Meditating every day is the one thing that’s helped me balance my emotions and calm my nervous system more than anything else. I practice meditation in the morning after I wake up to set myself up for an amazing day. And I meditate before I go to bed so I get a good night’s sleep.
I believe every highly sensitive person should establish a meditation practice! It’s not hard to meditate, all it takes is a willingness to try. And a commitment to not give up!
Meditating helps you respond instead of react to life’s challenges
When you take time to meditate on a challenge, it gives you time to respond from a place of peace instead of react emotionally. It’s a great way to release the things you can’t control so you can focus more on those you can control. Here’s some things to consider when establishing a meditation practice…
- It’s one of the easiest ways to slow down and just be. When you meditate, you give yourself an opportunity to quiet your mind and calm your nervous system. Once I made a commitment to meditate everyday, things changed. I have more confidence and I feel more love for myself. I also sleep a LOT better!
- Each time you meditate, you’ll get to know yourself better. And it’s a great way to learn how to listen to and trust your intuition.
- If you’re a beginner, Guided meditation is a great place to start. And once you establish a practice, you’ll wish you had more time to meditate.
- There’s no such thing as perfection in meditation, that’s why you practice it. One minute of deep breathing is enough to quiet your mind. A quiet mind and calm nervous system makes it easier to control your emotions.
What to do when your mind wanders
One question I get asked a lot is…“How do I stop my mind from going in all different directions when I meditate?”
It’s not about stopping the thoughts that creep in while you’re meditating, it’s about being aware of the thoughts and letting them go. There’s no such thing as perfection in meditation, that’s why you practice it. And these steps will help you refocus your attention when your mind wanders.
- Become the observer of your thoughts without any judgment. The thoughts will come, you can’t stop them especially if you’re new to meditation. And whatever you do, don’t judge or blame yourself for the thoughts.
- Tell yourself…that’s not a priority right now. Remember your priority when you meditate is to quiet your mind and calm your nervous system. Stay committed to that!
- Let the thought go. Don’t put any energy to the thought and remind yourself that it’s just a thought, it has no power over you.
- Refocus on the present moment. A deep breath (in through your nose and out through your mouth) does wonders for grounding yourself in the present.
- Continue your practice. Don’t worry about what you missed while your mind went off somewhere. Just pick it back up and keep going!
Repeat these steps as needed whenever your mind wanders while you’re meditating!
