Who’s got time for Meditation?

Slack, WhatsApp, Instagram, work, friends, partner, family - these are just a few of the many things that consume our attention every day.

In today's fast-paced world, we are constantly bombarded with information, tasks and messages. On top of that, our busy schedules often prevent us from finding time to invest in ourselves and recalibrate our focus.?

I was tired of feeling overwhelmed and decided to find a way to actively work against it.?

So for the last few months I have been taking a few minutes each day to practice mindfulness meditation. I was shocked at how remarkable the change I experienced was.

Allow me to share with you how meditation has helped me clear my mind and how surprisingly easy it has been to incorporate this habit into my daily routine.

Meditation - no esoteric hokum after all?

First, let's start with a few facts about meditation which were quite mind-boggling to me.

For many years, I thought meditation was just esoteric nonsense; something people who had done one too many LSD trips practiced. But oh boy, I couldn't have been more wrong.

Mindfulness meditation is the practice of deliberately focusing your attention on the present moment. It is designed to help you develop greater awareness and mindfulness in your daily life, especially when faced with challenging situations.

When I began my research on the subject, I found numerous studies which showcased real benefits associated with regularly-practiced meditation.

• Just four days of extensive meditation training resulted in significant improvements in memory capacity, executive functioning and information processing speed (source).
• Single 10-minute mindfulness meditation sessions can improve our attention span and reduce mind-wandering (source).
• Meditation can help reduce cortisol, a stress hormone in the body which has been linked to a host of health problems, including anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment (source)

Next to that, it was found that regular meditation practice can reduce anxiety, increase creativity and even boost your immune system.

My head then started working immediately as I thought of all the ways my professional and personal life could improve with this practice.

I envisioned staying calm and focused during a high stake Zoom call. Avoiding distractions caused by stray thoughts and worries while working on important tasks. Or just becoming more resilient at my demanding marketing job.

It then started to sound a lot less esoteric to me. So, I made a plan to integrate this practice into my daily life.

My personal 10 minutes a day experiment

In the beginning of October 2022, I made a promise to myself: I would take 10 minutes out of my lunch break, every day until Christmas, to meditate. If I did not see any positive changes, I would just stop and call it off.

Now it's February and I'm still diligently practicing my daily 10-minute sessions.?

I began to notice early positive effects after only a few weeks of practice. But the most remarkable changes took a little longer due to how difficult it was for me to learn proper meditation practices. It took some time for my mind to get used to this new experience.

The first thing I noticed was an increased resilience to stress. When work got overwhelming, I was able to stay calm and focus on the most important tasks. I didn't let small setbacks take me down and could maneuver through high-pressure situations more easily. This did not only happen at work. The first time I noticed it outside of my professional life was a time when I was driving my car and someone cut me off. Of course I immediately felt the anger, but instead of letting that anger consume me, I simply acknowledged the emotion and let it go. In the past, things would have definitely turned out differently.

Soon after, I realized my focus became sharper. It got easier for me to concentrate on one task for an hour without any distractions. If wandering thoughts came up, I noticed them, let them go, and got back to the project I was working on. Moreover, I have become better at distinguishing important tasks from small operational ones that may seem important but don't really move the needle. As a result, I am able to work more efficiently and for longer time periods, helping me create value in every aspect of my life.

After a while, I also noticed an increase in my energy level’s self-awareness. I started to carefully observe my? bodily functions and to better judge my feelings. It is like driving a car; if you're speeding, you're not always aware of how fast you're going. As an observer, just like a police car with a speed camera, you can be much better at judging how fast you are going. This helped me maximize productivity and while noticing when to take a break and rest.

And finally (and this took quite a while) meditation improved my sleep quality. By being able to control my thoughts better, I am able to separate work from my private life. I can let go of work-related thoughts when they come up, allowing me to relax and get a good night's sleep. This has been a game changer and has tremendously improved my work-life balance.

All this considered, mindfulness meditation has become an integral part of my daily routine, allowing me to stay focused, energized, and motivated.

Think your schedule is too busy?

Think again.?

The truth is that you only need a few minutes a day to reap most of the benefits of meditation.

The key is to make it a habit. Take just 10 minutes a day, preferably (if you’re anything like me) after a light meal when you're not in danger of distractions caused by stomach rumblings.

Resolve to meditate every day for a month. Once you see the benefits, it will be much easier to stick with it. When you’ve mastered the habit, you can gradually increase your sessions’ duration.

Sooner or later you will get to a point where you no longer consider it a chore but rather an integral part of your day.

I now really value these sessions to recalibrate my mind after the first half of the day. On some days I practice for up to 20 minutes if I feel the need.?

Afterwards, I find it much easier to approach the second half of the day with a refreshed focus.

This is how it works

First and foremost, you must enter into meditation with an open mind and no expectations. Its purpose is not to produce a specific result, but to become mindful and accept what is.

Secondly, you don't need to take expensive courses or be a master meditator to benefit from the practice. Even if you've never done it before, you can start with a basic, easy-to-learn technique.

The most basic form of meditation consists of focusing your attention on your breath.

1. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed
2. Sit comfortably and close your eyes
3. Take a few deep breaths
4. Then, focus your attention on the sensation of your breath as it enters and leaves your body
5. When your mind wanders (as it inevitably will), gently bring your attention back to your breath
6. That's it!

Sounds easy? It is… kind of.

The name of the game is “Easy to learn, hard to master.” 10 minutes can be very long, and keeping control of your wandering mind is very hard in the beginning.

But don’t get demotivated if you can't consistently focus on your breath in the beginning. It will eventually get easier. A clever way to increase your focus is to count your breaths. This can be extremely helpful.

But be aware that there is much more to it. You can dive deep into different techniques and types of meditation whenever you want to.

The Headspace app is an affordable and easy way to start your meditation journey. It includes many courses and use cases for you to explore.

So who’s got time for meditation?

You do!

In today's hyper-connected world filled with all of its distractions, the ability to focus is key for mental performance. And there are not that many things that can improve your focus and mental capacity like meditation does.

So, next time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or stressed, take a few minutes to close your eyes, focus on your breath, and meditate. It may just be the thing you need to recenter yourself and approach your work and your life with renewed clarity and purpose.