Waking Up At 5 a.m. Won't Transform Your Life, But This Will

Nowadays, the internet is full of buzz about how waking up early can have a transformative impact on your life. But setting your alarm an hour early can really only get you so far. What's the point of an added hour to your day if you aren't using your hours mindfully?

To me, meditation is the one thing that can truly transform a person’s life. Diane von Furstenberg, the fashion designer, once said, “The most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself. Because no matter what happens, you will always be with yourself.” 

Busy professionals can benefit from exploring the simple benefits of meditation. However, many people don’t think they have the time. Or, they don’t believe they can sit still long enough, or prevent their mind from wandering.

The great thing about meditation is that it doesn’t need to be a long, complicated, and perfect process. You don’t need special clothes, a special place or equipment. You’d be amazed at the mental and physical benefits you’ll notice, even if you just sit quietly for five minutes every day. It can improve your relationship with yourself and others.

Meditation exercises your mind, the same way that physical exercise tones your body. It helps you improve and maintain psychological fitness.  Here are some of the benefits it produces:

1. Relieving Stress: You can lighten the load of a frustrating day using meditation to relax.
2. Looking Younger: Wrinkles make us look older, and stress is one of the biggest wrinkle producers. When meditation relieves stress, it makes you feel more energized and helps to avoid wrinkles.
3. Sleeping Better: If you toss and turn at night, it’s probably because you’re worrying about things that happened during the day, or running through your to do list for the next day. Many people find that meditating before going to bed calms their mind and helps them drift off to sleep.
4. Focusing More: When you’re overwhelmed with all the details of your life, it’s difficult to focus on the big picture. Meditation can help you focus on your goals and stay inspired throughout your day.
5. Reducing Anxiety and Depression: You may not be battling clinical anxiety or depression, but anyone can get caught up in concentrating on the negative things in life. While severe depression requires a range of therapies, research done at Johns Hopkins University found that meditation can help ease psychological stresses like anxiety, depression and pain.
6. Being Kind to Yourself: Your relationship with yourself needs to be based on kindness. Meditation can help you clear your mind and open yourself to self-awareness and acceptance.  Anytime you’re ready to put yourself down, your practice of meditation will help you avoid negative self-talk.

Given all the positive things that meditation offers, it may be worth exploring. And, there are easy ways to do that.  You can acquire free meditation apps for your iPhone, Android smartphone, or your computer by visiting Smiling Mind.  Headspace is another website that provides free apps for smartphones.

I invite you to give meditation a try. Even if it doesn’t transform your life, it might just brighten your day!

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Wanda Sealy created Multi-Task-Her Coaching and Consulting Services to assist ambitious working mothers like herself. An experienced coach, Wanda has an uncanny ability to help women identify and address the core issues that are holding them back, allowing them to be the inspired and empowered people they were born to be. If all you have are questions, Wanda will help you find the answers. To learn more about Wanda and her company visit www.multitaskher.com or email her at wanda@multitaskher.com.