3 Things I Learned After 2,000 Days of Meditation with Headspace

Meditation

Feb 12

This past Monday I hit 2,000 straight days of meditation with Headspace. That’s nearly five and a half years without missing a day.

Keeping track of exactly how many sessions, days, and hours one has been meditating can be controversial.

I’ve heard some people say the addition of the run streak feature to the Headspace app even goes against the ethos of meditation.

But kudos to the Headspace team for embracing this side of human psychology and understanding that if something as simple as a run streak gets more people meditating on a regular basis, then it’s worth it.

Right or wrong, this run streak feature is something I’ve come to love, amassing more than 3,000 sessions across 524 hours and making meditation an integral part of my life.

I’ve written about my Journey with Headspace in a previous post but after crossing this recent milestone I thought I would share a few learnings and tips I’ve picked up over the years.

Making it A Habit

One of the many habit tricks James Clear recommends in Atomic Habits is the idea of habit stacking. The concept is about pairing a new habit with an existing one to make it more enticing.

For me, this means meditating first thing when I wake up and then rewarding myself with my first cup of coffee immediately after. While meditating is no longer a new thing for me, this habit stacking of meditation then coffee has really worked.

I’ve also found it helpful to maintain a consistent time and location for meditating to further engrain the habit.

Finding Time

Most days I’m able to get my 5-10 minute session in first thing in the morning before the day gets going. I’ve found this to be an excellent way to start the day with an open mind, ready for whatever is to come.

But, with two young kids in the house there can sometimes be interruptions or days when I’m not the first to wake up. When this happens I have a noticeable feeling like something is off but I’m working on acknowledging this and not letting it get to me.

What has helped is knowing I can squeeze in my meditation at some point during the day or later that evening. Headspace has added many new meditation options so there is a session available for just about any time or place. The guided meditations for commuting and winding down at the end of the day are two of my favorites.