why you should try morning meditations
image by Zhuang via Pinterest
My mornings used to begin in one of two ways. On days where I woke up with a sudden burst of energy, my most natural instinct is to start the day immediately without much thought or anticipation. Other than the planned schedules I had for that day, I didn’t think about what I would like to do in my free time or what I hoped to accomplish. On other days, I felt tempted to sleep in and spend a whole day on YouTube and dramas. On both of these scenarios, I began my day without the mindset to make the most of it. Maybe you relate to this, if so, my advice would be to prioritize yourself.
Begin your day with a simple 5-minute meditation. It will give you time to be truly in the moment and reflect on the day ahead. According to Headspace, “when we start our day with a morning meditation, we are giving ourselves the best opportunity to be fully aware, fully awake, and fully alive before doing anything”. This I have found true, beginning my day with a meditation have helped increase productivity, joy, and reduces stress and anxiety. It also offers you a time to daydream about your day ahead! Who knows, maybe you can suddenly come up with a really cool hangout plan with your friends!
Incorporating meditation into your daily routine also helps you cope with stress and anxiety when they hit. Meditation is a great coping mechanism that can help calm yourself down. Perhaps one day you panic for not starting on an assignment that is due the next day or you encounter a problem in your friendship, being able to turn to a short meditation as a breather instead of breaking down will be very beneficial for your mental health. According to Mayo Clinic (read more here) , meditation can “give you a sense of calm, peace, and balance that benefit both your emotional well being and overall health”
Korean American fashion beauty vlogger Jenn Im who speaks on mental well being frequently, also said that meditating made her “gentler to herself” while noting that meditation can but usually does not bring immediate effects. (see her video here) Just because you start meditating doesn’t mean that all of a sudden you are all good and well all the time, but it brings small changes in the long run that are very beneficial, such as increased patience, self-love, and gratitude.
One easy way you could start is by tuning in on a YouTube meditation video by Goodful. There are guided meditations that can be done at any time of the day, or get a free subsciption at Headspace, where there are multiple choices you can choose from.
