What is the Best Way to Make Meditation a Habit for Beginners?

You've heard the talk by now, meditation is good for you. Who isn't talking about it? All the benefits, the ways it can help you find a state of calm and can help center you. You want in, right? You want to make meditation a part of your routine, and you want to make it stick.

But, each time you try, you find yourself coming up short. You go for several days, and even start to notice some benefits. But in the end, it just doesn't stick. Maybe this is your third or fourth try and making meditation a habit. You really want this to become a part of your life.

So, what are you going to do to make that happen? More of the same, or are you ready to try some different approaches? Here are a few ideas that will help. Let's take a closer look.

 Keep it simple

Regardless of what habit you're trying to build, you increase your odds of sticking to it if you keep it simple. Complicated routines and difficult habits just don't stick over the long haul. That's why focusing on the basics of meditation is your smartest move when starting, whatever your goal for meditating may be in the future, you're best served by focusing on the present and build outward.

"No matter the type of meditation you choose to practice, the ultimate goal of any session is to quiet your mind, which will have positive effects on your body." (declutterthemind.com, Meditation After Exercise (What and Why You Should) — Declutter the Mind)

The idea of keeping things simple fits in with the practice of meditation itself very well. At its core, meditation is all about finding balance in an already busy enough day. And more often than not, you accomplish this by grounding yourself in the present, focusing on your breathing, and learning to not fight with thoughts but simply acknowledge them and not hold onto them. That's mediation at its most basic level.

 Keep showing up

Consistency is the next important step in developing a habit. If meditating feels intimidating, then break it down into smaller chunks that you feel you can handle. Even if it's an extremely small amount of time that you start with, all that really matters is that you make it so easy and so simple that you can't help but show up. You want consistency first, then you can expand the habit and build on your successes.

"The most important part of building a new habit is staying consistent. It doesn't matter how well you perform on any individual day. Sustained effort is what makes the real difference." (jamesclear.com, 3 Surprisingly Simple Things You Can Do to Build Good Habits)

Once you begin to meditate on a regular basis, even if you miss a few days or don't do a very long session, the daily repetition will build its own momentum. And that momentum will become a habit over time. This is how you make the practice of meditation stick.

During this time, you're going to feel tempted to judge your progress against others. Don't do that. This is your habit, your routine. Focus simply on developing your consistency. Once you have that, you have that, you'll find the rest of the process becomes much simpler.

"It's easy to compare yourself to what others are doing or to feel the urge to optimize your performance and do more. Don't let those feelings pull you off course. Prove to yourself that you can stick to something small for 30 days. Then, once you are on a roll and remaining consistent, you can worry about increasing the difficulty." (jamesclear.com, 3 Surprisingly Simple Things You Can Do to Build Good Habits)

Only after you have the consistency, should you begin to think about challenging yourself to do a little more. But, be careful not to expand too much, too quickly. No matter what else you want from this, make the consistent effort itself your true reward. Think of it as part of the meditating process and before long, you'll find yourself meditating more and more, and at deeper levels. You'll also find yourself looking forward to it.

 Use a guide

One of the easiest ways to help you make meditating a habit is to find a tool or resource that can act as a guide. Sometimes it's just easier to make a tool part of the habit than to outright make the thing we want as a habit the actual habit. The tool or resource can act as part of the trigger that gets us started, and if it's built-in such a way, it can actually help sustain the habit.

Tools and resources help amplify our efforts and can easily become a part of the routine itself. If you find the right tool or resource, it can act as a complimentary part of your overall effort. It'll make the whole thing feel much easier to accomplish, and you'll notice it's easier to keep coming back to the routine if there's something fun and exciting added to it. Make meditation fun and you'll want to show up to it more often.

GymWisely offers access to a tool that can easily help you with your meditation efforts and act as that guide. Be sure to check out Synctuition for more on this membership package we offer.

 Benefits of meditating

Meditation helps you focus on the present, and teaches you how to navigate your thoughts. It teaches you that you aren't your thoughts and that you don't have to have a tight grip on everything that passes through your mind. You can relax and let thoughts simply pass through. It teaches you how to live fully in the here and now, and how to use that live a calmer and more grounded life.

But, more than all of this, meditation can also help you live a healthier life, both directly and indirectly. Meditation can help you live a healthier life indirectly by helping you become mindful, and living in the present moment. It helps you directly by helping you with your exercise and healthy habits too.

"Combining meditation with regular physical activity can give you several benefits. If done correctly, they can work hand in hand: meditation will help you maximize your performance during exercise and optimize the outcomes. On the other hand, exercising will help you better meditate and reach a calmer state of mind." (declutterthemind.com, Meditation After Exercise (What and Why You Should) — Declutter the Mind)

Whatever your health and fitness goals, meditation is a solid addition to add to the routine and help you be successful with it. Whether it's a specific health challenge you're trying, or a tried and true exercise routine, adding meditation to it can help you enhance its benefits and do even more with it.

 Wrapping things up

You've tried before to make meditation a habit, to make it a part of your health and fitness routine, but each time you tried, you came up a bit short. You couldn't quite make it stick. But this time you have some new ideas, and new approaches, to give the whole effort another try with.

What is the best way to make meditation a habit for beginners? Consistency. Showing up regularly, and just keep coming back even if you miss a day or two. If you do this enough, you'll make a habit of meditation.

Remember to keep things simple, and to focus on consistency above everything else, until you get some real momentum behind the routine. Once you've shown up enough times to prove to yourself that the habit is going to stick, then you can expand on how long you meditate, how often, and any other parts you want to. And, you've seen the helpful benefits of using a guide. Find a tool or resource that can help you make the routine more fun and exciting, and easier to access. If you do all of these things, and just keep showing up, you'll find that meditation has become more than just a habit or a routine, but a very important part of your life as well.