The Knot Chicago Weddings Spring Summer 2020_downmagaz.com

FASHION + BEAUTY
THE SCIENCE OF
MEDITATION
Wedding planning stressing you out? The app
Headspace can help you keep calm and plan on.
BY IVY JACOBSON
240
n a busy world where everyone
wants immediate results from
everything they invest time in, you
may be questioning whether or not
meditation can actually relieve your
planning-induced anxiety. But
Headspace, a guided meditation app,
offers clinically validated research and
studies on the mindfulness meditation
field. “If you meditate, things will still
go wrong in life. But would you rather
respond in a place of calm or with a
quick, angry reaction?” says cofounder
Andy Puddicombe. Here, he shares
five science-backed benefits.
QUALITY SLEEP
It’s one thing to get enough sleep—
but do you wake up actually feeling
rested? In stressful times, even if you
hit the sheets for eight hours, the mind
can stay active, so you could still wake
up tired. Meditation skills can help you
get to sleep faster—even in the middle
of the night—letting you start the next
day feeling totally refreshed.
LESS STRESS
Of course your cousin RSVP’d with a plusone.
In times of conflict, meditation can
help you be less reactive.
Studies show using
Headspace can reduce stress
in 10 days and curb negative
feelings by 31 percent.
BETTER PRODUCTIVITY
You’re wedding planning, aka doing all
the things. Training your mind to be
less distracted and more present, you
can focus on one task at a time and do
it better and efficiently—win-win.
FUN FACT
Four weeks of
Headspace
improves focus by
14%
HEALTHIER CHOICES
The busier our minds, the more stressed
we are, and the less we prioritize physical
health. Meditating gives you
more clarity, allowing you to step
away from old patterns and pick
healthier options. Meditation
also helps with heart health and
decreasing blood pressure.
IMPROVED MOOD
Our moods change daily. We can either
let ourselves get dialed in to the highs
and lows or create space for them to
come and go, knowing they’ll pass.
Having that perspective will give you
freedom and a sense of contentment
with how the mind is now—even when
the wrong-colored linens arrive.
GET STARTED
Download the Headspace
app for free from the
app store and start
with the unlimiteduse
Basics pack (also
free!) or other paid
subscription options.
BEGIN SLOWLY
Like training for a
marathon, start with an
easy run. Don’t go
into meditation with too
many expectations—
there’s a reason it’s
called a “practice.”
FIND TIME
Carve out 5 to 10
minutes (put it in your
calendar if need be).
View it as a break or
treat—this is a time in
your day when you can
focus on you.
PICK A PLACE
Scope out a spot
where you won’t be
interrupted. You
can even meditate in
your car before work,
or during your commute
on a train or bus.
FOCUS ON BREATH
When you get
distracted (which will
definitely happen and
is completely normal),
bring your attention
back to your breathing
and zero in on that.
GALLERY STOCK