I am not a morning person. It is really hard for me to get up and get going early in the morning. Usually, my wake-up routine consists of hitting snooze one too many times, then immediately reaching for my phone to check my notifications until I am fully awake, which has me rushing to get to class. I have tried many different methods to get myself to be a morning person: drinking hot lemon water, working out immediately, and even going to bed earlier. Although these have their positives, I thought I would try something different this past week and see if it changed anything. I began each morning with a meditation to ease into the hustle of the day ahead. I stuck to the same app, MWH (Melissa Wood Health), but any meditation out there gets the job done. Here was my experience!
FRIDAY
I woke up at 7:45 today but laid in bed until 8 when my eyes could finally hold themselves open. I will admit, I did cheat a little by scrolling through my phone right after my alarm went off, but this is why we are trying to change our habits! I used the MWH app, which I could not recommend enough, as her meditations are really easy to follow. I did a 13-minute meditation called “Start Where You Are”. I figured this would be a nice way to start my week of meditating as I am literally starting the day off where I am, in my bed, trying to better my mental habits. This was a great beginning to my day and I felt surprisingly more awake, as I had a feeling it would make me fall back asleep. I noticed an energy shift right away and I had a much more positive outlook on my day ahead. Overall, it was an amazing start to my week of meditation and I am excited for tomorrow morning!
SATURDAY
I’m not going to lie to you guys–this meditation was cut short. It was one of those mornings, I was running late, and I couldn’t sit through the 14 minutes. It was titled “Wake Me Up” and I do wish I could have finished. I got to the 8-minute mark and started to stress since I was already behind schedule, so I stopped, which definitely defeats the entire purpose of meditation. I am still getting used to sitting still and zoning out for the entirety. However, those 8 minutes were still great and had an impact on my morning. After I got up, I felt very awake, even though it was 7:45 on a Saturday morning! I’m writing this update at Acoustic Java, and when I tell you I am laser-focused right now–being this productive is a RARITY. Yay for meditation! I am really hoping I can get back on the grind and actually carve out enough time to finish the whole thing tomorrow because it felt a little unfinished to me. Nevertheless, we move on and have an amazing day!
SUNDAY
I woke up this morning absolutely craving to meditate. Yesterday was the first day I could really tell a difference in the way I felt, so I was excited to get back at it. I was able to finish the full 14-minute meditation called “Coming Home to Your Breath”. Focusing on my breath and how my lungs were filling up with and releasing air really helped me to relax and focus on the present, disregarding any stresses or tasks I had to complete, which has always been an issue when I wake up. I felt like I had a handle on how my day was going to go and the empowerment is still lingering with me as I sit in Dinand. Not to mention, completing a meditation right after waking up is already one thing you can check off the list, bringing productivity to another level. The moments immediately after meditating are so peaceful–almost like a mini-vacation from reality. I am looking forward to the day ahead and seeing how this practice will impact me.
MONDAY
Exam day!! I went to bed late last night after studying for a while so I was definitely in need of a meditation. I woke up extra early and did the 14-minute meditation called “To Awaken Yourself Within”. It included a sound bath which was so needed before I started studying again. I feel calm, collected, and ready to get this done, which is very unlike me, considering I am usually a stress ball before any exam. I love incorporating this into my morning routine as the positive effects it has are worth getting up a little earlier. I am off to study now and we will see how it goes after a great meditation!
TUESDAY
This morning, I woke up absolutely exhausted at 7, basically unable to move when my alarm went off. I so badly wanted to hit snooze and go back to sleep, but instead, I put my headphones in and turned on that MWH magic. I used the 10-minute “Be With What Is”. It was honestly a blur and went by really quickly because of how half-asleep I was, but it still felt great to focus on breathing and slowly wake up my brain. Today is going to be extremely busy (I have to write two papers–pray for me), so I am trying to remember how I felt right after the meditation to bring me peace during stressful times. I am excited to take on the day after immediately receiving positive vibes from this morning.
WEDNESDAY
This morning, I decided to do a quick 9-minute meditation called “A Quick Reboot”. I was hoping this would be a good way to wake up and get my energy flowing. I was right about that! I started out half-asleep like I did yesterday, but I was determined to focus and disregard everything else. I have been so tired lately, so I am thinking of doing a seated meditation tomorrow to ensure that I am in a good headspace for absorbing the information. I enjoyed this one because it was short and sweet–it wasn’t too dragged out but also got the job done that I have been experiencing with longer, 14-minute meditations. I am onto another paper due this week, so today will definitely be long, but I am confident that I can power through it with all this positive energy flowing through me!
THURSDAY
Today was the last day of my meditation challenge. I did one called “Grounding Within”, as I thought that would be an appropriate way to end the week. I am proud of myself for actually following through with this and I definitely noticed a difference. Although this week was super stressful with midterms, my mindset remained positive (for the most part) and I think it really got me through all the craziness of exams and papers. I did not plan it this way, but this was probably the perfect week to try out a daily meditation. Focusing on my breath helped me to feel more in tune with my mind and the world around me. I could not recommend this “challenge” enough–though it was less of a challenge and more of a reward for me–and I will definitely be continuing to meditate regularly. No matter how busy you are, or if you are still doubting how meditation would affect you, I strongly encourage you to give it a try–I promise you will not regret it!