9 ways to make meditation a daily habit

I've always been an anxious guy. When presented with new information, my mind will construct all kinds of elaborate worst-case scenarios, then replay them on loop until I shutdown my brain through distraction, sleep, or (more often than not) beer. Ive been in and out of therapy for years, and until recently was taking an SSRI for generalized anxiety

About a year ago, I discovered Headspace. I was initially skeptical, but figured anything that could help combat the constant swirl of fear and worry was worth a try.

Fast forward one year later. Ive managed to meditate using Headspace every day for 365 days. Ive tapered off the meds, reduced my number of my therapy sessions, and am at least somewhat better at pulling myself out of self-destructive tailspins. Im certainly not free from anxiety, but I am better equipped to deal with it.

Like any habit, the tough part is sticking with it. Im no monk or guru, but I know what helps me meditate every day. If youre looking to make meditation a daily habit, here are some tips that might help.

Choose a Realistic Amount of Time

I always thought that meditating meant sitting for hours in silence, but youre more likely to actually do it if you choose a short, realistic goal. I picked 20 minutes. Some days I only did 10, but I never put any pressure on myself to do more than 20.

Do it in the Morning

This may not be true for everyone, but morning is when I have the most control over my time. It also feels good to put yourself in the right frame of mind going into your day. Plus, if I didnt do it early in the day, I would sometimes get anxious about not having meditated yet… you see how my mind works.

If morning just isnt convenient for you, Id recommend choosing a specific time you have free every day — your lunch break for instance. You might switch it up sometimes, but having meditation regularly built into your daily schedule helps a lot.

Do it Anywhere & Everywhere

Unlike exercising your body, you dont get sweaty exercising your mind. So you can do it in your normal clothes, wherever you happen to be, and move on to the rest of your day. Heres a list of some of the places I trained my mind in 2015:

– on a chair in my apartment

– on a city bus

– standing up on a crowded subway train

– on a park bench

– on several airplanes

– in hotel rooms in four countries

– in the Amtrak quiet car (the best!)

– hiding in the stairwell at work

– hiding in the bathroom during a party

– waiting at the DMV

You might assume that to meditate, you have to find a quiet place. But I found I could meditate in any place where the noise was consistent — meaning there might be some noise, but because it didnt change, I could tune it out.

One Sunday morning, I was meditating across the street from a preacher giving a loud sermon over a megaphone. My initial response was to tense up and think, This is ruining my meditation! But then I realized the megaphone made his voice muffled, kind of like the adult voices in Charlie Brown cartoons. Once I accepted that the voice was part of my environment, I was able to tune it out and go on with my practice.

However, if people are having audible conversations around you, thats tough. Maybe try somewhere else.

Keep the Streak Going

This was the #1 factor in maintaining my daily habit. Once I committed to meditating every day, I didnt want to break my streak. Headspace has little badges that mark your progress: 1 Day, 3 Days, 10 Days, 15 Days, 30 Days, 90 Days. 180 Days. 365 Days. For me, this was a hugely powerful motivator. (I also liked the cartoon images of a brain lifting up progressively heavier objects.) After every session, Id check my streak number. This became a positive feedback loop. Id meditate, check my streak number, and take a little pride in moving forward. The streak is your friend.

Scale Back When You Need To

Some days, I couldnt do my full 20 minute session. It happened when I was traveling, or sick, or just didnt have the energy. On those days, Id do a mini session. Id meditate for about half my normal length, and just do the basics: deep breaths, checking in with the senses and the body, and following the rhythm of my breath.

That is TOTALLY FINE. A big part of combatting anxiety is being kind to yourself, so it doesnt pay to beat yourself up if you cant stick to a perfect schedule all the time. Just do a little bit, enough to keep your streak going, and pick it back up tomorrow.

I recommend using the Unguided 10 Minutes session for these days. Sometimes Id even do slightly less than 10 minutes and fast-forward through the rest. Its a bit of a cheat, but it kept my streak in tact, which kept me going for the next day, and thats what matters.

Accept that You Wont be Perfect

If your brain is half as self-critical as mine, your first thought will be, Im terrible at this. My minds just not built for meditation. But thats kind of the point. Meditation is practice. Its training. And when youre training, its ok to mess up.

Theres a meditation technique called noting. If your mind wanders off, youre supposed to pause, note what distracted you, and let it go. When I first tried this, every time I caught myself getting distracted, I got angry. Crap! Im distracted! Id think, I suck at meditation! But realizing youre distracted is the point. So every time you mess up, youre actually moving forward.

I used to juggle, and one of my juggling teachers said, If youre not dropping, youre not learning. Thats the gist.

Make it About Others

Its easy to imagine meditation as very self-focused. And it can be that way at times. But by taking care of your own mind, and treating it well, youre more likely to treat others well. Youre developing skills like acceptance, patience and empathy, which are qualities that will benefit the people you care about.

So if you dont feel motivated to meditate for yourself, remember that doing it could help those around you.

Remember its Not Magic

Meditation is a wonderful thing, but its not a silver bullet. Even if you do meditate every day, youre still going to feel anxious, stressed, and sad sometimes. Occasionally Ill find myself in a negativity spiral and think, This isnt fair! Im meditating EVERY DAY! (You can see I still have some room for improvement.)

The point is, feelings like stress and anxiety are part of life. Meditation isnt going to get rid of them. But it gives me the tools to recognize those feelings when they arise, and deal with them in a healthy, constructive way.

Enjoy the Journey

Meditation is not something you do for a year, or two years or five years, and then youre cured. Its a thing you continue to practice and improve for your whole life. So rather than thinking ahead to how youre hoping to feel later, try to enjoy your meditation sessions for what they are right now— little moments where you get to be calm and still, and take a break from the craziness of your regular life.

I started this post by declaring myself an anxious guy. But Ive learned that identity isnt quite that fixed. Im just a guy, who has anxious feelings sometimes. And thanks to meditation, Im better able to deal with those feelings than I was before. Im still just at the very beginning of the journey, and I have a lot more learning (and messing up) to do.