The 10-Minute Mindfulness And Meditation Technique For Busy Professionals
If you're pressed for time but want to improve yourself with meditation, this is for you.
I’ve been meditating every day for 30 minutes for the past 2 months and so far, the benefits are seriously overwhelming.
But I didn’t start there. When I started, I was meditating for only 10 minutes to get the hang of it.
Taking 30 minutes to meditate daily is a bit on the long side. I mean it’s awesome for people that can do it but not all of us can.
But if you have 10 minutes to spare, or even 5, you can very well benefit from the huge well of cognitive improvement meditation can give you.
Long-Term Benefits Of Meditation
Sitting or lying down to meditate can feel like a waste of time when you start. But it might be worth it if you’re the sort of person with a lot of stress going on in their lives.
Meditation is like a super drug that teaches your mind how to relax.
In times of stress, getting worked up achieves nothing. You have to stay calm to assess the situation and pick the best route to get you out. Meditation can help you achieve this.
Some of its many benefits include:
- A noticeable reduction in stress and anxiety.
- Improved focus and concentration.
- Better sleep quality — I sleep like a baby just after 2 months of doing it and I used to suffer from mild insomnia.
- Better mood overall.
Once you start meditating and begin experiencing these benefits, your life will never be the same again. I don’t say that lightly.
Easy Meditation Technique That Works Even When You’re Busy
There’s a common misconception I find people believing. They think meditation means clearing the mind of all thoughts.
Not only is this inaccurate, it’s downright impossible.
Meditation is all about focusing your thoughts on one thing alone. Could be your breathing, the rhythm of your heartbeat, it could even be the sound of birds chirping out your window. Whatever it is for you, focus on it and it alone.
That’s meditation.
My actual step-by-step technique:
- Find a quiet location and lie down sit down or do a handstand. Get yourself in any position that is most comfortable for you.
- Pick your focal object. I like focusing on my breathing. Now Try focusing on that thing alone. You can close your eyes if it feels more comfortable. Distractions or stray thoughts will come — acknowledge them but immediately go back to your focal object.
- Keep doing this for the next 10 or 5 minutes (depending on you). You can use a timer to let you know when it's time to stop. You might feel itchy a couple of times—please scratch that itch and go back to focusing. Trying to ignore it will make meditating almost impossible.
- When the time has elapsed, you're done.
That’s it — 10 minutes is all it took. You can go for 5 minutes when you’re just starting. You’ll learn to stay longer naturally as you gain more experience. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Integrating It Into Your Life So You Do It Long Term With Little Friction
If you’re a busy person like me, you can’t set a fixed time for when you’ll be meditating.
Doing this will make sure you give up when you fail to meet up with the schedule. Instead of setting a fixed time, do it whenever you can. Do it on the train if it’s quiet, in your office if it’s comfortable, or on your bed at night before you sleep.
Any time you feel like you have 5 or 10 minutes to spare and the environment is conducive, meditate. This will make it easier to stick to it long-term.
Also, don’t beat yourself up when you skip a day or two. It’s bound to happen in the beginning. The key is to get back on the wagon and do the thing. When the benefits start rolling in, it will become easier to stick to it.
I am a busy person and maybe you are too. But you don’t need to dedicate a huge time sacrifice to get the many benefits of meditation.
Just practice with the techniques I shared with you (which you can edit to suit your needs) and you’ll be on your way to becoming the new you.
You will have complete control over your mind and won't be phased by petty stress or anxiety. You’ll be sleeping much better too!
