Mindfulness and Meditation: A Beginner's Guide to Inner Peace

Mindfulness meditation is a new tool for me, but I've found that it has helped me overcome a long-standing problem: Anxiety.

So I figured, why not write a guide?

Here's my simple guide to getting started with mindfulness and meditation.

STEP 1: Get Some Quiet Time Alone

If you're a beginner, it's probably a good idea to start by getting some uninterrupted time alone. You might want to set aside an hour on a weekend afternoon, or maybe an evening when your partner is gone.

The reason is simple: It's really easy to start practicing mindfulness meditation when you're around other people.

STEP 2: Set Up Your Mindfulness Meditation Routine

Now, you might already have a meditation routine in place that you follow every day. If you do, great!

But here's the thing... the most powerful part of mindfulness meditation is not having a formalized plan. So the idea here is to simply be mindful in your daily life without worrying about whether you've scheduled it into your routine.

The important thing is to get started, even if it's just for 30 minutes a day.

STEP 3: Find an Affectionate Friend

You may be surprised to hear this, but mindfulness meditation is also really effective when practiced with a supportive friend.

You see, when we practice mindfulness, our minds naturally become calmer and clearer. By watching each other's breath or observing each other's thoughts, you'll learn what it feels like to be a little bit more present and focused.

This isn't to say that you can't go through mindfulness meditation all by yourself. But it's hard to connect with your true self without someone to observe and support you along the way.

STEP 4: Pick a Lesson and Stick With It

Mindfulness meditation lessons typically run anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. However, there's an argument to be made that beginners should only try to meditate for 15-20 minutes at a time.

The reason is that if you spend too much time meditating, you'll lose sight of why you're doing it. As a beginner, you don't yet know how to control your thoughts, so a longer session would feel overwhelming.

STEP 5: Use A Mindfulness Journal

It's also useful to keep a record of what works and what doesn't. This gives you a chance to experiment and learn more about your mind.

And when you start your next mindfulness meditation session, you'll know what to focus on.