Every Writer Should Meditate. Here’s Why.
Don’t you think that there are too many articles about the benefits of meditation? I feel like this happens because once you try something that improves your life, you’re compelled to ask others to check it out too.
It’s a similar story with me. I thought about trying meditation for a long time but only recently added it to my daily routine. So far, I’ve seen some great results and want to share them with you.
Don’t worry, I won’t go over the same points. Here, I want to talk about the benefits of meditation from a writer’s point of view. If you’re a writer and on the fence about meditation, keep reading.
1. Makes room for more ideas
Recently, I wrote an article about Neil Gaiman and the power of boredom. You see, he follows a powerful writing ritual. When he sits down to write, he only allows himself to either write, or do nothing.
If he doesn’t feel like writing, he can look out the window, but he can’t use his phone or talk to someone. The trick here is that after sitting still for a while, without any distractions, his mind will start coming up with ideas.
This is where meditation can help a writer. By taking control of the constant chatter in the mind, you can make space for more creative ideas.
2. Enhances your imagination
If you’re working on a short story or novel, vivid imagination is essential to crafting something true and original. Meditation can help you here as well.
When I was working on my debut novel, I was having a difficult time coming up with the ending. So, one day, I sat in a dark room, put on my headphones, and played Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
You probably wouldn’t call that a proper meditation, but to me, it felt pretty similar to that back then. And guess what? The ending just came to me. When you lower your mental noise, your imagination opens up.
3. Makes you more patient
Many online writers, especially here on Medium, edit their own articles. In all my years of being a freelance writer, I’ve also been an editor. And if there’s one thing you require for being an editor, it’s plenty of patience.
While editing a piece, you often need to read it again and again and again—that too, with the freshness of someone reading it for the first time. Meditation can help here as well.
When confronted with a difficult piece, you can take a few deep breaths and have enough mental space to view it from an objective point of view. Then, you have better clarity on how to edit it. I’ve experienced this.
Now that you know how meditation can help you as a writer, you’re probably wondering how to start doing it daily. So, let’s talk about that.
How to Get Started Today?
When it comes to meditation, I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to adopting it into your daily life. Each person has their own approach to it. So, let me share my story.
For me, it began with The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. That book introduced me to the concept of mindfulness. It fascinated me, and I thought about it a lot (see the irony there?).
I remember a few days here and there where I meditated, but it was all sporadic until about a month ago, when I started doing it every day. There were two apps that helped me: Headspace and Onrise.
Why You Should Use a Habit Tracker
Headspace provides me with guided meditations, and Onrise is a habit-tracking app. So, I go to Headspace when I want to meditate, and at the end of the day, I log the activity into Onrise.
Let me tell you, using a habit tracker has been one of the main reasons I’ve been successful at adopting this habit. When you measure something, you establish a basis for improving it.
So, whichever way you approach meditation, remember to log your progress in some way. Check out my article about habit trackers if you’re not sure which app to go for.
Conclusion
By now, I hope I’ve convinced you to try meditation! Of course, beyond the three benefits I listed above, it can also improve your life in many other ways. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
I hope you found this article helpful! To see more of my writing, visit my website www.devanshkamdar.com.
