It’s super tempting to grab a bite to eat and then return to your work to finish a project. After all, if you keep marching along, won’t you get more done?
Well, the answer is no because in this case. You’ll run out of energy before even the end of the day. Therefore, your brain requires a break from constant work struggle.
So, are you trying to shake off that mid-day slump?
Even the busiest people will be able to fit these free mindful time slots into their lunch hour. As a result, you’ll have a clearer mind, less stress, and improved focus.
Is Lunch Break the Best Time of the Day for Meditation?
There isn’t much agreement on what’s the best time to meditate in a day. Most meditators practice in the morning or evening, but lunchtime meditation can also provide a welcome break from the daily grind.
Whether you’ve just concluded an extended staff meeting or are getting ready to meet with a potential client, meditation is a great way to de-stress in the middle of the day.
By taking a short meditation break from work, we learn to identify when we need to pause, observe, reflect and reset. This pause can assist us in dealing with difficult situations more productively and advantageously.
Mid-Day Meditation Health Benefits
Meditation helps to achieve a sense of calmness, peace, and balance, which can improve your emotional well-being and general health.
Here is a list of a few emotional benefits that you will reap post-practice:
- Increases creativity and imagination.
- Increases patience and emotional tolerance.
- Assists in taking a fresh look at challenging situations.
- Reducing unpleasant emotions by focusing on the present.
- Developing stress-relief skills and increasing self-awareness.
And the list of advantages doesn’t stop when you stop meditating. Meditation can help you stay calmer throughout the day and may even aid in the management of symptoms associated with various other medical problems, like – anxiety, clinical depression, sleeping disorder, High blood pressure, Migraine, etc.
So, How to Practice Mid-Day Meditation?
Each moment of the day is demanding for most of us. With countless people to answer back to and multiple work mail notifications, it doesn’t seem very easy to take out time for a mental detox. But you can start with some simple steps below:
- Sit up straight in a comfortable position by your office desk, or if possible, find some privacy sitting in your car.
- Take a deep breath and close your eyes gently.
- Slowly scan your entire body for any feelings of stress and tension.
- Be alert of any thoughts that come to mind.
- Focus on your breath when your mind wanders away from the focus point.
- If constantly feeling like the mind is diverting, consider starting to chant meditation mantra for increased awareness and focus.
- When you’re done, gently open your eyes and be grateful for this practice.
If you don’t have 10 minutes every day, there are plenty of shorter online meditations that you can practice anywhere.
The Final Takeaway
If you feel like you cannot concentrate well enough during meditation, try Guided Meditation by – Headspace or Insight Timer.
Also, if you feel too drained and stressed during working hours, kindly reset and rewind by taking a walk outdoors. During lunch or snack-time break, take a stroll outside with a quick guided meditation practice in a natural open setup.
Lastly, there is no perfect way to create a meditation practice (especially during work hours). So, all you need is to be consistent, and slowly, you will start to see the difference in your cognitive function.
REFERENCES:
- https://www.mindful.org/take-relaxing-lunch-break/
- https://medium.com/@welzen/lunch-break-take-a-moment-to-meditate-7a2de8f78c97
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469
- https://www.headspace.com/meditation/one-minute-meditation
- https://www.headspace.com/meditation-101/what-is-meditation
- https://insighttimer.com/
