6 reasons why you need to meditate even though you think it’s a ridiculous idea
You’re far too busy
There’s an old Zen saying “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour.” This is certainly my own personal experience of meditation, and if a client tells me they have no time to start a 2 minute a day meditation habit I ask them to check their screen time.
Rushing from one task to another all day leads to us becoming unproductive, and it also leads to us missing the point of life- being present. If you’re constantly thinking about the next task, and on the edge of burnout, you’d likely benefit from meditating helping you become more present.
Being more present isn’t just a woo woo term that you don’t have time for. Being more present means you’ll stop trying tp do 500 things at once, learn to focus on what you’re doing and be better at removing distractions (internal or external).
Our bodies are simply not evolved to live at the rate that modern society wants us to function at. If you keep going the pace you are doing you’re going to burn out. Simple.
You have too much to think about there’s no way you could empty your mind
This is the actual whole point of meditation, and is the reason to actually try it, as opposed to run from it. Meditation is a tool that will help with your busy mind, and it will give you relief from it and offer clarity and focus.
Meditation isn’t the clear headed bit of the practice, it’s the constant batting out and moving on of the thoughts that everyone has. The skill is being able to recognise your thoughts and letting them go, and this is what meditation builds. Acknowledging a thought when it comes into your head is meditation, it’s not the clear headed bit in between.
You are mean to yourself in your head
So, following on from point 2, the whole purpose of meditation is the moving along of thoughts as you think of them, the recognising that you have control over these thoughts and can chose not to think them. If you treat each thought with compassion as it passes you will build your self compassion reps (as you need to, like with reps in the gym).
Incorporating a daily practice where you work on your self compassion is key if you are someone who struggles with an inner critic or a negative inner voice.
Meditation can help you see that your thoughts are not facts, and you are not your thoughts. Helpful if you call yourself names in your head, because you begin to see that just because you think it, doesn’t mean it’s true.
You struggle with emotional eating
Being out of touch with your emotions, or not giving yourself the space ore permission to feel them, can often come from not having a moment to yourself in your day. The pressure to push on through, or control our emotions, can lead to a distorted sense of what an appropriate response or reaction is in a particular circumstances.
Meditation helps us to find the space between stimuli (a thought) and our response or reaction. It helps us to chose how to respond to situations. It is proven to reduce stress. Practicing a pause in this way, and being okay with taking a moment of stillness, will help you take a moment when you need one when faced with a trigger that makes you want to eat your emotions instead of taking a moment to feel like.
You’re on the edge of burnout or recovering from it
You need to learn to slow down. You body is sending you messages. You need to learn that you are worthy in yourself, no matter what you do/ have/achieve. You do not have to be productive all the time and by taking as little as 5 minutes a day for yourself in the form of mediation, you could change your relationship with rest and stillness. It’s not lazy, it’s necessary. You wouldn’t expect a car to run without fuel, you can’t expect your own body to run relentlessly without a break. Learning to slow down is hard, in my opinion. But if you don’t take a moment to learn how to manage your stress, your stress is going to take hold of you.
Starting meditation doesn’t have to be big and scary.
Try starting with 2 minutes a day.
Sit somewhere comfortable.
Concentrate on your breath.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, and when you find your mind wandering, compassionately bring it back to your breath.
That’s it!
Over time, extend your habit -maybe by a minute a day.
Find a time in the day when you’re unlikely to be bothered by interruptions.
You don’t need to wear anything in particular, maybe just sit up straight or lie down.
Would love to hear more if you chose to give this a go. Meditation has changed my life. Burning out gave me warning signs that I needed to slow down. I got over the mental image of a hippy meditating, accepted that people form all walks of life did it and felt an enormous sense of calm. It’s something I do daily because I want to live a more mindful, present and calm life.
Interested in 1-1 Coaching? Get in touch to secure an April start date. Email me at beth@movemehappy.me