March: 10 Minutes of Daily Meditation

The key to it all.

In March, I meditated for 10 minutes every day. Out of all the challenges I completed, this is easily the one I recommend the most. Before I go too far into the month's details, I want to share my backstory with meditation.

I have dealt with anxiety throughout my life. At a very young age, I was seeing a therapist, and partway through elementary school, I started taking anxiety medication. When I was 11, just as things were getting better for me, my dad passed away, and my anxiety came flooding back.

Over the next few years, my anxiety slowly went away. I went through most of high school and through the military without anxiety. Then college came around, and things went downhill. During college, I coped with my stress by channeling everything into school. As my anxiety worsened, my grades improved, and the more I accomplished.

I graduated at the top of my class in just three years, held seven different leadership positions in student organizations, had a part-time job, and maintained a long-distance relationship with my now wife, all while still serving in the Army National Guard. When I graduated, I attributed all these accomplishments to my anxiety. My mindset was that my anxiety was my superpower; it let me be successful.

This was not a good mentality to have. A few months after graduating, I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a job in investment banking. I knew this job would be stressful, but I thought it would help me face my anxiety head-on and defeat it. Oh, how I was wrong.

My anxiety got even worse, and my coping mechanisms started failing me. About six months in, I finally started seeing a therapist. Although this was a tremendous help, I remained hesitant to entirely give in. I didn’t want to lose what I thought was my superpower.

After two years, I got a new job in Minnesota and moved home. As I moved home and into a different position, I thought my anxiety would disappear. It didn’t. I wouldn’t let go of what I thought made me successful.

A few months after returning to Minnesota, I stumbled upon a book called 10% Happier, written by Dan Harris. Dan faced the same dilemma as me. He wanted to lose his anxiety but keep the competitive edge he thought it gave him. Eventually, he found meditation as the solution.

As soon as I finished the book, I set it down and meditated. Right then and there, I had a euphoric experience. It is now two years later, and I have meditated every day since.

Meditation has let me sort through the noise; it has greatly relieved my anxiety while allowing me to keep my competitive edge. It turns out that anxiety never was my superpower, but rather hard work and discipline.

When I meditate, I complete a five-minute unguided session. For my challenge in March, I wanted to see what would happen if I meditated twice a day for five minutes or did one ten-minute session.

I started off with meditating for one ten-minute session every day. I found that I was able to get into a deeper state of peace with the extra time. Most days, however, I found that the more profound relaxation did not necessarily translate into me feeling that much better. This made me realize that five minutes is really all I need.

Partway through the month, I started trying two five-minute sessions every day. Before March, I typically meditated when I got home from work, so for these five-minute sessions, I added one before work. I immediately noticed that meditating in the morning made a big difference. I was more relaxed throughout the day and could find mindfulness more easily when needed. Because of these benefits, I have been meditating in the morning before work ever since.

This was not a hard challenge for me to complete, and there were no real difficulties for me to call out. I hope my story captures meditation's benefits and why I strongly recommend it.

Meditation changed my life drastically. It greatly relieved my anxiety and showed me how I can have success and peace of mind simultaneously. It is a wish of mine that everyone in this world tries meditation.