Mini Meditations Work for Stress Relief

One of the great paradoxes in life is those of us who need to slow down the most are exactly the ones who "don't have time" to meditate.

You don't have 20 minutes? OK, start with 5. Heck, start with 2 minutes. Just do some simple relaxed deep breathing for 2 minutes. Give yourself 2 minutes to think about only your breathing.

Take 2 minutes a couple times throughout the day and you will be amazed at how refreshed you start to feel! For 2 minutes instead of grabbing a cup of coffee, grab some deep breaths in a quite place.

Hide out in the bathroom if you have to! Do it before your meals. In the shower. When you first wake up and right before you go to sleep.

These mini meditations, practiced regularly, will help reduce your stress. If you are having major stress related symptoms, this may not be enough to make them disappear--but it is an awesome start!

By lowering your stress levels multiple times throughout the day you may actually be able to prevent some of the bigger problems from occurring in the first place. And if the idea of trying to find time for "one more thing" is going to stress you out--this may be the idea solution for you!

Once you have perfected these mini meditations, gradually increase one session, even if it is only a couple times a week. Ease yourself into a 20 minute meditation twice a week and then 3 times, then 5 times.

When you do this, don't get up earlier to do it. This is not a time to be sleep deprived--you are probably not getting enough already. Good news though, an added benefit to these little practices is you will get a better, more refreshing sleep!