How 'Bout Now?
“Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.”
Those seeking to gain every possible advantage in maintaining the greatest possible levels of health and happiness may know that meditation (for instance) has been shown to improve quality of life in numerous ways, and understand that having a regular meditation practice is a great idea. Yet, as with other obvious areas in which change is far easier said than done (like diet and exercise), actually getting there can seem like a Herculean effort. Overall, solidifying new habits requires preparation, practice, and daily management of distractions and the thoughts and emotions that arise throughout the process of change. So many things can make the consistency required hard to achieve. Sometimes people decide that the whole thing is just too hard, and not worth it.
Now, there are times in everyone’s life when it really doesn’t make sense to tackle the creation of new habits, as in when you’re already dealing with a major life change, like the birth of a child. When you’re overwhelmed by high demands, the chances of succeeding with a new habit that’s also demanding are lower. Often we only contemplate taking one on in these situations in order to give ourselves the illusion of control, when the most loving thing would actually be to embrace the mess for a time, and refuse to push ourselves to beyond exhaustion until the critical need passes. Trying to do it all when we don’t have the capacity can end up just piling onto our feelings of incompetence and disappointment, which isn’t helpful in the long term.
On the other hand, obviously, claiming we’re too busy can also be a defense mechanism against making necessary changes. We’re all busy, and there’s never a perfect time to do the thing you’re resisting because you know it will be difficult. At some point, you’ll need to accept the discomfort and choose to start taking action anyway. We all have the ability to rise to a challenge when it’s important.
So, if you want to start up a helpful new habit, unless you’re maxed out by unusual circumstances, there’s no better time than now. You don’t need to choose goals and measures that are inhuman. The best way to get rolling is often with micro-steps toward your overall destination. If you want to get more exercise, for instance, you might choose to climb one more flight of stairs per day than you normally would, or park a little farther away from your errand than you could to get in some extra walking, and only build up to more activity in small increments. If it’s diet, go hunting for new recipes and just cook one new one per week. You get the picture.
If meditation is where you want to grow, here are a few ideas that don’t take much time at all, and aren’t as scary to try as some people fear:
Take a short walk somewhere pleasant and practice noticing how your feet feel on the ground, and all the data you’re taking in through your senses—temperature, breeze, scenery, scents, sounds, quality of the light, etc. When you notice your mind wandering, bring your awareness back to the here and now. This is a simple moving meditation that can help you get a break from the daily jumble of your thoughts and emotional reactions
In odd moments, imagine that every cell in your body is smiling. (This was recommended by a teacher Elizabeth Gilbert writes about working with in Eat, Pray, Love.) Even just a few moments of this feels pretty good!
Whether you’re walking or sitting, try repeating a word or phrase, commonly referred to as a mantra, over and over again. This keeps the mind occupied. It could be a single word like Love or Release, or a phrase like “I am blessed.” This keeps the mind occupied with something benign
Imagine that you’re in a beam of pure white light, and that it’s shining through every cell in your body. This one may seem less intuitive, but it can be powerful
Tap! Just sayin’. Also qualifies as moving meditation. It tunes you in to your body, mind, emotions and spirit, and helps you clear out old stuff and feel better.
People often think that meditation means only sitting quietly and clearing the mind of all thought. This may seem very difficult, since most of us have pretty busy minds, and the thought of sitting there trying to fight this fight may sound hellish. This type of meditation is quite difficult to master, but the point is not to be perfect. The point is to practice and get better at it over time. It may never be easy! However, it’s not the only option. There are other kinds of meditation practice that may be easier to start with, and still offer great benefits. It’s worth finding out what’s out there if the idea of building focus, calm, and better brain function appeals to you.
Starting small with changes you want to make can ease your transition into better habits, and help you build momentum toward, and consistent focus on, your goals so that working toward them becomes a normal part of your day. If grand gestures inspire you, by all means go for it, but if they overwhelm you, there’s no reason you can’t get moving anyway in smaller increments.