Do you meditate? I’ve always had the idea that my attention span would not allow me to practice meditation. During this self-care challenge, I’ve taken the time to learn a little more about it and how I can apply it to my everyday life.
What is meditation?
Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state.
What is the purpose of meditation?
I wish I was able to benefit from sitting still mentally and getting the rewards of meditation. Overall these are the health benefits of meditation that I am trying to reap the rewards of:
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reduces stress
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controls anxiety
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may help fight addictions
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promotes emotional health
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enhances self-awareness
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Types of meditation
There are seven and maybe even more types of meditation out there in the spiritual realm. I’ve read up on each of them and thought the following would fit me the best:
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Mindfulness Meditation – being fully present within my thoughts. The ability to being aware of where I am and what I’m doing without being overly reactive to what’s going on around me.
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Guided Meditation – form mental pictures or situations to relax yourself. This type of meditation is usually led by a teacher.
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Loving Kindness Meditation – the practice of directing well wishes towards others. I’d like to start this practice because I tend to hold my thoughts whether negative or positive within my head. If I practice this meditation, I would practice reciting specific words and phrases meaning to suggest warm-hearted feelings towards others.
When should I meditate and how often?
There is no rule book of when and where to meditate. A person can start to practice once a week and then build upon that until it’s a daily habit in their life.
Meditation like any other skill, takes time and patience. As easy as it is for me to sit on social media and read all type of posts and social content, I think I can take five to ten minutes out of the day to work on breathing and mindful meditation.
Self-care Challenges – Letter to Me, Unplugging, Reading, Walking, Podcasts
