5 Ways Meditation Has Transformed My Life in 7 Months
Updated: Apr 10
April is National Stress Awareness Month, and as someone who has experienced burnout, stress is something that I am intimately familiar with. In fact, it was my burnout recovery that inspired me to start my business. That's why I want to share with you how consistent meditation has transformed my life over the past seven months.
Meditation is a practice of training the mind to focus and be present in the moment. Meditation's benefits are well-documented and include reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, improving focus and productivity, and enhancing overall well-being. If you'd like to learn more about how to start a meditation practice, I invite you to take a look at this Beginner's Guide.
How I Meditated Twice a Day for 217 Days
As a meditation teacher and founder of Sole Journey Wellness, I have been consistently meditating for over eight years, practicing various forms of meditation such as guided visualization, tantric meditations, progressive relaxation, Reiki, meditations, and Yoga nidra. However, it was during my grief week at the end of August 2022, that I decided to start meditating twice a day, once in the morning and again at night using meditation tracks provided on Insight Timer. I didn't plan on doing this for any specific period, but as of writing this post, I am on my 217th day of meditating twice a day.
And let me tell you, my life has transformed in ways I never dreamed could happen. Here are the most profound changes I've noticed over the last seven months:
The Power of Starting the Day with a 5-10 Minute Guided Meditation
The Power of Starting the Day with a 5-10 Minute Guided Meditation
Having a smooth transition from sleep to the rest of the morning is important because this can set the tone for the entire day. It is very easy for me to feel rushed, stressed, or anxious when waking up. This negatively impacts my mood, energy levels, and overall productivity.
Giving my mind the space to adjust from sleeping to waking has helped me create a peaceful and intentional morning routine, that can help me feel more grounded and centered throughout the day. By meditating first thing in the morning, I am able to start my day with more ease and flow.
I typically keep my morning meditation to less than 10 minutes and focus on guided visualizations or affirmations that help me tap into gratitude and self-confidence.
Meditation Helped Me Overcome Negative Thoughts and Embrace Self-Acceptance
Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one's own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and involves being aware of your own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.
In the past, I've had a hard time seeing myself through a positive lens, and to my own detriment have been my harshest critic. By observing my thoughts and emotions without judgment during meditation, I've been able to recognize negative patterns and replace them with more positive ones. This has led to a greater sense of self-awareness and self-acceptance, which has had a profound impact on my relationships and overall happiness.
As an entrepreneur, this shift has had a provide impact on the growth of my business. I have more confidence to reach out to others for networking and collaboration.
The Profound Impact of Mindfulness Meditation Has on My Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, and can be mild or severe. It is a normal response to stress or danger and can be helpful in some situations, such as alerting us to potential danger. However, when anxiety becomes excessive or occurs in situations that are not actually dangerous, it can become problematic and interfere with daily life.
I've lived with anxiety since I was five years old. Throughout the years the severity of my anxiety has ebbed and flowed. When I began to meditate consistently 8 years ago, I noticed a big shift in my anxiety but it was still there every single day. Over the last seven months, I've felt an even more dramatic improvement in my anxiety - overall, my anxiety has significantly less hold on me than before.
Practicing meditation twice a day has increased my mindfulness. By being present in the moment, I've been able to reduce the negative impact that stress and anxiety have on my daily life. This has allowed me to be more present and engaged in my relationships and work and has overall improved my quality of life.
How Meditation Helped Me Overcome ADHD Symptoms and Boost My Business Success
Focus and productivity are essential components of success for entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneur, my ability to stay focused and productive directly impacts my business's success. However, as an entrepreneur with ADHD, concentration can be an elusive challenge.
Over the last seven months, I have noticed a profound difference in my level of focus resulting in being able to make big shifts in my business. I was able to create and clearly define my work processes, plan my project timelines, and can now complete tasks relatively quickly, something that had been missing from my entire life since working in corporate America.
Meditation has also helped me become more creative and innovative, which has been beneficial for my business. The biggest example of this is evolving my business into Sole Journey Wellness. This was something I was thinking about for years but didn't have the ability to plan the shift.
Meditation As Part of My Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene is a set of practices and habits that help you prepare for sleep. By adopting healthy sleep habits, you can improve your sleep quality and quantity, leading to improved physical and mental health.
Quality sleep can sometimes be elusive to me because of chronic pain, low blood sugar, or hormone fluctuations. I've worked with numerous doctors and specialists to help me find quality sleep, but it wasn't until I tailored my sleep hygiene to EXACTLY what I needed that my body began to respond.
My sleep routine now begins by clicking play on a calming track of meditation music composed at a frequency that helps the mind calm down. After seven months of using the same music meditation before bed, my body now begins to respond almost as soon as I click play. By the time my head hits the pillow, I'm now able to drift off to sleep with relative ease, something I've never been able to do before. Better sleep has had a ripple effect on every single aspect of my life. I now wake up consistently rested for the first time in my life.
Join Me for Free Yoga Nidra Practices All April Long
Meditating twice a day may seem like a big commitment, but it's become a non-negotiable habit that supports my overall well-being. It's just like brushing my teeth or washing my face twice a day - it's a habit that's there to support my longevity. I encourage you to give meditation a try, you never know, it might just transform your life as it did for me.
In honor of my transformation, and National Stress Awareness month my Monday Yoga Nidra practices will be free for all of April. No special code is needed - just sign up and show up. Don't worry if you can't be there live, there is an exclusive replay channel available to everyone who signs up. Click here to join me for this profound meditative practice and experience the benefits of Yoga Nidra for yourself. I can't wait to see you there!
Comments