Learning to Meditate, a Beginner’s First Week

Menopause has gifted me with a certain amount of anxiety or stress that is different than anything I experienced in my younger years. Sleep, or rather lack of it, has been a problem for me, as well. Especially in this modern age, as we flit from device to device and from texting to social media, our brains are moving at a breakneck pace. I’m looking for a little timeout. Or at least a way to slow my mind down a bit. I wanted to learn how to meditate.

A beginner’s experience, my attempt to learn to meditate and how the first week went:

We all hear about the benefits of meditation. It may help reduce stress, thus reducing anxiety. It may lead to more self awareness and better emotional health. There are some who believe it may help with attention span, brain fog, and age-related memory loss. Who doesn’t want to be more grounded and self aware? But I don’t know what I’m doing and need some guidance. I want some instruction.

I chose an app called Headspace which has great reviews and a 10 day free-trial. But there are plenty of other options. When you begin, it asks the main reason you want to start meditation and how long you want the beginning sessions to be. It’s not always easy to take time for yourself, I know. I chose 10 minutes. It’s a short enough time that I can’t give myself an excuse to skip it. I allowed notifications, so every day at 10:00 am (the time I chose) a reminder would alert me that it was time to meditate. And so it began…

Day by Day

Day 1: You begin by finding a comfortable spot, sitting upright. I chose the floor of my living room, sitting cross legged with my back resting against an ottoman. You begin with deep breaths and closing your eyes, taking in your surroundings, like sounds or smells, before turning attention to the physical self and your breathing. The narrator describes it as learning a new skill. I think of it too, like a muscle that you never use that you are trying to strengthen. I felt completely distracted the first day. My back hurt because we had spent the weekend cleaning out our basement. My hands and feet were cold and someone in the neighborhood was having a tree cut down. But I just went with it and did the best I could. It’s a learning process and I tried not to judge myself.

Day 2: I was looking forward to the session. Chose same spot, at same time of 10:00 am. I like getting the reminder notification. I thought how pleasant the male voice is that is guiding you. Australian accent, I believe. Not at all distracting and pleasant. My back hurts little less and I’m less distracted by other things. The 10 minutes fly by. I do feel more relaxed, a little slower or more grounded when finishing.

Day 3: Felt really cranky for some reason, wasn’t looking forward to it like day before. But it is feeling more comfortable in general. Can’t believe how fast the time goes by. Guide uses the analogy of our (constant) passing thoughts as traffic going by in front of you and how you can choose to get swept away watching the cars or not.

Day 4: Feeling a little agitated today. More thoughts than day before intruding. Hardest day so far to focus. I try to focus on narrator and breathing and try not to judge myself and whether I am doing it right. You do finish feeling more relaxed. Not groggy, just more peaceful.

Day 5: For the first time did meditation in the evening at 5:30. Feel more into it today and more adept. The narrator talks about using less effort, less trying.

Day 6: Slept so well last night for the first time in a long while. Feels amazing. Meditated slightly later in the morning. Ready for this today and it’s feeling more natural. It’s the first time there have been other people in the house when I’ve meditated, so it was a little more noisy. I thought of a Sex and the City episode where Charlotte goes to an acupuncturist but gets upset and can’t relax because of a loud protest outside on the street. The doctor tells her the city will never be quiet but she can learn to focus regardless. Feel like the time goes so fast, wish it was a little longer. But I know starting with just 10 minutes will help me to continue. Carving out time for ourselves when our plate is already full is difficult but I can do this.

Day 7: Slept well again last night! This is great. I have no idea if it’s related but I feel like it is. Today I meditate sitting up in bed, right before bed. Had been a busy day. Headspace suggests tying your meditation to another routine part of your day so it becomes habit. Maybe I need to think about doing that. But for now, as long as my commitment is there, and I get it in, I’m happy. The narrator today uses analogy of our mind as a blue sky, and our thoughts being the clouds.

Day 8: Meditated around 10:00 am this morning. Last night I did wake up around 3:30 am. This has been a new thing for me the past few months. It’s the time when all the stressful thoughts about your kids, finances, health, anything and everything go whizzing around in your head. I thought to myself, I have better skills now to deal with this tape playing in my head and was able to go back to sleep in a bit which hasn’t always been possible. I remember to take deep breaths, focusing on my breathing and not the racing thoughts.

The Journey continues

This is where I am, so far. I am sleeping better this week. Not a small thing for this menopausal woman. Some of the benefit of meditating at this early point is just becoming more self aware during the day. Being able to notice when your muscles are tense or recognizing when you’re getting caught up in the passing traffic of your thoughts and being able pull back. I think I’m feeling a little more grounded. I am definitely not stopping now. It’s a gift I can give myself everyday, no matter where I am. And I’ll see where it goes. Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it. Do you want to learn to meditate or do you already and have some advice? Let us know in the comments below. And thanks for stopping by.