Meditation: Balance, End the Day Length: 5 minutes Where: In Bed, Los Angeles How It Felt: Sleepy
It’s no secret I was super sleepy yesterday, as I already whined about in my last post (haha- I’m a huge baby). I was also hustling all day, so just went ahead and planned to do a meditation around bedtime. I’m really into that sunset meditation from Balance! It’s so calming.
It was cool, too, because it was actually different this time. I don’t know if they have a different script for your first time, then it’s the same every time after, or if it’s literally different every time you do it, but I definitely noticed that! It is soooo relaxing to watch that little sun go down… down… down while a soothing voice lulls you in to sleepiness.
This time, I actually did it the way it was meant to be done. I did the session an hour before I wanted to sleep, then I actually put my phone down! I just stretched and read until I had to close my eyes. Big win!
I am starting to notice that every week or so, I’m taking another step toward a healthy life routine. Deleting time wasters, getting better at hitting the ground running when I wake up, keeping consistent daily tasks I’ve established while adding more in slowly, working on my sleep schedule, staying ahead of things I used to always be playing catchup with….
For instance, we are leaving for a trip Saturday morning. Normally, because I’m the world’s biggest over-scheduler/ procrastinator, that would mean spending today and Friday rushing around doing last minute errands, staying up late the night before cleaning since we will have pet sitters coming, definitely finishing laundry the morning we are supposed to leave, trying to shop and plan outfits the day before, telling myself I can totally finish two library books due in two days, etc.
Now, my place is crazy clean. The laundry is all caught up. My to do list isn’t ridiculously long. I have been consistently studying, reading every day, meditating, writing, keeping up with emails and random tasks, etc. I have time to get my nails done, get a spray tan without worrying about running around after, all the things.
And I really, truly believe this ability to be consistent, to just put one foot in front of the other in a balanced way, all started when I decided to start meditating (and writing about it) daily. This one tiny habit started affecting everything else in my life. I read a habit book recently that talked about this exact phenomenon, but I don’t think I truly believed it would be so powerful. Now I’m seeing the results with my own eyes!
It just feeds on itself. I get more relaxed, so I don’t get overwhelmed and shut down. I do things more mindfully, more intentionally. I’m not always behind, so I’m not having to do extra work to catch up. This gives me more time to do even more!
Now, let’s get real. Life as we know it isn’t fully back yet. I’m not working as much as I will be, or traveling as much, or building in tons of time with friends or for events. However, I’m really hoping this vibe will transfer to life going forward, because I’m totally loving it.
It’s true what they say- start small. Choose one tiny thing to change. Anything. Then just keep going!
My Year of Meditation 