I haven’t always believed in meditation until I started practising it recently. I’ve read books, and I’ve researched techniques but meditation just didn’t seem like it was for me. It felt like something everyone else did but me. 

I’m not an expert on meditation but it’s been a little over 2 weeks since I began and here’s how it’s going.

What is meditation? 

For me, meditation is a time of the day when you allow yourself to just relax and pay more attention to your thoughts. It promotes mindfulness. 

So you sit down or assume any position, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. You try to be aware of your thoughts and bring yourself back to monitoring your breathing when you catch yourself slipping. 

How should I meditate? 

This really depends on you. Some books advise you to sit down on the floor and cross your feet. 

Some experts recommend doing it outdoors in the midst of nature. 

Some research and studies advice laid down. 

So when starting out choose a style that you’re comfortable with and stick to that. You can also switch it up as you go along. 

What do I stand to benefit from meditating? 

One word. Mindfulness. Meditation makes it so that you become more intentional about what you’re feeling and how you’re reacting to your environment. 

Meditating puts you in the best state of mind to tackle stressful situations. Best put by Dan Harris in his book, 10% happier, meditation makes you 10% happier. 

My Meditation Journey.

I decided to give meditation a trial after almost 3 years of reading about it. I didn’t try it before because the term meditation seemed very mystifying and complicated. 

But 2 weeks ago while creating a healthier pattern for my daily routine I decided to add in a 10 minutes meditation session. 

Because at this point, I was like why not? 

At first, I thought it was dumb and wanted to scrap it off my list but I hate quitting on anything I started so I stuck through. 

I slotted the meditation session for 6:10 am… 10 minutes after I got out of bed every morning, I would set my timer and while laying down begin working on my breathing exercise.

 

It was indeed frustrating because an intrusive thought would barge in and I felt like I sucked at meditating. 

But after a couple of days, I realised the voice in my head wasn’t as loud as she used to be or I was better at ignoring her. 

After about a week, I was more aware of my emotions and feelings. When I started to get angry, I would sense the emotion before I lashed out and attempt to dampen it. 

I now started taking deep breaths when in stressful situations. 

After 2 weeks, I no longer get easily irritated, I would just accept whatever the situation was and go on with my day. 

I noticed that I felt more at peace and could reduce the need to meet up with others’ expectations and just focus on myself. 

Now I see meditation as an act of decluttering my mind. I still slip up on some days but in general I feel 1% better. 

Closing remarks 

Am I the one who thought meditation was complicated until I tried it out? 

You don’t have to meditate every day or even do it at all. For me, It helps me start my day on the right foot. 

You can share your meditation journey with me in the comment section or let me know what you do to declutter your mind.