For college students, stress management is super important. Believe it or not, stress and anxiety can have some seriously negative effects on both your mental health and your physical health.
Bring in meditation: a highly efficient way to relax your body and soothe your mind. Meditation can sound like an intimidating practice to dive into, but here are five ways to begin implementing the custom into your daily life.
1. Download an app
There are a few different meditation apps available for download. My personal favorite is called ‘Breathe,’ mainly because there’s a plethora of free content for a variation of different topics. Regardless of the app you choose, having one on your phone is already a step in the right direction. Guided meditations are the perfect way to begin your journey, especially because you literally have someone walking you through the process and keeping you focused!
2. Set aside time to meditate every day
The best way to get in a routine is to try to do it on a daily basis. Every day, set aside a certain amount of time for yourself to meditate. Some sessions can be short as one minute, whereas others can go on for ten or more. It doesn’t matter how long you meditate, as long as you’re granting yourself the opportunity to do so.
3. Think of it as self-care
A lot of the time, people equate self-care with shopping, face masks or taking a bath. While all of those things are definitely beneficial and fun, you can also think of meditation as self-care. When you start to liken meditation as a way to take care of yourself, you will probably be more geared to take those five minutes out of your day to just simply relax.
4. Set a reminder on your phone
We spend a solid chunk of our day on our phones as it is, so why not try to hold yourself accountable? If you’re committed to applying meditation to your daily life, you can set a alarm on your phone to remind you. It doesn’t have to be anything harsh or demanding, but rather a gentle memo.
5. Go at your own pace
Meditation isn’t necessarily the easiest practice to take up, so go as slow as you’d like. Don’t beat yourself up if you go a few days without logging into your app or if you just end up forgetting to. It shouldn’t be one of those things that you have to force yourself to do. Meditation is supposed to be a relaxing stress management tool, so don’t let it become a chore in any way!
Starting something new is never easy, especially meditation, but hopefully these five tips can make it better for you! Remember to set aside for yourself, take your time meditating and enjoying the experience.