Spoiler alert: it's about ten hours.
I chose to use the Headspace app because friends have recommended it in the past and I already had it downloaded. As time is of the essence - I actually have to get back to work after this - I wanted a SPEEDY meditation.
Right away you can tell I'm in the right mindset to really enjoy this.
The app has several meditation options: falling asleep & waking up, work & productivity, stress & anxiety, and so on. Naturally I wanted work & productivity - I like to imagine it'd have a real zippy energy to it - at least, for an exercise that makes you close your eyes and breathe - but it was locked as I am not a paying user. Back to STRESS & ANXIETY THEN, I GUESS.
I went straight down past the locked, subscription-only sessions - but they're all an insane 10-20 minutes long anyway, nobody with real stress could possibly be using those - straight to 'SOS meditations > Feeling Overwhelmed'. Clocking in at a whopping three minutes, I could already feel myself hyperventilating.
Luckily, the app was there to tell me how to breathe so it sorted that problem out immediately. A pleasant, soothing man gently admonished me to close my eyes - how did he know I was looking at my computer screen while inhaling and exhaling? - and then spent the following 2.5 minutes channelling sunshine into my limbs.
That's right, sunshine. All up in me, making me feel warm and heavy. Even my TOES got some attention. So many of my body parts are getting attention this year; what a wondrous journey we're on.
Review: taking three minutes of internal quiet was not the END of the world - and maybe, just maybe - I do feel a bit more relaxed. Stillness is something lacking in my life and no doubt that doesn't help with stress or anxiety levels.
OKAY, ALISSA. YOU WIN. I may do this again.
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