Meditation. Everyone has heard of the benefits of meditation at this point, but over and over again I hear someone tell me that they can't meditate, that they can't focus, and that they can't sit still that long. My response is always..."that's the point!" The point of meditation isn't to maintain active and continuous focus on the meditation -- it's actually about noticing when you get distracted and redirecting your attention back to your focus...over and over and over. This is why I love it. You can't do it wrong. Here I will outline benefits of meditation, general concepts of meditation, types of meditation, ways to make it a habit, and resources.
Benefits (reference articles below for more details)
Stress Reduction
Anxiety and Depression Relief
Improved Focus and Concentration
Pain Management
Heart Health
Better Sleep Quality
General Concepts:
Meditation practices generally have an "anchor". The anchor is what you are committing your focus to. It will be what you return to anytime you get distracted (and you will). Many meditation practices use the breath as an anchor. Others may use the body, your senses (such as sound), a word, or a mantra.
The mind is designed to wander. Distraction is normal. Your mind WILL wander during meditation. When it does, gently bring it back to your anchor.
Non-judgement: This core principle of meditation is seeing if you can observe your anchor and your mind wandering without labeling or judging. We are constantly labeling something as good or bad without even being aware that we are doing so. In meditation we let go of the judgment and labels, and instead embrace a sense of curiosity and acceptance. Sometimes it helps to imagine you are a child or an alien experiencing the anchor or distractions for the very first time.
Posture: General guidelines instruct you to sit in an upright position to optimize your practice. You will reap more benefits this way. However, if this feels like a barrier for any reason, give yourself permission to do what is comfortable even if that is laying down. And be gentle with yourself if you fall asleep midway through.
Use guided meditations to start. It is extremely hard to notice when your mind has wandered (the whole point of meditation) when you practice without a guide. Your brain does not have the neural pathways to observe the wandering when you are first starting. Using an audio guide is essential to starting a practice until you have the neural network developed to practice with simply a timer. You can utilize meditation apps or YouTube videos when first starting out. Or, if you are attending therapy, this is an excellent place to practice. As a therapist, I regularly guide my clients in mindfulness meditations because I know how beneficial it is to their mental and physical health.
Types:
Mindfulness: This form of meditation is simply being mindful of the present moment. You might notice your body in the seat beneath you. Your breath coming and going. The sounds coming up around you. Mindfulness is essentially the backbone of all meditation practices. You will find that if you can maintain a formal mindfulness practice for some time that it gradually becomes your lifestyle. Your brain will rewire in a beautiful way where you are gradually more present and aware of this life you are living. You are living less in the past (depression) and less in the future (anxiety), and much more tuned into the present moment.
Body Scan: A body scan is a slow gentle awareness of each part of your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Noticing with acceptance. Without seeking to change. Observing with a "new mind" and without judging. The body scan is excellent to do before sleep.
Visualization: Visualizations may start with basic mindfulness before guiding you into imagining a setting. Visualizations can be very enriching and powerful ways to gain a sense of perspective or calm. In fact, some studies suggest that even just visualizing something can have a powerful effect on your neural network as though what you visualized had actually happened. In IFS therapy, we do a lot of visualizations.
Loving Kindness: Loving kindness is much like a prayer. The practice starts wide with short affirmative loving and kind phrases for the world, and gradually narrows to short affirmative loving and kind phrases for yourself (which is often surprisingly harder).
Ways to Make it a Habit
Make it Easy: Start small. Make it easy for yourself. Start with 2 minutes of meditation a day for 2 weeks.
Make it Obvious: Pair your meditation practice with a habit you are already engaged in. Meditate on your lunch break. Meditate right before bed. Meditate in your parked car before heading into work.
Make it Satisfying: Create a two-week spreadsheet and check off each day you've meditated -- try to not miss a day!
Make it Easy: Use an app and follow a course that has which meditations you will do already outlined. My favorite for beginners is Headspace's 10-day beginner's course.
Make it Attractive: Create a meditation routine or ritual. Choose a cozy spot to sit. Pick a meditation you know you already love. Light a candle or start your essential oil diffuser. Pour yourself a warm cup of tea right before or right after.
Make it Satisfying: Reward yourself right after. The reward could be self-acknowledgement, enjoying the positive feeling of calm, or a small treat like a short walk.
Make it Attractive: Join a culture where meditation is normal. This could be in a yoga class or a meditation group.
Resources:
Apps:
Books:
Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness: Kabat-Zinn, Jon, Hanh, Thich Nhat: 8601300234281: Amazon.com: Books
YouTube Videos:
Resources on the Benefits: