For years, I told myself I wasn't the meditation type. I was too anxious, too busy, too... something. And then I became a mother, got sober, and realized I desperately needed tools to handle the overwhelm that was swallowing me whole. But even then, I almost didn't start. Because I had already decided these ‘facts’ that kept meditation feeling impossible.

"You Need to Clear Your Mind Completely"

This is the big one. I thought meditation meant achieving some zen state where thoughts just... stopped. So every time a thought popped up (which was every three seconds), I figured I was failing.

Here's what nobody told me: thoughts are supposed to happen. Your brain literally produces thousands of thoughts per day. Meditation isn't about stopping them. It's about noticing them without getting swept away by them.

When I finally understood this, everything changed. I stopped fighting my busy mind and started gently redirecting my attention. That's the practice. That's literally it.

"You Need at Least 20-30 Minutes"

As a new mom, I barely had time to shower. The idea of carving out half an hour for meditation felt laughable. So I didn't even try. But here's the truth: even two minutes counts. Seriously. Two minutes of intentional breathing while your baby naps is meditation. One minute of mindful presence while holding your child is meditation. So I started with literally 60 seconds. Just sitting still and breathing. Some days that's still all I can manage, and it's enough. The consistency matters more than the duration.

"You Have to Sit Cross-Legged on a Cushion"

I had this whole image in my head of what a "real" meditator looked like. Definitely not me in my pjs, sitting on my couch at 3pm trying not to lose it.

You can meditate anywhere, in any position. I've meditated:

Lying in bed (not sleeping, just being present)
Standing at the kitchen counter
In the shower
While pushing a stroller

Your body doesn't need to look a certain way. Your space doesn't need to be Instagram-worthy. You just need to show up exactly as you are.

"Meditation Is About Feeling Calm and Peaceful"

This myth almost broke me. Because in early motherhood and early sobriety, I rarely felt calm. I felt anxious, overwhelmed, angry, sad, terrified…so many things, but rarely peaceful.

I thought meditation wasn't "working" because I wasn't achieving some blissed-out state.

But meditation isn't about manufacturing good feelings. It's about being present with whatever feelings are actually there. Sometimes my meditation practice is just acknowledging "wow, I'm really struggling right now" and breathing through it. The peace comes not from feeling calm, but from being willing to sit with yourself no matter what's showing up.

"If You're Not Good at It, It's Not Worth Doing"

This is the perfectionist trap I fell into hard. If I couldn't meditate "correctly" (whatever that meant), why bother? But meditation isn't a performance. There's no good or bad at it. Some days your attention wanders constantly. Some days you feel fidgety and uncomfortable. Some days you fall asleep. All of that is completely normal and still valuable. In fact a side effect of developing my imperfect meditation practice was letting go of so much of the perfectionist stuff going on with me with, well… everything.

Every single time you notice your mind has wandered and gently bring it back, you're strengthening your awareness. That's the workout. The wandering isn't the failure. It's actually the opportunity to practice.

What Finally Got Me Started

Once I released these stories I was holding on to, I gave myself permission to start small and messy. I got on Spotify. Put my headphones in. Listened to a guided meditation. Sat on my couch and breathed. Was it perfect? No. Did my mind wander? Constantly. Did it change my life? Gradually, yes.

Because here's what I discovered: meditation didn't make my problems disappear. It didn't make motherhood easier or sobriety simple. But it gave me a way to be with myself through all of it. It created tiny pockets of space between stimulus and reaction. It helped me find my center when everything felt chaotic.

And it can do the same for you. No special cushion required, no empty mind expected, no perfect circumstances demanded.

Ready to start your own practice but not sure where to begin? I've created simple, realistic meditation guides specifically for exhausted moms and people in recovery who need tools that actually fit into real life.