Why is it that the things we will benefit from the most are sometimes the hardest to do, even if it is just 5 minutes a day? I’ve been working with a professional coach, Jessie Mahoney, MD, for a few months now, and one of the aspects of her work that I most admire is the importance she places on cultivating a meditation practice. She is a trained yoga teacher and meditation guide. I started listening to her podcast and knew I wanted more of this in my life.

During our first session, she assigned homework, and one of the more important pieces was to meditate daily, just for 5 minutes. She knows I’m busy… aren’t we all? She didn’t make it a big, intimidating thing: practice meditation for 5 minutes daily via any platform. You can even do it in the parking garage at work if you can’t find 5 silent minutes anywhere else. It seems like such an easy thing to check off the list each day.

Yet I find myself running away from this small corner of my day. I have more important things to do, right?? No. These five minutes help me center and focus so that all the other minutes in my days can be more meaningfully spent. My mind is often scattered and racing around to all the things I want to accomplish at all times. This method of working things out in my mind continuously seems to pay off, or I wouldn’t do it. I am planning my work day while organizing after-school activities and dinner, which are all simultaneously in my mind. I tell myself that all of these things eventually get done, so this habit of overthinking must work. This may be a false narrative. Maybe I can get things done while being kinder to myself by being more present in any given moment.

Meditation is self-compassion. It provides a reason to stop, relax into a comfortable physical posture, and let the thoughts do what they do without judgment. This doesn’t mean the thoughts stop swirling, but for me, it does mean they have a chance to sort and settle just enough so that I can proceed through the rest of my day with more self-compassion.

Personally, I didn’t feel ready to commit to a subscription through an app or service right away, so I just Googled " 5-minute meditation” and added a theme here and there, like “loving kindness,” for example. It doesn’t have to be complicated, perfect, or expensive. There’s no right or wrong way to do it.

Do you have a meditation practice?

*As always, this website and blog information is not medical advice. Please consult your medical professional if you are changing your health behaviors, including starting a new diet or exercise program.