Daily meditation has fundamentally changed me for the better. It has created white space in my thoughts and serves as a buffer against my stress and anxiety.
Here is a live action gif of what meditation does to my stress and anxiety on a daily basis. Chuck Norris and his foot represent meditation. The guy in the white coat and black hat represents stress. The man in the plaid shirt is cast as anxiety.
In the past, I’ve promoted the importance of starting and ending your day with meditation. Meditating when you wake up and before you go to sleep is an excellent way to bookend your day. It’s like brushing your teeth, but for the mind.
Recently, I’ve changed my beliefs on this subject. There is far more calm found in meditating at least once every hour. For me, meditating once every hour is the minimum.
I now meditate after each task and sometimes before. For example, after I sweep, I sit down and meditate. After I read for fifteen minutes, I meditate. Before and after I eat, I meditate. And, so on.
Even during work meetings, I keep a chime nearby that sounds every five minutes. The chime is a signal to remember my breath. Often, we tense up and hold our breath, particularly at work when checking email or when we are on a conference call.
Science confirms as much: email causes cortisol and blood pressure to soar. To counteract this, remembering my breath every five minutes helps condition me to connect my mind with my body. It’s as simple as closing my eyes and taking three relaxed breaths in and out.
If daily meditation is routine for you already, consider switching it up a bit. Make mindfulness an hourly habit, not simply a daily one. If you don’t yet meditate, consider creating the habit.
Resources to consider:
- Get started by reading the blog post “How to Meditate” (mindful magazine)
- Looking for a meditation app? Stop, Breathe & Think (now named MyLife) is my hands down go-to meditation app
- Read the book Work: How to Find Joy and Meaning in Each Hour of the Day, by Thich Nhat Hanh. If you purchase this book, I will earn an affiliate commission which is greatly appreciated. Affiliate commissions help support the operating costs of this blog