Meditation helps manage thoughts and emotions, reduce stress, and boost focus. Discover how it works and simple steps to get started.
As humans, we constantly experience various emotions that need to be processed, and countless thoughts that aim to help us but might be also distracting or overwhelming.
If we do not take care of our mind and just live on autopilot, it can lead to a lack of focus, excessive stress, anxiety, or even depression.
This is why meditation matters. It functions like a 'mental gym' or 'mental shower'.
How meditation works
To take care of our mind and better manage our thoughts and feelings, we first need to be aware of when they arise. This might sound very simple but in reality we are aware of approximately only 5 % of what is going on in our mind.
For example, you might have experienced a situation when you’re trying to work and suddenly realize you’ve been thinking about something else for 10 minutes. And many more thoughts, emotions, patterns and beliefs running our life in the background go unnoticed—not just for 10 minutes, but for hours, days, months or the whole life.
Becoming aware of our thoughts and feelings and learning to work with them is precisely what meditation trains us to do. This helps us work with them consciously and deliberately and lead our life in the direction we want.
How to Meditate
If you’re new to meditation, a practice that is particularly helpful is settling the mind. This involves gently focusing your attention on your breath and bringing it back whenever you notice the mind has wandered away.
Your attention might wander frequently, and that’s completely natural and okay. The key is not to criticize or suppress wandering thoughts. Instead, acknowledge them and allow them to exist. You can even smile at them and say, “Dear thought, I allow you to be here.” Then, let it go and return your focus to your breath. Repeat this process continuously.
With regular, daily practice, you’ll eventually notice that you become more aware of distractions more quickly (both during meditation and throughout the day). You’ll also become more accepting of them and better able to direct your attention to where you want it to be. As a result, you’ll experience more calm and mental clarity for what truly matters in your life.
Guided Meditation and Support
Most people find that guided meditation is helpful, especially at the beginning. You can use mine here. It's also common to encounter challenges along the way, and having someone to discuss these with can make a big difference. If you'd like to have a personalised guidance and support on your journey, you can check out my 1:1 sessions.
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