Activity #7: Taking Care of Your Body (Meditation)

I think we’re all pretty familiar with meditation--at least I can assume that most of us have heard of its benefits. I'm sure we all have heard from people that act like it is the end all, be all of life.

A year ago, during my semester off at home, I meditated off and on but only for short amounts of time (5-15 minutes each day). Sitting in silence for even that short length of time was excruciating, but I do believe it helped with mindfulness and relaxation.

Recently, I’ve been reading The Craving Mind and listening to The Psychology Podcast, and Judson Brewer (author of The Craving Mind) along with several guests on The Psychology Podcast have talked about how much they benefit from meditation.

Nearing the end of the semester, finals season is starting in a few weeks. Or, if you’re in SMPA, finals season is already upon us. (Is there a reason SMPA classes always end before the official final period? It’s hard being on a different schedule than all of your friends and campus activities, but I know by April 27 I’ll be so grateful to be done.)

Being reminded about meditation and feeling more stressed than usual prompted me to choose the happiness activity "Taking Care of Your Body (Meditation)."

Lyubomirsky lists six elements experts say are crucial for meditation:

1. Be nonjudgmental.

2. Be nonstriving (focus on progressing towards goals rather than achieving them).

3. Be patient.

4. Be trusting

5. Be open.

6. Let go.

Why meditate?

It’s simple. It’s been proven to help with both physical and mental health.

A year ago when I was meditating regularly, I would sit in silence and try to let my thoughts go. I’m going to start with guided meditations now, following this NY Times article. They provide different lengths of guided meditations:

I know it’s so short, but I’m going to start with the 1 minute one. I have so much work to do that doing anything longer is anxiety-producing—but I hope to progress to 15 minutes a day over the next month.

Okay, I did it!

The minute went by so fast that I stayed sitting cross-legged on the floor for a few seconds longer just breathing in and out. I’m excited to get back into this and definitely recommend at least TRYING to meditate regularly for a week or two to see how it feels.