Meditation is having its moment.
And it has unquestionably made me a better dad.
I, like you probably just did, would have rolled my eyes right out of my skull had I read that sentence even five years ago.
Meditation has become a fixture of my daily life, however, and I don’t see that changing … ever.
I don’t quite even know how it happened, either. I kept hearing about its benefits on podcasts and blogs and before I knew it the Headspace app was on my phone, doing wonders for me and unlocking insight after insight in my brain.
The app guided me through several different methods of using meditation for different purposes (such as focus, sleep, energizing or even dealing with back pain).
It trained me to use my mind much more effectively and to find calm and clarity in many more situations than I previously had access to — something that has come in hand in a big way as a parent.
Meditation is not as weird or silly or exclusive as you may think, either. It basically just boils down to closing your eyes, breathing and just … bringing things down a notch. The more you do it, the more of that built-up internal “pressure” gets relieved, and I find it a much better mental state to operate and make decisions from.
And that, truly, is just scratching the surface. I’ve gone much deeper in certain sessions, but we’ll save those stories for later.
Meditation has tangibly helped me become a better dad and — though it’s been a challenge at times — a better overall person.
Don’t take my word for it, though. Take Kobe Bryant’s.
It’s something I know I’ll incorporate in varying forms the rest of my life.
Here are some resources to help get you started.
These days, I tend to use Oak Meditation (h/t Kevin Rose) — which was previously included in my Oura Ring app — but is also a pretty great standalone app.
There are also tons of great options on YouTube, and I encourage you to explore and find some that work for you.
- How to Meditate | Onnit.com
- Why Could Meditation Practice Help Promote Mental Health and Well-Being in Aging | National Institute of Health
- The Ultimate Morning Meditation Routine for Relaxation | Onnit.com
- Effects of Long-Term Mindfulness Meditation on Brain’s White Matter Microstructure and its Aging | National Institute of Health
- The Positive Effects of Yoga and Meditation at the Molecular Level | DrJoeDispenza.net
- Nine to Nirvana: 9 Exercises for Mastering the Mind| Onnit.com
- Benefits of Meditation | The Art of Living