This week I am trying out meditation. The Science of Well-being course I'm taking recommended trying it for a a week. The benefits of meditation are apparently many. Headspace has a nice, clear post on the benefits. I've heard so many people recommend it that I'm ready to try it. Though I never thought I would do it.
I decided to make it easy and signed up for an app, Headspace, and started their beginner course. I followed the app's suggestion to get a reminder every day at 8 AM.
So far, it's been easy. I can see myself sticking to this. You can choose for each session to be three or five minutes. I've been doing three minute sessions.
I think I feel a little calmer after each three minute session. The narrator has a really pleasant, calming voice, and I’m finding I actually enjoy those three minutes of stillness in the morning.
Tools that guide you in practicing a small habit every day, and tracking your completion rate, are a great help in installing habits. I’ve found success with a 7-minute workout app called Seven (36 in a row until I broke my streak yesterday), and with a smart scale (I’ve weighed in 72 days in a row). So if meditation is helpful to me, I feel pretty confident that I’ll be able to make it stick using Headspace or a similar service.
This seems worth trying, at least for a week. From there, who knows what it might grow into.
What did you think after trying meditation for a week? What is your rewiring exercise this week? Looking forward to more articles!
I’m going to check out Headspace and Science of Well-being. Nice, positive article, Coleman.