How to turn meditation into a habit?
Even though we realize that practicing meditation regularly will help us clear our minds, establish better connections with ourselves and others, relax, and refresh our energy levels, something often gets in the way, causing us to forget to keep up with this simple practice of sitting and just doing nothing. Why is this so?
Our minds have developed over long periods of time, leading us to believe that doing nothing is unproductive. Even though the new understanding that meditation helps us be more productive is taking root, it’s still like a baby plant yet to grow into a tree. While we are in this phase, it’s important to turn this simple practice into an enjoyable habit.
The challenges we create for ourselves often involve forcing ourselves to sit for longer periods of time and making the process difficult. To overcome these obstacles, follow this three-step process to make it into a habit:
Make it easy: Do not practice for more than 2 minutes in the very beginning, so you encounter zero resistance from your mind. This is important because our initial effort is to make it a habit; later, we can focus on improving our practice.
Make it attractive: We all need a story to believe to turn a practice into a ritual. Ask yourself what story appeals to you. Do you want to call it your “me time,” self-care, self-love, taking care of yourself, mental health time, connecting with your true self, time for inner peace, connecting with your higher self, time to just be, or find your own story that makes you reach for this time with eagerness.
Make it rewarding: Our minds are more attracted to instant results, such as how we feel right after having a coffee, eating a piece of chocolate, or watching our favorite story on social media. If you tell your mind that the benefits will come after months, the chances of sticking to the habit are less. Therefore, it’s beneficial to combine this new practice with an existing habit.
For example, if you are going for a coffee, start with 2 minutes of meditation and reward yourself with a coffee afterward. Alternatively, before reaching for your phone for a distraction break, tell yourself you’ll do it after your 2-minute ritual. This way, your mind welcomes the new habit into your life with the least resistance.
By doing so, we can gradually integrate meditation into our lives more seamlessly. Once you start this way, later you can increase your duration as per the availability of time, and you won’t feel like you are wasting it as you already enjoy it and are reaping the benefits of it. Slowly, you can drop combining it with the reward as meditation itself will become your reward.
Let me know if you have any questions. Let’s support and motivate each other. You are not alone in this journey. To make it easier, we have created a community, and there is a WhatsApp group you can join for motivation and also participate in our regular events to meet other like-minded people.