Your Mind Will Always Wander
What I admire most about this type of meditation is that you focus on being aware of what you are sensing and feeling in that exact moment, Awareness of our body and mind without any interpretation or judgement.
This type of mindfulness meditation involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and much more to help relax the body and mind which the target is to reduce stress. This is a mental training practice that teaches us to slow down our racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both our mind and body.
Needless to say, I am not aiming to be one of those people who can meditate for hours and have a blank mind. That is not a focus of mine to accomplish. To seek full benefits though, you should aim for at least 10 minutes at a minimum. If you can go longer, go for it! The longest I've done to date was 25 minutes. For me, it was very beneficial. Even 15 minutes worked for me! In my opinion you can't be bad at mediation. There is no right or wrong way. We just need to find the one that works for us. Way back when, I had this notion that meditation was just chanting and lighting incense. Boy, was I wrong 😂.
I have also found that meditating before bed can help you sleep better. On more than one occasion I have fell right asleep while meditating. It is very soothing, and it helps relax the mind before bed, especially if your mind is racing. The app I recommend is Headspace. It ranks number one. I have found Headspace has helped me with my anxiety and irritability. When I am anxious or irritable my breathing is short and rapid which causes oxygen not to flow properly. I never knew there was a right way and wrong way to breathe. What a game changer this has been when I started paying attention to how I breathe. There have been times at work where I take a 5-minute mental break and do deep breathing. This has helped me tremendously.
We can practice mindfulness anywhere, doesn't always need to be while sitting still. It can be while you're driving, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, or taking a bath/shower. Just be in the moment, feel the water on your skin, the temperature in the room, the sounds and aroma that surround your nostrils. Be in that exact moment and release thoughts about what your kids are doing, what to make for dinner, or what time the meeting is for tomorrow morning. Acknowledge those thoughts, breathe through it and focus back to your breath. Be kind to yourself when these thoughts do occur. We all have busy lives and it's normal for them to creep in. It's all about having awareness that you are having those thoughts, acknowledge it and release them. 😊
"Mindfulness doesn't make people less irritating, it makes us less irritable."