Hi my dear friends,

It’s hard to believe, but May is just around the corner. If you didn’t know, May is Mental Health Awareness month, and so, with this in mind, I wanted to share with you some of the ways meditation and mindfulness have benefited and positively impacted my mental health.

This past year of upheaval, uncertainty, and loss undoubtedly has impacted our mental health and wellness. I think it’s safe to say we all have struggled with managing the wave of emotion that comes with a global pandemic. I do not believe that there are any quick fixes when it comes to balancing out our emotions, and moving through traumatic occurrences, but I do believe that the more positive, healthy habits we add into our lives, the better we will start to feel, even if for just one moment.

I know that meditation is a very buzzy, popular practice these days, but I think for many, it still feels elusive or hard to implement. I have been meditating daily for about eight years now, and though my practice has seen ebbs and flows, it’s an aspect of my life that I would not want to go without. Mostly, I just want to share that meditation is my daily connection with myself, a little check-in, to see how I’m doing and what I’m feeling, day-in and day-out.

I try not to be hard on myself or too rigid with my practice, I follow what feels good for me in an aligned and happy way. Some days meditation feels forced or grueling, and other days it is a welcome moment of peace. But no matter what, I find a way to do it, knowing that I will always feel better for it. Just like with brushing my teeth or taking my daily vitamins, meditation is part of my healthy, daily routine that helps me to stay balanced, stable, and calm.

In addition to all the benefits I’ve named above, I want to share these 11 tangible positive impacts meditation has had in my life:

• A stronger connection to myself and to the people around me
• More self-confidence and self-awareness
• Feeling better equipped to manage stress and anxiety.
• A deeper sense of knowing and stronger sense of intuition
• Stronger feeling of guidance and living life in the flow.
• Confidence to say no to people, places, and things that are not in alignment with myself and my goals
• Clarity to know what I want, and the action steps to get there.
• More motivation and drive to go after what I want.
• Openness and willingness to forgive and release those who have hurt me (including for myself)
• Ability to surrender and trust the unknown
• Find peace within myself, my life, and my life path.

…to name a few.

If you haven’t yet incorporated this practice into your life, I’d love to gently invite you to do so this week, knowing that you can start small! Take a minute in the morning before you get out of bed to close your eyes again and just breathe. That’s all! That is meditating and it’s perfectly valid.

If you already have a meditation practice, I would love to hear your daily rituals and routines in the comments below!

Happy meditating!

xoxo, Michelle

p.s. Click here for our free meditation downloads! This includes a meditation log, a weekly challenge, and a practice checklist.

Michelle Maros is Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life's Creative Director and resident writer. She has a degree in Journalism from Indiana University and is also a certified holistic health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and registered yoga teacher with trainings with Anuttara Yoga Shala and Strala Yoga. Michelle has a deep desire to help people find happiness in all areas of their lives, and truly believes the Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life movement will bring lasting change to the world. Michelle splits her time between Florida and New York City and loves connecting with people from all over the world. If you'd like to contact her, she can be reached at 

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