Why You Should Try A Writing Meditation If Sitting Still Isn’t Working For You

Meditation is a great practice to relax, find inner focus, and balance. Yet, it’s not always so easy for everyone to sit still and concentrate on breathing. For some people, it is difficult to clear the mind in such a way. Luckily there are other types of meditation!

SEE ALSO: Sadhana: Your Daily Spiritual Practice

Advantages of meditation writing

Meditation writing is good for clearing the mind and achieving more control over emotions. It can be done via typing, but it’s the most effective in handwritten form. The main benefits of writing meditation techniques are:

• It reduces stress and helps to relax
• It is good for mental health and coping with anxiety or depression
• It might be an easier form of mediation for you
• Meditation through writing makes you more aware of your thoughts
• It helps to overcome creative blocks
• Helps to find solutions to issues that worry you
• Helps to concentrate on the present moment

Why is it so effective? In comparison to sitting still, it is easier as you physically do something more engaging. It takes pressure from that part of the brain that remains restless during the sitting session. In such a case, hand movements are the physical embodiment of the thought process. It releases the inner creativity. And it also helps to keep the focus on the chain of ideas.

Another essential thing about writing a guided meditation is that it offers a more distant perspective on your thoughts. When you put ideas on paper you make them visible. And if you can distance yourself like that, they have less power over you. This is how writing helps with stress – in many ways stress and anger come from the many anxious thoughts we have. Until you make them visible you cannot beat them. When all of the stressful thoughts bombard you from inside, it is quite hard to hear the voice of reason and release them.

When you release them, they lose all their power – this practice has a clear therapeutic effect.

Writing prompts for adult meditation: Beginner’s guide

The general rules are the same as with other types of meditation practices. You need to find a time and quiet peaceful place where you can start. It is an activity to do in solitude, but people can choose the place that works best for them.

1. Take a notebook or use a laptop – whatever is more suitable for you. Although handwriting is more effective and has no built-in grammar check, you can also choose to type. Find a peaceful place and time when you can concentrate only on this.
2. Meditation for creative writing will not take long – a session can take about 5-20 minutes a day. Be sure to set a timer before you start. The other concept is to set a number of words or pages you need to fill in. Choose the approach that is more suitable for you.
3. The next step in meditation writing prompts is to take a few minutes to breathe and concentrate. It might take about 5-15 minutes. Breathe deeply and relax your body. You can look around and feel the presence in the moment. Clear your mind and prepare yourself for the session.
4. Turn the timer on and start the practice. Remember that you don’t have to hurry or be in a rush. But the process should be constant, so don’t make pauses and think actively about the text. It is all about the flow of thoughts that come to mind first. If nothing comes to mind – you can write about that too.
5. Do not edit or correct the text. This is one of the most essential writing prompts for meditation – turn the critical part off. It is not the place to judge grammar, style, or errors; no one will ever see this text. It is about the process, not the result. Criticizing will only disrupt the meditation and flow of ideas. Disregard any logic in your flow. let your mind write whatever bothers you now.
6. If you’ve chosen a particular problem or issue for this practice, read the text out loud when you’ve finished. Evaluate the statements that you’ve made, underline the main ones. If you are working with negative thoughts like “I always fail” or “I’m afraid to disappoint people I love” think critically about those messages. Do you actually always fail? Can you counterargument it with examples of when you handled the situation well? And even if you fail a task, will people that love you be really disappointed? This is a practical way of learning how to relieve stress through writing.

In summary

These meditation writing prompts will help you to start this practice. It is an easy way to clear your head, reduce stress, and be more self-aware. Often we do not have the opportunity to follow all thoughts that appear in our minds extremely fast. But they still impact our mood and productivity. That’s why making them visible helps to combat negative ones and endorse positive ones.