I’ve been practicing meditation lately with the help of the Waking Up app to become more mindful, stay grounded, and relieve stress from day-to-day responsibilities.

Their guided meditations are quite helpful and change daily, which helps keep everything fresh and not repetitive. I used to start with 3- to 5-minute sessions and has slowly built up to 20-minute sessions, or on some busy days, I try to get as least 10 minutes in.

Why Do I Decide to Practice Meditation?

After a while of consistent daily practice—around 10 days now—I find myself to be more patient and more aware of my surroundings. I’m more comfortable by myself and able to listen to my thoughts without leaning into usual distractions like listening to music while commuting or filling the gaps by mindlessly scrolling on social media for cheap dopamine hits.

I’ve been able to pause and reflect more often, feeling myself and my surroundings. I think this is what it means to live in the present.

I used to dislike meditation; the act of simply sitting still and doing nothing seemed agitating. “I just don’t have the patience for it” was my usual excuse. But over time, I’ve realized it’s exactly why I need meditation in my life: to practice patience, discipline, and make time for myself. It also helps with my mental well-being and mindset.

Also, one of the reasons I meditate is because of Daredevil using meditation to heal faster—seems a little too “fictional” but cool nonetheless, haha.

How I practice meditation

I find a comfortable seat in a relatively quiet place, put on my noise-canceling headphones if I’m in a coffee shop, turn on a daily guided meditation on Waking Up, close my eyes, and relax. Most of the time, I try to clear my head of thoughts, pay attention to keeping my posture from slouching, and count my breaths in and out. Often, my head is crowded with tasks I have to do, ideas for projects, and stuff that needs my attention. I try to push them aside as best I can, but they are like a herd of little birds chirping at their mother for feeding. Sometimes the thoughts win, and I spend the quiet time thinking aimlessly, letting my mind roam free. Other times, I’m able to pull myself from the chatter of my mind back to the present, counting my breaths again (or following whatever the guided meditation tell me to do).

I might share more of my meditation practice and what I’ve learned from it soon. Until next time, stay safe and stay healthy.