I can speak for almost every living person when I say life can can get hectic! It's hard not to get overwhelmed when your working, going to school, have bills to pay and still want to keep a social life. Even trying to just do one of those things can be a daunting task. That's why it is so important to take time before you go to bed to ease your mind with meditation.
Guided meditation
If you are a beginner to meditation, it can be quite daunting. And the concept of clearing your mind when you have a million ideas running through it can be stressful to just think about. That's why guided meditations are a great place to start! Guided meditations work by listening to someone else speak and well, guide, you through your meditation. There are classes you can take in person but if you want to meditate before bed and don't have access to some meditation guru at the snap of your fingers because you're not Kylie Jenner, youtube is a great platform! Here is a great one to start with: youtube.
Body scan meditation
Body scan meditation is one of my favorite meditations to do before bed because it relaxes my whole entire body. The purpose of a body scan is to truly connect with your body and how it is feeling. I start by laying down either on the floor or in my bed with my arms and legs slightly spread out and my head and neck supported by a pillow. I first focus on my breathing, inhaling through the nose and out through the mouth. I do this for about 2 minutes before I start to take notice of what my body is telling me. I like to start from the feet up and work my way to the top of my head. This meditation helps me relax and it also tells me the parts of my body that need some extra attention/ stretching in the morning. This meditation typically takes me anywhere from 10-15 minutes, but it's up to your creativity for how long you want to do it!
Gratitude meditation
This meditation is an incredibly powerful way to change the way you are feeling. I like to do this meditation at night when I had a bad day, feel stressed out, or need to remind myself that life is what you make of it. A gratitude meditation works by you saying in your head, or out loud, the things you are thankful for in your life or that day while breathing deeply. You can focus on one thing or a bunch of things. I usually try to focus on three things and repeat why I am thankful for them. Last night I did this meditation because I was really overwhelmed with schoolwork. My three gratitudes were: I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to be in college, I'm blessed to have met such great friends there, and I'm lucky to have such a supportive family. The meditation actually lasted about 20 minutes, but I've also done gratitude meditations that have only lasted five!
Reflection meditation
The reflection meditation is a great tool to use if you feel lost. I use it before bed if I can't figure out why I am feeling a certain way or need to think about a certain situation. I start by sitting up and again focusing on my breathing. Once I feel like I have gotten to a point of calmness I usually ask myself a question to begin like, "what today made me feel sad?" I then will look over my day and try to pinpoint that moment. Once I do that I ask myself, "Why did it make me sad?" And then I end it with, "How can I change my reaction to that next time/ prevent being sad?" This is a really great way to get in touch with your emotions. It also is a great way to put that emotion away before bed so you can get a good night's sleep.
Final Note
Meditation can be tricky! But one of the beautiful things about it is that there is no rules to it. You can meditate lying down, sitting up, in the shower, or sitting on the toilet during your lunch break. Don't worry if your mind starts to drift off to other things during meditation, it happens to everyone and almost every single time. Whenever this happens try to gently guide your mind back to the thing you are trying to focus on. And one last thing, meditation requires consistency to help you in the long run. Make small commitments like meditating before bed for five minutes every day and then gradually build upon this goal!
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