How To Start Meditating To Not Drop It Off After Few Days - Step 6

Easy and painless introduction to the practice of meditation.

Those posts are fragments from my book “Short Practical Guide to Mental Health“, therefore they're, exceptionally, behind the paywall. You can purchase the book here.

behance.net/gallery/158384247/master-oogway?tracking_source=search_projects&l=9

“Don’t seek internal comfort from external sources.”

First thing first, I want to clarify what I mean when I say meditation. It's nothing about metaphysics or spirituality. While some may perceive it that way, we are not interested in this. We are interested in scientifically proven technique that have a positive impact on your brain. If you had the image of some magic “wolololo” in your mind, get rid of it. Try to erase any preconceived notions of meditation from your mind and approach the following information with a fresh perspective, as if you're encountering it for the very first time.

How to start?

It's nothing complicated. Actually, there are not many things less complicated than this. Just get in a comfortable position and start… doing nothing. Don't think about… anything. It may feel strange and uncomfortable at first, especially if your brain is overstimulated on a daily basis, but trust me - it’s worth it. Also, set a timer, so you know when to stop. And no, your phone isn’t muted, it’s just the time slowing down when you lay down and do nothing but focus on the present moment.

And that's basically it. Simple, right? It's about giving your mind some time to “recharge” and “clean the cache”, as I like to think about it.

Now that we have an understanding of the general concept, I will give you more specific instructions on how to begin. 

As I said before, you can simply get comfortable, set a timer on your phone for a few minutes, and try to do the above. However, I highly recommend starting with the easier and more convenient option - the apps. As there are apps for everything nowadays, there are apps for meditation too. I started with “Waking Up” by Sam Harris, and that’s probably the best one out here. Sam will walk you through 10 minutes of daily meditation in a very relaxing way. Unfortunately, the app is based on a subscription model, so if you are like me and don’t want to spend about $20 every single month for an app, you may be interested in the one I currently use - Medito. It’s very easy to use, free, and does the job. Plus, it shows statistics, such as total time spent meditating, sessions listened to etc. Nice touch. 

Now, pick a time in the day when nobody will interrupt you and make meditating your daily habit. Personally, I like to do it right before sleep, and I’m doing it almost every day (almost is being drunk or exhausted). Sometimes it may be hard to get yourself to do it (even for me and even now), but after I start, I always find myself surprised why I don't do it more often. 

The best starting tip I can give, and it's worth trying not only with meditation but in other aspects of life as well, is to commit to the practice for 40 days. After this time, it will be just a part of the day, not a new challenge. Whenever you feel like “I don’t know man”, just keep practicing without overthinking it.

One more thing – when you begin, you might find yourself wondering if you're doing it right or if it should feel different. I felt the same way at first. Don't worry too much about it. Just focus on the process and try not to think about anything – it's truly that simple. If counting your breaths makes you more comfortable, go ahead and do that. Counting backwards from 100 is also very relaxing. 

My experience with meditation: 

I meditate almost every day for over