Meditation has become more and more popular in today's society and for many reasons. It's known for helping us relax and de-stress. This promotes emotional health, calms anxiety and reflect on oneself. The number one reason for people not being able to meditate is simple, time. I get it, sometimes life just gets too busy and you may feel like you would rather spend your extra time doing other things. The wonderful thing about meditation is that it is not limited to just one thing, a lot of activities can be a form of meditation. Believe me, if you have a really busy life, it's likely that you are in need of a little quiet time. Here are a few ways you can squeeze meditation into you busy life.
Anytime you find you have a few minutes to yourself: This one is where I personally started. With two littles at home, my life is pretty busy! Once a day, if I just felt I needed a little bit of a reset, I would simply sit alone (for maybe 5 minutes) and listen to my breathing. No word of a lie, this helped me out so much. Just taking that short time to clear my mind, take a few breaths and be mindful really calmed me down and helped calm my nerves for the rest of the day. I especially recommend this to new parents. Sometimes if you feel overwhelmed we tend to take it out on other people. It helped me reflect on my children and really enjoy the time I have with them.
Do a Quick Hobby: If you're not into sitting down and meditating, try doing it a different way. Something as simple as adult colouring, doodling or listening to your favourite album can be a great form of meditation. Anything that you feel puts your mind at ease. I began colouring for 10 minutes at night and it was so relaxing to me and helped me de-stress after a long day.
Write in a Journal: This is my latest favourite thing to do. Every morning, or night you can start journalling, write about your day, or your thoughts. that day anything that you have on your mind. I find this is a great way to de-stress and free those thoughts that you've been holding in all day. It also really helps you reflect on yourself and certain events going on in your life. I love looking back on my journalling and seeing my thought process and where it brought me.
Walking Meditation: This is also a great solution. I recently started doing this, this past summer and it takes a simple walk to a whole new level. You simply find a spot to walk where you think is very peaceful. Have certain check points on your walk where you stop and take a few breaths, enjoy the scenery and listen to the world around you. Really focus on you body, something as simple as the sound your foot makes as it lifts the ground is a great example. Try to take slow and small steps, take your time and enjoy the physical world around you. You don't have to do this for your whole walk, maybe even 10 minutes, but slowly incorporating this into your routine is a great way to help de-stress and relax. You're also exercising at the same time, win, win!