How to Meditate to Actually See Results - Meditation for Beginners

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Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, feeling overwhelmed, tired. These are all feelings that so many of us are struggling with. 

Not so long ago I thought, “so this is my 30s…how fun”. But I learned that it doesn’t have to be. I’ve never been someone that struggled with mental health but I think these feelings have become a common theme that many struggle with since the pandemic. Since starting meditation, as I swore I never would, these feelings have lessened more and more every day. I feel much more at peace and in control of not just my thoughts but my life!

In this blog post, I’m sharing everything you need to know about meditation as a beginner:

• What is meditation? …and what it is not
• How to meditate, when, and for how long?
• Common Challenges
• The psychology behind meditation and mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
• The many benefits to meditation

If you are sick of feeling out of control, I highly recommend giving meditation a try. Invest this time in yourself and get to know who you really are. Take back your control and crazy as it sounds, manifest your dream life to fruition. 

Why I decided to finally give meditation a try

“Everyone has their set of problems.”

 “This is normal.” 

“Things will get better after this week.”

“Things will get better after the holidays.”

These are just a few things I was constantly telling myself before I decided it was time to take control. Truth is, life wasn’t the problem; I was. I could look at my life and know I had a good one but there was always something standing in the way of my happiness. Some days were great but other days I found myself so overwhelmed and upset with absolutely no idea why. So my brain would start looking for reasons. And you can always find a reason to be upset. 

I always thought meditation was weird. I always thought it was a waste of time and that my mind was just too active to be able to truly clear it for an hour…just sitting. How could sitting with a blank mind even help you anyway? Turns out I didn’t even know what meditation was, what it could do for you, or how to even do it. So many misconceptions and it almost got in my way of actually trying it.

I decided to read about it a little. More out of curiosity than to actually give it a real shot. The more I read, especially about beginners, the more it piqued my interest. Turns out I don’t need to dedicate an hour to sitting with a blank mind after all. I’m allowed to have thoughts and embrace those. I’m allowed to make my time what I need to make it. You see, there is no black and white, right or wrong way to meditate. It’s different for everyone and I just needed to find what works for me!

I’ve been on this journey for over 2 years now and I can’t say enough good things about it. The older we get and the more our lives change, our mental health needs a good foundation to withstand the twists and turns of life sometimes. I’ve built my foundation and I want to help others build theirs too! 

What is meditation?

The word meditate means to to focus one’s thoughts on. This means you allow and welcome your thoughts, not force them away. You can allow your thoughts to enter your mind in a controlled and non-judgmental way. Ultimately, this allows for us to venture into the workings of our mind, really getting to know ourselves and learn to direct those thoughts in ways that serve us better.

Before meditation we have little control over our thoughts and many times they stray in a direction that can be harmful to our minds and mental health. Negative self talk, anger, insecurities, judgements, jealousy, lack of confidence, anxiety…etc. We can get stuck in loops of thinking about things over and over again and most times those are negative loops. 

The goal is to have some control over your thoughts and how they are making you feel. Imagine being able to calm yourself when you want to calm yourself, to catch your anger before it starts, to better yourself through your mind. This is when we learn who we are. The MBCT technique, which I go into more down below, is an interesting and very helpful method for beginners looking to get the most out of their meditation time.

Common Challenges

It’s important to know what challenges you may face before you start so that you can prepare for these and overcome them if you run into them. The most common challenges as a beginner are:

Anxiety: If your brain isn’t used to having time to shut off, you may be flooded with thoughts that you have been shoving aside. This is ok and normal, but it’s time to address and control those thoughts. They don’t get to control you.

Dissociation: Meditation can sometimes create a light or floaty feeling that can take time to get use to. Just allow yourself that time.

Restless Mind: It’s very common to flit from thought to thought as a beginner meditator. Again, it’s not an overnight fix and it’s going to take time to learn how to control these thoughts. 

Physical Discomfort: It takes time to tune out physical sensations that arise from sitting still so long. Your body will get used to it and thank you for it. Until then, don’t be afraid to start meditation in short time blocks and build up from there.

Lack of Immediate Results: Mediation, like any health plan, takes time to build on itself and show results. Be patient! This is not an immediate fix and is going to progressively get better and better. 

What meditation is not…

Meditation is not about stopping your thoughts, or having an empty mind. Allow your thoughts to be your thoughts with no judgment. That’s the only way you will ever be able to help control them and put them to better use.

Meditation is not just repeating words or chants out loud. While for some, a chant during meditation could help contribute to a successful experience, it’s not for everyone and should only be adopted as a small part of the meditation process if you find it works well for you.

Lastly, meditation is not resting, physically or mentally. The process is about being awake and aware of yourself and your interchanging thoughts and feelings. If you choose to take this time to truly rest, you will not see the benefits of the work it takes.

How to meditate, when, and for how long

Duration  

The time you need to put into meditation is different for everyone so there’s no 1 answer here. Find what works for you. Ideally for beginners, I would suggest starting with short periods of time, twice a day. For example, no more than 5-10 minutes in the morning when you wake up and again no more than 5-10 minutes in the afternoon or evening. From there, give it a week or 2 and see how you feel; you can build up from there. Some people can meditate for hours but it’s because that’s what they love and enjoy. Don’t see that and get overwhelmed. This isn’t a competition. You can even set a timer to help put your mind at ease.

Space

Familiarity is key at the beginning. It helps comfort you and put your mind and body at ease, making the process of meditation easier. Find a space that is away from distractions and noise. If you are like me and have kids in the house that are loud regardless of where you are, try some noise cancelling headphones. Outside is another really great option and one of my very favorite places to go to meditate. Play with your space and make sure it encourages you. That’s what’s important.

Position and Senses 

The most common position for a beginner is to sit with your spine straight and your shoulders relaxed. Be sure you are in a position that is comfortable for you and doesn’t make you antsy or fidget. Your hands should be in your lap, on your knees, or folded to keep them from getting distracted.

Your eyes can be closed or open, whatever works for you, but I recommend starting with them closed. Open eyes can be easily distracting, no matter the space. Focus on your breathing, the feel, the sound, each breathe.

There are a lot of options when it comes to sounds during meditation and everyone is different with what they prefer. In my opinion, nature sounds and guided meditations are the best for beginners. There is also calming music, mantras, and just silence. I recommend trying them all at some point to see what your body and mind respond to the best. If you are interested in guided meditations, there are a lot of free options online.

Tips

Commit and be consistent. Whatever time duration you decide, stick to it and keep it consistent. This is key to feeling the results you are looking for.

Patience. Be patient with yourself and your meditation. There are so many variations and remember this is an investment in yourself. 

Awareness. Embrace thought and sensation without judgment. Release each thought like a balloon into the sky when you are finished with it. End mindfully and transition back to your surroundings intentionally and with awareness.

MBCT - Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy 

MBTC is a technique that combines cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness meditation to help people with depression or those just struggling to keep up with life. It teaches people to recognize and respond to negative thoughts and feelings in a more intentional way allowing them to have more control over these thoughts and how it makes them feel. Ultimately, the goal is to learn to accept negative emotions in a healthy way instead of trying to avoid them all together. 

There are a lot of different techniques used with MBCT including yoga, mindfulness stretching, and guided meditations. According to the developer of MBCT, Oxford professor and author of Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, Mark Williams, investing 10-20 minutes a day to this method can spark powerful results. 

A few benefits of meditation: 

• Better sleep

• More energy

• Reduces stress and anxiety

• Improved memory

• Manifesting the life you want

• Better clarity and focus

• Less temper, more calm

If you are new to meditation or maybe just haven’t found your groove and are looking for something that works to calm your thoughts and emotions and with countless other benefits, both physical and mental, click here! Take control over your mental health and your life!

Once I learned about meditation, finally took it seriously, and implemented it into my daily life, I not only feel amazing on a regular basis (no more some days are better and others), my focus is better than it’s ever been, even to the point of ditching my ADD medication! I’ve never been a good sleeper, even as a kid, but now I’m sleeping better than ever and easily able to fall asleep fast. I’ve even lost weight! It’s amazing how many different benefits can come from a healthy mind and healthy mindset. From being able to transition all of your thoughts into something good and constructive!

I want this for you, too! If you’re ready to invest a small amount of time in your mental health and take control of your mind, body, and life, I urge you to get started with your 8 week plan to find peace! Click here to start your journey to meditation, happiness, focus, and taking control of your mindset to create the life you’ve always wanted. Click here to get started!

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