Steph and I tried meditating everyday for 2 weeks

As humans in our early 20s, we figured it was time to develop healthy habits we should have established earlier in our lives. The first one Steph and I decided to tackle: meditating regularly.

For 2 weeks, we meditated at least 10 minutes everyday. It was a pain (for me).

If you listened to our latest episode (released the day this was posted!), then you already know how much my mind resisted meditation.

Without being redundant of everything that was shared on the podcast, what I want to share are more details of my experience.

I struggle with many things. A weak mental health, depressive thoughts, little to no attention span, food addiction, disordered eating...and the list goes on. When I learned how beneficial meditation could be, I had hope (odd for a pessimist). Being a perfectionist and a workaholic, it almost seemed unnatural to be in the moment and reflect on my thoughts (please tell me I'm not the only one!). Still, I realized perhaps the inability to meditate is a reflection of how much I needed to meditate. I'm proud of the time spent on this challenge because I finished it with lessons learned:

1. I have subconscious thoughts

The first few days of meditation, I realized what occupied my mind. As soon as I closed my eyes, my mind went somewhere (everywhere really) and it indicated to me what I prioritize in my life, where it was intentional or not. When I moved from one thought to another (like a child on a sugar rush), I became aware of how overwhelmed my mind has been feeling all these while! It seems it is possible to be stressed without consciously knowing it.

2. There are types of meditation

At first, I really tried hard to meditate by simply laying in silence but all it did was made me realize how short my attention span was! I then did research (googled) and learned that for beginners such as myself, I should start with a guided meditation. I explored Spotify, Youtube, and even some meditation apps! Not all worked for me. Some were too slow (like way too slow, making-me-annoyed slow, frustrating-me-slow) and some just did not quite jive with my mood. However, I did find those that do work for me and am pleased to say, going back to listen to them is not out of the question!

3. Meditation is a tool to deal with life

Yes, it sounds easy and possibly, not even that effective. Lay down (or sit down). Be still. Breathe. Except, it was probably one of the most challenging things I've done for myself so far. 10 minutes felt like forever (even if you think that it's only about 3 pop songs worth). I can't imagine going on for longer, though I imagine how uplifting it could be. Some days, I realized I really needed that 10-minute meditation, and some days, I thought, "hey, maybe I should do it for longer!" Perhaps as you're reading this, you're thinking the limiting factor would be availability but I promise you even 5 minutes can make a difference! Meditation is a skill that I truly believe, with practice, can help you cope with the crappiest aspects of life!

If you're reading this and have never tried it, TRY IT. Try it for a day, maybe a week, or be better than us and push it to a month! I, honestly, truly, genuinely think it will help. Maybe it won't fix all the problems in your life, but it could, at the very least, give you a few minutes of solid rest.

Don't forget to stay cheeky,

Janelle

Check out the episode mentioned in this post on your source of podcast episodes (ie. Spotify or Apple Podcasts) or the "Listen" page if you haven't!