Joseph Battista

We as humans are stressed, overburdened and time-constrained. The seventy foot long to-do list that seems to grow with no end has overstayed its welcome. Demands are countless, from work and school to house chores. It can feel like something always needs doing. Time to relax and destress seems like a commodity worth more than gold.

Yet, when does one have the time? After a long day out and about, you get home at 6pm, make dinner, wash the dishes and finally have a chance to watch a movie,“relax” by 7:30. Is it really relaxation? Stress still stews in the mind, leaving you unable to fully enjoy that comfy couch.

There is a remedy, a way to enjoy the lovely couch to its fullest potential. That being meditation. Meditation comes in various forms, yet some forms can be more time consuming than others. The stereotypical idea of meditation involves an empty mind and stillness for long periods of time, which can be hard to practice during busy days. If relaxation is a commodity, why spend it doing nothing? Immersive meditation solves this issue by being practicable during tasks, even on the busiest days.

This form of meditation turns the most mundane and boring tasks, like cleaning dishes, into an opportunity to experience serenity. When immersed fully in a task, the mind focuses solely on the present action and no external thoughts arise. From this focus, the mind experiences mental clarity, peace and a sense of refreshment. Practicing this form of meditation is best with simple tasks, like doing dishes. Complex tasks require greater effort, which increases the chance of stress, defeating the point of meditation. 

Achieving meditative immersion in a task can seem difficult, but it is doable with the right practices. Two simple practices are controlled breathing and sensory focus. Breathing techniques increase focus and reduce stress according to Berkeley. Practicing breathing technique is as simple as controlling your inhales and exhales to 2 second intervals. Sensory focus is the concentration on how the senses perceive the task at hand. For example, while washing dishes hear the water rushing from the faucet, feel the sponge suds up cleaning the dishes. 

These practices help keep the mind immersed in a task. Intruding thoughts will have little room to distract from meditation with the mind occupied.

Meditation provides multiple benefits, and its impact varies by person. Common long-lasting benefits are: better mental well-being, improvement in focus, stable emotions, an increase in creativity and better sleep, according to Mayo Clinic. Next time you are doing chores, practice immersive meditation and see how you feel after. It costs zero extra time for an immeasurable benefit, a healthier mind.