Wellness Wednesday: Meditation as Medicine

Buddha in meditation.

Living with anxiety can be paralyzing at times. My brain is usually frantic, always running in continuous loops. I frequently bite my bottom lip fraught with worry. I am anxious about everything in my life and rarely, even when my anxiety is quiet, do I ever feel clear. I never feel truly calm and at peace.

In 2014, when I was pregnant with my last daughter, I discovered the benefits of meditation. My anxiety was not as intense during my pregnancies, most likely due to hormones. I decided to start meditating more to give my mind and body a break. Pregnancy can be really draining on your mind and body. You are growing a tiny human in your body! All of that amazing "miracle of life" work leaves you feeling super exhausted. If it would have been up to me I would have napped all day. But, that was impossible because I had a four-year-old at home with me at the time, and napping all day most likely would have been frowned upon. So I needed to find another way to take a break. Meditation seemed more productive than sitting on the couch staring at the floor for 15 minutes.

So I started meditating once a day and instantly fell in love. The practice calmed my mind and body, helped my mood and focus and left me feeling refreshed. I felt like I had discovered such a huge secret! Meditation was a magic medicine!

I have kept up with my meditation practice and still really enjoy it and find it beneficial. I always aim for three times a day- as soon as I wake up, late afternoon and before I go to bed. That schedule doesn't always work out and most days I am only able to squeeze in one of three of my planned meditations. But I don't allow myself to feel anxious or bad about missing one. I just roll with my day knowing that I will eventually get there. It's like a treat I look forward to. The carrot on a string I run after.

Photo credit: Calm

There are a lot of apps you can use to meditate. Calm is a very popular one. I have used it before and really liked it. However, money (or lack of) talks, and Calm is a membership based app where paying monthly is required to access all of the content. I was never willing to make the leap for a full yearly membership. I did pay for a few months (I think there was a three month special for new members) then cancelled because I just couldn't justify the cost. Hello anxiety!

Photo credit: Insight Timer

Last October I discovered an app called Insight Timer. The app is 100% free to use. Insight Timer offers thousands of meditations from thousands of different teachers. You can choose from varying times, guided meditations, music or talks. There is also a timer that you can use with different bell tones and ambient sound selections like rain or ocean. You can save your favorite meditations for easy access and join groups that are similar to Facebook groups. For example, I am in a women's only group where we share stories and ideas.

Overall, Insight Timer is fantastic. I couldn't live without it and I highly recommend it. Also, I am not being paid to say this. I truly love it and want to share the wealth. But, Insight Timer, if you want to partner up send me a message and we can talk! Haha.

Alternatively, you can sit with yourself and your breath in silence while meditating. That's part of the beauty of a meditation practice. It's totally free and always available. You can practice anytime, anywhere, You just need your breath. And if you think that meditation isn't for you because you cant sit still or silence your thoughts, just give it a try. It's called a practice for a reason.

Do you meditate? Do you use anything like an app or aromatherapy to practice? Let me know in the comments below!