In our busy world, it’s sometimes difficult for us to refrain from getting caught in the hustle and bustle of life. Most of us would have heard of meditation and the benefits it offers us for our mental health. … and many of us would say we simply do not have time for meditation, we are far too busy! Those of us who say this, would likely benefit from meditating the most.

Perhaps the word meditation conjures images of retreats in India, sitting for hours or possibly days in a wakeful-sleep state. But meditation doesn’t need to take hours. Short meditations are still helpful to our conscious mind. For those who are interested in the science of meditation or need further convincing of the benefits you can check out this article here.

Meditation can help to improve our focus, concentration, sleep and feelings of wakefulness, and there are many different types we can try. For reference, take a look at this page with links to meditations you can try to see which work better for you. Some of us might respond better to some than others.

If at first you find it difficult to quiet your busy mind or keep focus, that’s okay. This is an activity that can take practise. If you notice your mind wandering, just bring your focus back. If you struggle with this in particular, perhaps begin practise with shorter guided meditations. If you can only dedicate a small amount of time, shorter meditations might be preferred for this reason too. There are so many different ways to practise meditation, and many advise to start with guided visualisations as these can be a good way to ease into practise and build mindset.

It’s quite likely that once you begin practise and feel the benefits, engaging in longer and deeper practise will be a natural desire; you may even begin looking forward to your time with excitement and enthusiasm. In effort for self-care, at least an hour a day of self-focus and kindness is needed, and meditation is an excellent way to build towards this.