I know what you’re thinking – meditation? Isn’t that what monks do?
Well, you’d be right, but there is so much more to the practice, with the countless benefits being undeniable and impossible to ignore - especially if you are someone who finds yourself stressing and overthinking on a regular basis.
So, how do you get started and what are the benefits of adding this practice into your daily routine?
How to Add Meditation into Your Lifestyle
I personally would argue that the best way to begin your journey into meditation is to follow a guided meditation session. This could be by following a video on YouTube, or downloading an app.
One of the best apps I used which enabled me to begin practicing meditation as a student and applying it to my daily routine was the “Waking Up with Sam Harris” app, but a YouTube guided meditation session is also a great – and free – option.
The practice can be done anywhere, for any amount of time. I personally like fifteen minutes in the morning; however, you could do anything from five minutes to a whole hour session. Any time will do, but I would say that starting off with just ten minutes a day is optimal, based on pure experience. Simply, grab a chair, pillow or even a comfortable place to lay down and close your eyes. Set the timer and close your eyes.
A common misconception is that you need to completely clear your mind during the practice – think of nothing and simply stare into the darkness.
This isn’t the case. If your mind begins to wander, don’t aim to bring your attention straight back to your breathing. Just simply let go of the thoughts, reopen your attention, and then return to your breathing. The goal of meditating is not to stop thinking or to completely empty your mind. Instead, the goal is to finding Ways to Take a Break and to pay attention to your thoughts to get a deeper understanding of them.
The Benefits of Practicing Meditation as a Student
There are a wide range of benefits that come with practicing meditation as a student and including it as a daily habit. Many of these benefits are great for combatting stressful periods of university (which is most of the time as we all know).
- Increase your self-awareness.
- Reduce negative emotions and Protect Your Mental Health.
- Increase imagination and creativity.
- Increase patience and tolerance.
- Gain a new perspective on stressful situations.
- Improve your sleep quality.
Sounds worth it, right?
Of course, discipline is the key here. It is so easy to just stare at your phone, scrolling through Instagram in your spare time – I do this enough to know. However, I cannot stress just how much scheduling time to practice meditation as a student has helped me throughout the last few years.
Enjoy reading this? You may be interested in The Benefits of Sleep For Students on the GRB Blog.
