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There are so many reasons to include meditation in your daily routine. Even if only meditating for 5 minutes a day, you can expect to see the benefits in your life. However, self-care is usually pretty far down on our to-do lists. Because of this, I often hear people say they just can’t find time to meditate.
Which is completely understandable.
If you are anything like me, or most of the rest of the world, you don’t often have unlimited time. In fact, you might even have quite a limited amount of time outside of work, family, and other obligations.
So, here are six easy to implement ideas for when you can’t find time to meditate that you can implement in everyday life.
Wake up 10 minutes earlier
I know this may seem like an easy answer, but it’s really about remembering that it doesn’t take a whole lot of time in your day to sit and meditate. In fact, as I said earlier, just five minutes a day can really improve your mood, patience and overall day.
So, what better time to get to it, than first thing in the morning?
Giving yourself just that extra 10 minutes in the morning allows you the time to wake up (maybe hit the bathroom) before you sit down to your five minutes of meditation.
I completely understand that sometimes you just can’t wake up any earlier than you already do. Or that sometimes the kids wake up earlier than expected, or whatever else may come up. So, here are some other ideas to find time to meditate…
In the shower or before getting into the shower
Oftentimes in the morning, my biggest obstacle to meditating is that everyone in my house is awake. It’s pretty much impossible to find a quiet corner.
Except in the shower. Or, in the bathroom before the shower.
It might sound crazy, but I have sat in the shower and meditated before. I don’t recommend it regularly because it is a waste of water, especially if you already take long showers. However, if you have a morning where everyone wakes up before you can have your quiet moments, it works.
The other option is to meditate in the bathroom before the shower. This way you are not wasting the water, but you also don’t have tiny people running around you. Many bathrooms also have a fan you can turn on that will drown out the noise outside of the bathroom, but can be soothing white noise during your practice.
Take 5 minutes before bed
If you have little to no alone time throughout the day (hey moms of young kids, I’m talking to you,) and you really can’t find time to meditate during the day, add five minutes for meditation into your nightly routine. You can sit right next to your bed and make it the last thing you do before you hop in.
This works even if you and your significant other go to bed at the same time. Let them get into bed and settled and then sit and do your meditation, or head into the bedroom a few minutes before they do and tell them to give you a whole five minutes before they come in.
Ending your day with meditation may even help you fall asleep easier, and improve your quality of sleep.
Before you watch t.v.
This one is a bit more creative, and may not work for everyone.
My husband and I sit down to watch a bit of t.v. together every night. Sometimes it’s right when the kids go to bed, sometimes it’s after we get some work or chores done. Whenever it is, we usually spend several minutes getting ready first. Getting snacks, bathroom breaks, etc.
This also happens to be a great time to meditate.
Whether it’s one specific show that you have to catch every week or just some designated veg-out time, you can take five minutes and not ruin the rest of your daily schedule.
Pause the show you are about to watch, go into another room where no one else is going to be messing around, and take your five minutes.
Leave whoever you are with to get snacks together or whatever else they would like to do (maybe their own 5 minute meditation) and get your meditation time in.
When you get back to your show, you can now fast forward through the commercials and still end the show at the same time. This keeps you from going into anything else you have planned.
Leave the house early
If you work outside of the house, it can be a different kind of difficult to get a few minutes to meditate. It becomes especially hard to find time to yourself. You go from home & family to work & coworkers.
Try leaving the house a few minutes early, and meditate in your car when you get to the office. Or, if that helps you get to work before you coworkers, maybe you have the ability to head inside to a quiet place.
Skip the pick-up line
Speaking of meditating in the car, if you really can’t find time to meditate try skipping the pick-up line and park in the lot instead.
At my son’s school we have the option of waiting in line or parking and walking in to get our children.
This is the perfect time to get in a five minute meditation, and save myself having to wait in line for half an hour to be first. (I know I’m not the only one who does this, because I’m actually never first.)
Instead of waiting in line, head to the lot and get in five minutes of meditating in the car. Then, get in a few extra steps by walking in to pick up. If your school is anything like ours, walking up means you will actually get out of there faster anyway.*
*This of course, will vary depending on how your school/dismissal is set up.
Keep meditation on your mind
This is not an end-all list of times you can meditate throughout your day.
If you find you are having difficulties fitting meditation into your every day, keep meditation on your mind throughout the day and make note of times that may work.
Of course, everyone has different schedules and obstacles, but I hope if these ideas don’t work for you, that they at least helped you jump-start some out-of-the-box brainstorming.
Have you found some other times that have worked well for you? Share them with us in our comments!
Having a hard time silencing your thoughts to meditate? Read: https://owlbeme.com/2018/11/14/how-to-meditate/
You may also like: https://owlbeme.com/2019/05/09/meditation-area/
Available now! 10 Steps to Change Your Mindset & Improve Your Life eBook click here!
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