How 3 Weeks of Meditation Rewired My Brain
Once You Build the Habit, You Won't Want to Quit
3 weeks ago, I geared up for the new year by starting a meditation practice. I’ve always heard that 3 weeks is the amount of time it takes to create a habit and a habit is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “A settled or regular tendency to practice, especially one that is hard to give up.” I figured if I could reach that 3-week mark, meditating would become second nature and it wouldn’t be such a struggle to get myself to do it. Let me tell you, not only is it second nature now, I actually crave meditating.
My good friend Owl Chrysalis Medicine created a free 21-day meditation program on one of his websites called Decolonize Healthcare. I was attracted to the program because of the length of time. It had a definite start and end date, which made it seem like a bite-size goal.
I love the layout of the program. It has simplicity at its core which is how I feel meditation should be: simple and uncomplicated. In fact, I’ve been turned off to meditation before based on how some teachers overcomplicate the subject. I would often get confused about all the Sanskrit terms they threw at me and how they would add unnecessary pressure by telling me to “clear my thoughts”.
“Well shoot, if I’m supposed to clear my thoughts, I’ll never get this right. I quit,” sums up my thought process in the past.
But over the past year, I’ve had some really bad mental health days that made me realize I had to change something in my brain. I struggle with intense self-criticism, self-doubt, insecurity, and jealousy. I’ve also had trouble focusing in the past and would almost never follow through on a goal. My mind was operating with stress as my baseline. This caused me to always feel frazzled and mentally exhausted.
My version of meditation in the past consisted of trying for a few days and then falling off the wagon and not getting back on for months. Something really cool about the program my friend created is that I got an email reminder every day with the subject line “you have steps today”. Being someone who loves making to-do lists and checking them off as I complete tasks, this method was very effective in getting me to meditate. It became part of my to-do list and each day even had its own boxes to check. Marking each day complete was very satisfying for me.
The course has an awesome feature that allows the participant to journal about how their practice went at the end of the meditation. This was such a good outlet for me. When I would have a difficult day in my mind during my practice, I got to express it instead of holding it in.
The first week consisted of a 15-minute mindfulness meditation practice each day. I was instructed to bring awareness to my body and my breath, noticing thoughts and feelings without judging them or being taken away by them.
The second week incorporated “metta” (meaning compassion and goodwill) into the practice and increased to 20 minutes of meditation. After becoming present with my breath and body, I practiced sending kindness and compassion to myself and others.
The third week introduced “vipassana” which means “to see clearly”. I was instructed to do some “self-investigation” by doing a body scan and noticing feelings and sensations. This week’s meditation time was increased to 25 minutes which I decided to split up into 2 meditations, one in the morning and one at night.
I really appreciated the brief written instructions and how there was no guided follow along with words and music. I find this type of meditation to be incredibly distracting, pulling me away from myself and my own internal sensations. I think it’s great for those who have such busy minds that they need some auditory stimulation to focus on, but for me focusing on my breath was incredibly calming and soothing.
What I Noticed
The first thing I noticed was how I was able to cultivate a deep sense of peace and calm just by focusing on my breath. This deep state of calm was like a recharge for my brain. It was as if my brain had been running marathons every day and I was finally giving it a chance to just rest. The mental break was so appreciated by my psyche and I found myself feeling deeply refreshed when I would come out of my practice.
Second, my inner critic started easing up. This was the biggest relief for me because my negative self-talk is totally draining. It’s something I have struggled with for many years. This ever-present voice of self-beratement has driven me to the point of wanting to end my life. Being in a constant battle in your own mind where your brain is attacking you is one of the most miserable ways to live. I started noticing that I was able to shrug off my mistakes and shortcomings… something I previously could NEVER do. I would beat myself up mercilessly until I was too exhausted to think. But gradually that cruel inner voice became easier to ignore. I was starting to get a grip.
During the second week when I was instructed to direct kindness and compassion to myself, I was able to hear the healing voice of love inside my own mind. It acted as a mental detox and I saw all the harm I had done to myself by being so mean. But the thing is, I never felt I could stop myself before. I was on a negative self-talk loop and I needed to have a pattern interruption to stop my vicious cycle. This was the pattern interruption I needed: a chance to retrain my brain to give myself love and understanding instead of criticism and judgment. It showed me how desperately I needed my own love.
Since starting my meditation practice, I have had some awesome breakthroughs in my writing career. I have been consistent enough on Medium to gain my first 150 followers and earn over $100 during December. Previously, I was never able to be consistent enough on Medium to make anything happen. Meditation was directly improving my ability to focus and accomplish tasks, and now I had tangible results to prove it. I also wrote the first 15 out of 100 pages of a book I was hired to ghostwrite. I did all of this while dealing with the stresses and obligations of the holiday season.
Meditation also made me a lot more aware of what I needed in the moment. When I would start to get tense in my body, I would stop and do some stretching or take a walk instead of forcing myself to work through the pain. Suddenly I was a lot more compassionate to my own needs than I had previously been.
I’ve been able to enjoy the little things a lot more since meditating. I stop to pet my cat more, I look at flowers for longer, and I savor the smiles of my loved ones. Before starting my practice, I felt like I wouldn’t be happy with myself until I accomplished my goal of having a lucrative writing business. But now, I’m finding joy in the journey. I celebrate my wins, big and small. I’ve had a perspective shift. Success means something different to me now… a balanced life infused with love, friendship, and self-care. I recognize the beautiful moments of my life for the true riches they are.
If you’ve been wanting to make meditation a habit, I would highly recommend starting with my friend’s free course. It’s a way to hold yourself accountable to your daily practice while keeping you excited about accomplishing a goal. At the end of 3 weeks, you may find yourself craving your meditation practice every day like you crave your morning coffee. :)
Much love,
The Passionate Health Writer
