I downloaded a meditation app a few months ago. During the time, excessive stress and the feeling of burnout were overwhelming. I thought downloading the app would motivate me to use it, as in high school I used to meditate every day, thinking having it in my face every day when I went to use my phone would mean I would see it and be motivated to use it. However, as a busy student, I regard every second as precious for doing work or for fun. and found that the recommended 10-20 minutes a day spent meditating was a ridiculous task to allocate busy study and work time for.
Eventually, I caved. This was about a month ago. Seeing it often enough did pressure me into using it, though a few months late. I did body scan meditation and mindfulness meditation for this month. The body scan meditation encourages people to scan their bodies to relieve tension while mindfulness meditation encourages people to become aware of their surroundings and current situation in life without judgment. I tried these out before class in the mornings when I woke up.
At first, it was hard to focus and think the time spent doing meditation was important. But after a couple of weeks, the results began to show. I was calmer with fewer anxieties. I had less self-critical inner voices and was able to handle the anxiety and stress of the outside world with school and work and relationships more. I was also, in general, happier than I had been before mediation.
The important thing to take away though is not my results. Meditation's benefits can take an indefinite amount of time to surface, and for some, it may not work at all. Just like how some medicine may not work for a patient, meditation may not help you with your ailments from life. The important take away is that I encourage you to try meditation for yourself, no expectations or judgment, to see if it works for you.
Some final tips are that mediation is about being in the moment and not focusing on the potential results or holding expectations for each session. It is also a hard skill to master and if you are having difficulty and getting distracted or sidetracked, it is important not to be self-critical and just continue breathing. Just like with any skill, practicing will increase proficiency. Meditation has changed my life and hopefully, after reading this article, you feel inspired to try meditation too.
