Practice mindfulness or meditation for a week.

“I'd settled on a 4 p.m. daily practice — about the time I finish with one of my part-time writing jobs and just before I'd normally launch into errands, household tasks, and a few more hours of freelance projects. Often at this time I'd either push through the day without stopping, or take a nap, only to wake up feeling guilty at the loss of productive hours. Because this time seemed an especially difficult one in which to pause, I knew it was probably the most beneficial. But when I pulled out my meditation cushion, propped my folded legs up on a rolled blanket, and shut my eyes, instead of struggling through the 15 minutes of discomfort, I decided to make myself comfortable. I laid down on the floor, one pillow beneath my head and another supporting knees. [...] For me, laying down allowed my brain to stop obsessing about posture and noticing pain or stiffness from being in a seated position all day. It was one less distracting thought.”

“This was the winner! The pre-bedtime meditation was my favorite. During this meditation trial week, I tried it three nights in a row. I’m telling you, those are the three best nights of sleep I have had in a long time. I have enjoyed sticking with the sleep meditation since closing out my experimentation week. And I’ve continued to meditate almost every night since. Previously, I never really had a bedtime routine but now, I feel like I’ve found something that helps me de-stress. Meditation helps me let go, and shut off my mind so that I can make the best out of this time to rest and recharge.”

“For me, consistency has been totally key. I wake up at the same time every day, quickly make my bed and sit cross-legged with my back to my headboard. I pop in my AirPods, queue up a guided meditation on my phone and close my eyes. I’m much more likely to actually do a meditation if I haven’t left my room and fully started my day. I know studies say it takes about two months to create a habit, but after about a week I started finding it easier and easier to stick with my routine. Some mornings, I feel like a meditation goddess: I’m waking up earlier and doing something for myself and my mental health at the start of the day. Other mornings I feel like I’m just sitting on my bed with my eyes closed for 20 minutes, half-listening to a person with a soothing accent struggling to keep myself from falling back to sleep.”