that just some of the benefits to a daily meditation are:
Reducing stress
Controlling anxiety
Reducing negative emotions
Enhancing self-awareness
Lengthening attention span
Focusing on the present
Increasing patience and tolerance
Improving your mood
These benefits are as useful at home as they are at work, helping you to maintain a calmer, more self-aware mood that can better prepare you for any stressful situations that may arise.
There are many different styles of meditation that suit different people for a variety of reasons, so whilst you are starting out with meditation, you might like to try alternating techniques to get you into “that zone” until you settle on one style that really suits you.
How meditation can impact your day
Adding meditation to your day can have an amazing impact on your life. If it’s possible, try to make some time to meditation at the start of your day. Starting each day with some time to just be present and to focus on your breath can work wonders. Just find a comfortable space, set an intention for the day, and let go of things you can't control. As you move through the rest of your day, take time to come back to your intention, reminding yourself to stay focused, aware and calm, even when something arises that may challenge you and make you feel stressed!
Even with an intention and meditation, sometimes life just becomes overwhelming! When you find yourself in a difficult moment, simply spending some time observing the breath flow in and out can help to calm you down. Breathing, once mastered, is an incredible tool to manage stress.
By adding meditation into your daily self-care routine, you:
Can start the day on the right note
Will be allowing some time to focus on letting go of things you cannot control
Get to tune into how your body feels on a regular basis, to gain a better overall understanding of the vessel that you live in!
You’ll encourage more relaxation into your life, which will help you deal with stressful situations and promote a peaceful night’s sleep!
Meditation is a powerful practice that can assist us in our daily lives by helping us to become more aware and calm of everything around us. Alongside the mental benefits of improved focus, happiness and better memory, daily meditation can also have physical health benefits which include an improved metabolism, respiration and blood pressure.
Convinced? We challenge you to give it a try for a week - taking time each morning for setting an intention and meditating. Let us know in the comments section below what differences you notice! Or if you already have a regular practice and would like to add some tips for our community, drop us a comment. We love to hear from you! 👇
