People around the world are raving about the benefits of meditation, and for a good reason too. Amongst a host of other things, meditation can help you manage stress and anxiety; it can help give you a new perspective, reduce negative thoughts, improve creativity, and may even lengthen your life span.
But meditation is not always as easy as it sounds, especially if you’re someone who tends to operate at one thousand miles an hour and isn’t used to sitting still or being in silence.
So, if you’re one of the many who struggle to quiet your mind during meditation, here are few hacks to help you find your inner peace.
Quiet Your Mind By Eliminating Distractions During Your Meditation
If you’re finding meditation tough, then one of the easiest ways to make things easier is to eliminate any distractions. These can be noises or activities happening around you or feelings of discomfort where you are sitting or lying down, which leads to fiddling or feelings of thirst or hunger.
Meditate On Your Breath
When you start a meditation practice, if your brain isn’t used to moments of stillness, it can be helpful to give it a specific focus that helps you block out the noise of other thoughts and keep you present.
Try counting the length of your inhale and the length of your exhale. If you start to feel your thoughts pulling away from you, don’t be too hard on yourself; the fact that you noticed means your meditation is working. Simply start the exercise again.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness is the state of being fully present in the moment, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. You can start by tracking four of the five active senses – in your meditation, become aware of any tastes that linger in your mouth, then any smells both obvious and less so. Then notice any sounds around you, whether they are far away or near, and any physical sensations in your body, for example, clothes on your skin or the movement of your breath.
As you become aware of your senses, try not to get too stuck on one in particular or create a judgment about it; simply notice it for what it is and then move on. Before you know it, you’ll have sat in meditation for fifteen minutes!
Practice Makes Progress
Remember that nobody starts a professional; all good things come with practice, so don’t get too down on yourself if you struggle to quiet your mind during meditation. Practice makes progress, so keep at it!
Hey Joyfreshers, do you meditate? How has meditation helped you?
References:
Mayoclinic.org
