I started a 30 day meditation challenge about 22 days ago.
And it has really made me think about habits, routine, and also, setting aside time to connect to myself. I’ve always enjoyed meditation, but feel like because I never made it part of my routine, it was a very random and inconsistent practice. So, it never felt intentional and like it made a true impact. Many moons ago I had attempted a “miracle morning” where I woke up early and followed a practice of meditating, journaling, affirmations, and reading something related to personal development. I enjoyed that but it didn’t stick for me for some reason.
At the start of this September when my kids went back to school, I started to commit to early mornings again. This time, I began by working out first thing in the morning, prior to my family waking. I actually LOVE this and feel so energized and by the time I get my kids off to school, I have worked out, showered, and am ready for the day. In my head, I had every intention of spending time meditating and some self-work at some point throughout my day after that, but you know how it goes, the day just gets away from you and suddenly in bed, exhausted and it never happened.
So, when I signed up for this challenge, I was excited to commit to myself and knew I needed to be disciplined to do it.
Scheduling time to do it would be the best way to make it happen (like actually scheduling an appointment with myself on my calendar) and keeping the appointment with myself just like I would anyone else. I was sharing all of this with a friend (and fellow coach) recently, and she said – try to add it to your current routine because that is already in place and it’s working and I liked this idea. I had already created the habit of waking early, working out, showering and getting the kids off to school. That was a routine that is currently in place. So I have been adding meditation and self work (such as journaling and belief work) to follow dropping the kids off at school.
Now, it’s so easy to get distracted and get off track.
But what has helped me be consistent 95% of the time is sticking to this routine. Come home, do the work. Not come home, check the laundry, do the dishes in the sink, check my phone, send that email…. You know all the distractions. But I am creating a new habit, and honestly, it is working for the most part. I feel the benefits of it.
Because I am staying committed and I keep repeating this practice, it is becoming a discipline (like a new behavior, habit). By keeping promises to myself and actually doing what I set out to do, being disciplined leads to confidence (I trust myself, I am accomplishing what I set out to do!!). That confidence becomes change (making new choices), and over time change becomes transformation. The easiest example of this is fitness, you may not see the physical change at first and you may not feel like it’s working, but over time, you do see the impact of your consistency and efforts. It’s the same for your mental health and overall wellbeing or any new habit you are looking to create.
In addition to the 30 day meditation challenge, I also added 5 minutes of silence to be done throughout my day.
Why? Because I LOVE how I feel in the mediation and I realize when life starts getting all crazy, I want to drop back into that feeling of calm, ease, and connection that I felt earlier in the day. I also realize that stepping away from everything happening around me is extremely helpful for creativity, ideas, and connecting to my inner knowing and desires. So for 5 minutes, I drop into myself, do some deep breathing (such as box breathing, where you close your eyes, put your hand on your heart and breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, release your breath for 4 counts, and pause for 4 counts. Repeat 3x and go super slow on the counting). Or I will just sit, look outside at greenery for 5 minutes (or even better, go outside, be in nature which has so many benefits!), let myself just 5 and let my mind get clear.
I think it can be scary to “not” be doing. Silence can be uncomfortable for so many of us. Often we do, do, do or we numb out (like scrolling social media for example) to possibly avoid a problem or situation or just something that we do not want to do. It makes sense that it is uncomfortable, it is quite unfamiliar in our go, go, go society. But it is so helpful to begin to connect to yourself.
Like anything in life, start small.
5 minutes of silence a day. Why not give it a try? See how it feels, what comes up for you. At first you may feel resistance (tension in your body, you can not sit still, you think “I can not do this”) but set a timer on your phone. Give it a few days, before you know it, 5 minutes will fly by without that resistance and you may actually begin to crave it.
If you are curious about creating new habits that support you as your best self, or feel like you have tried and can not seem to be consistent, set up a discovery call (it’s free!). You can walk away with some clarity on what has been limiting your or getting in your way, and you can also identify a new habit to go forward with. Small, tiny new choices consistently will lead to change and true transformation. Too often I see people giving up on themselves too easily, stop doing that! You can create the life you want, one small habit at a time!
