So a couple of days ago I am happy to say that I reached my goal of practicing meditation for 21 days, and I am not looking back . I plan on keeping this new found habit and only wish I had started sooner. This is how I stayed on track...even with certain distractions like a cat named Tipsy, who wanted to interrupt.
1) I started off small ...It's about practice not perfection
When trying to start anything new that you want to stick with, try not to put too much pressure on yourself. I started with doing 5-10 minutes, anything extra was bonus...even a few minutes could be enough for you. Be kind to yourself and do what you can at the time. See what's realistic for you and start there.
2) Accountability
For me it helped to have accountability, that's why I declared my goal on here. If you tell people what you are doing, they will periodically ask you how it 's going, and you are less likely to give up. Even better is to have someone else, like a friend make the same commitment, so you can help keep each other accountable.
3) Make yourself a priority
Many times what sticking to a new habit comes down to is making time to make yourself a priority...guess what? the dishes can wait and the world won't fall apart if your to do list gets done a little later.
4) Know there will be off days
So the reality in life is that we don't always feel 100% and that's okay. Some days you might just want to relax, watch movies or read a book, or go out with the girls....or maybe you are not feeling so good the day after of hanging out with the girls...:). It happens...life happens, as long as the next day you refocus and get back on track.
5) Have fun
For me I made it fun by trying out many various you tube videos on meditation....and trust me some of them are quite amusing. There are good ones and bad ones in my opinion. Take the time to figure out what your mediation style is. I am still learning, but there were a few that I really liked , so I thought I would share them with you:)
The first video I recommend is by a girl named Bex, she is not intimidating, and posts once a week on You Tube for four minutes. She is real and makes it simple, easy, and fun:). http://bit.ly/1dP1HIN
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The Second video I recommend for when you are ready to challenge yourself. It is 57 minutes long and it is also for beginners. I found it to be the best meditation experience I have had yet. Somewhere in the middle of it I actually felt like I was floating...it was so relaxing and energizing at the same time.http://bit.ly/1bNjUHZ
The third video was more of a personal one...I liked the message in it and I felt spoke to me in some way. I recommend subscribing to Lilian Eden's You Tube page because she has many good ones.http://bit.ly/MdAKD9
Just in case you are not yet convinced here is a link to an article from the national post taking about how Mediation is just as good for relief from anxiety and depression symptoms as antidepressants.
http://bit.ly/1fAF0V7
On Jan. 6, the Journal of the American
Medical Association(JAMA)
published the
results of a ground-breaking study that found that meditation appears to provide
as much relief from some anxiety and depression symptoms as antidepressants.
Dr. Madhav Goyal of the John Hopkins School of Medicine, who led the research,
singled out mindfulness meditation as the most effective form.
