Eating well is one form of self-care, and mindfulness is another. One way to practice mindfulness is to meditate – but there are many myths about the practice of meditation that you likely don’t know.

MYTH 1: You should be good at it.
No, you are supposed to suck at it. It’s okay for thoughts to come and go. The point of meditation is to notice your thoughts, not to control them. You’re practicing how to respond to your thoughts. It’s supposed to be hard, and you’re supposed to suck at it.

MYTH 2: It has to be quiet.
You don’t need to just quietly breathe. Have you ever gone for a run and you’re listening to music and you lose track of time? Or get so in flow with the music during a concert that you don’t notice the time passing? That’s meditation! You’re at one with the things around you.

MYTH 3: You must sit still.
You can meditate while going for a walk in nature. Noticing the calls of birds. Connecting to something bigger than yourself. Letting your breath naturally slow down.