How to Maintain a Meditation Practice
I thought it was only fair that I chat about how to maintain a meditation practice with you all since I talk about it so much. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. You can also use it to relax and cope with stress by refocusing your attention on something calming. Meditation can help you learn to stay centered and keep inner peace.”
In my opinion, anything that helps you pour into your own cup and feel more at peace and less stressed is a benefit to not only you, but your work, relationships, and all aspects of your life.
This being said, I’m not amazing at maintaining a meditation practice, so I wanted to chat through some ways I help myself stay accountable.
1. Don’t adopt an all or nothing mindset. If you planned to do a 30 minute meditation, but no longer have time, opt for a 5 minute meditation. This will help keep that habit alive, even if it’s a shorter period of time.
2. Have cues around your environment to do mini meditations, such as three deep belly breaths, focusing on your body, or simply closing your eyes and imagining your racing thoughts as clouds passing through you.
3. Set a simple goal – “I meditate for spaciousness,” “I meditate for peace,” “I meditate for clarity,” and envision how you’ll feel after if you catch yourself debating whether or not to meditate or do your next task.
4. Set it as part of your schedule and treat it as a meeting. Just because you’re running late doesn’t mean you always completely bail on a client or your boss, so give yourself the same respect.
5. Meditate at the same time every day
Assignment
If you’re struggling with maintaining a consistent meditation practice, or are just getting started, read this article by Headspace – I will attach it in the show notes. Gabriele Oettingen says, “Mental contrasting is the ability to have a goal in mind, imagine obstacles getting in the way of that goal, and still continue to try to achieve it, despite the possibility of failure.” You don’t have to be super positive that you’re going to execute the perfect week and meditate every single day, but what’s important is that you persevere anyways.
Show Notes:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
- https://www.headspace.com/mindfulness/how-to-get-motivated
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