What happened when I meditated for 10 days..

I don't mean I meditated for 10 days, just for 10-15 minutes each day for 10 days! Just thought i'd clarify that first of all- i'm no buddhist monk or yogi!

I was feeling constantly "switched on" and edgy trying to keep up with all the things (kids/work/selling our house) and was really struggling to turn it around.

I was talking to Ash about it all and she told me about a meditation app called Insight Timer. It's a free app that gives you access to literally thousands of guided meditations focusing on various topics such as easing anxiety, healing and overcoming pain, or setting up your mindset to have a happy day.

So I downloaded it and started using it. It tracks your meditations for you and tells you when you have reached your goals such as meditating every day for a week or a month etc.

I decided to set myself the goal of meditating every day for 10 days for 10 minutes minimum, i didn't feel i could commit to any more than 10 minutes because some days it feels like I don't even have that.

Once i started my 10 day challenge, the most surprising thing I noticed was that I looked forward to doing the meditation each day and made it a priority in my day to do it. I got to the 10th day having not missed one, and have continued to use the app every day since. Sometimes as soon as I get up in the morning before Percy wakes, or sometimes in the evening when the house is quiet.

Something else I noticed was that i felt a whole lot calmer about the busyness in my life and was able to take each task as it came and not get bogged down in thinking about the other million tasks i had to do later. This made me more productive.

I also noticed that my sleep has been deeper and taking me less time to fall asleep, and I am awaking more refreshed than I was before i started meditating. So another win there.

I've spoken before about how stress increases cortisol in our bodies which can in turn throw out the balance of our hormones and can trash our gut microbiome, affecting lots of other systems including our immune system. So if you feel like you need some help managing your stress but you don't know where to start, maybe you could start here: 10 minutes a day for 10 days. It doesn't have to be with an app, it could just be you, in a quiet space, concentrating on your breath, and that's it. Simple as that.