Meditation: A Stress Reliever

In the past, I would hear people recommend meditation as a way to help ease anxiety. I didn’t really take them seriously, thinking that meditating is just a fad that doesn’t have any lasting positive effects. I was definitely wrong.

One day last year, a few months after the pandemic hit, I decided to give meditation a try. I woke up and sat comfortably in a quiet room as I listened to a guided meditation play in the background. During the first few minutes, I didn’t really feel anything different. I was doing everything exactly as the person guiding the meditation said. I was keeping my eyes closed, slowly breathing in and out, and focusing on the words of the speaker along with the ambient music in the background. But as the meditation went on, I started to feel deeply relaxed. My thoughts went away from my worries and anxieties, and instead I started imagining positive thoughts. I felt so calm that I thought I would almost fall asleep.

I have been trying to incorporate meditation into my routine ever since that day. It’s commonly recommended to meditate in the morning after you wake up, and at night before you go to sleep. I try my best to follow this schedule. I don’t know why I used to be reluctant to set aside a few minutes every day to do something like meditation. I think I just felt like it would be a waste of time, and that I could make more productive use of that time than meditating. But in actuality, I found meditation to be a very efficient use of my time.

It helps prepare you for the day ahead. It can help you calm down and loosen up before something like a test. It can help you feel relaxed before bedtime so you can fall asleep faster.

I have noticed how meditating every day can really make a positive difference in my mental health. I think the most difficult part may be making the effort to start meditating in the first place. You have to be motivated to follow through and meditate as often as you can to see the benefits. With consistency, meditating can really help you achieve a better mindset and relieve your stress.

Here are some tips for meditating: https://www.insider.com/meditation-tips-for-beginners

--BitterSweet Coaching Guest Writer