Having always been a very impatient person I never gave mindfulness a lot of thought. But sometimes you reach a point in life where you have to change things, since being on the go constantly is not a sustainable way to live. On the search for a way to deal with my restless mind and anxiety (which peaked during my pregnancy especially!) I finally gave into trying meditation. It was not easy at first but I stuck with it and one day it “clicked”! I was finally able to take a step back from my emotions and the constant rush of thoughts in my head. It was such a freeing experience! I realized that I had never actively taken the time to be present in the moment before. My mind had always been living in the future and in the past, constantly worrying about things.
Meditation is not about shutting off your thoughts, it’s about learning to be able to take a step back and observe the steady stream of thoughts without getting lost in it. Through that, we can learn how to deal with emotions that arise, such as anger or anxiety and acknowledge them without letting them take over our thinking and acting. Science has proven that meditation can help treat anxiety and other conditions through various studies where brain activity was monitored and the response to certain triggers was reduced significantly after several weeks of training.
Being present takes constant practice, that’s why daily meditation is a must. It doesn’t matter how long you meditate, one day it can be twenty minutes, five the next. What’s key is to have consistency in the practice. Just like going to the gym and working out our bodies, our mind needs to be cared for in a consistent way.
It is not to say that I am perfect at being present now after having had a pretty consistent meditation practice for a while. It’s still hard and I have to remind myself constantly not to run wild with my “monkey mind”. But I have found that incorporating small moments of mindfulness during my day help tremendously. I clearly see a difference in my reactivity and anxiety on days when I take the time to be mindful versus when I don’t, so I always try to make it a priority.
There are so many ways and techniques to meditation, but I find that an easy and accessible way to start a daily meditation practice is through a guided meditation app. A great start is Headspace but I also like Insight Timer for more advanced guided meditations. Next time you have five minutes to yourself try it out!
