What should you do after meditating? – 6 tips for beginners

It’s important to make sure you prepare for and enjoy your meditation, but what should you do after meditating to bring the full benefits of this practice into your life? In this post, you will learn the best things you can do after meditation.

What should you do after meditating?

Most people believe that preparing for and enjoying a meditation session is enough to reap the full benefits for your life. But actually, there are many things that you should try to do right after meditating.

The reason this is important is because during meditation your body and mind are in a peaceful stage and it is best when you help them out of that state in a good way.

Meditation is one of the best known practices to calm the mind, sharpen concentration and regain self-control of emotions. A regular practice will give you many of these benefits and more, depending on how often you do it and the quality of your sessions.

Finding time to meditate can be difficult for many people, especially if you work every day, but with some planning and commitment, it is possible to include this habit in your routine.

Things you should do after meditating:

There are different opinions about what are the best things to do after meditation. Here are some things you can try, but it all depends on your needs, and lifestyle. Choose those activities that work best for you and of course, do not try to do them all at once because it will not work.

No. 1 Read something you enjoy 

Reading something you enjoy helps activate various areas of your brain. It is important that you choose a book that makes you feel good because you want to maintain the good feeling you had during your meditation.

Choose to read books or articles that keep you going, but don’t overwhelm or stress you out too much. When you meditate your mind goes to a new stage and it is better to take it out little by little by reading something that you find pleasant and comforting.

This is great if you’re meditating at night before bed, but it also works perfectly if you meditate in the morning. Any time you choose is fine, just make sure you read something you like and for about 10-15 minutes.

No. 2 Stretch for 15 minutes 

Stretching is one of the healthiest things to do in the morning as it helps your body get ready for the day. After meditation is ideal because it will help your body and mind to get out of meditation mode and be active for the rest of the day.

Try a simple stretching routine or light yoga. Those two are perfect for moving your body consciously and following the relaxed state of meditation.

If you meditate at night, you can also try a simple stretching routine that helps your body relax more and get a good night’s sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for your productivity and overall health.

No. 3 Cook/eat a meal 

Stimulating your senses is one of the best things you can do after meditation and one of the easiest ways is to eat a nutritious breakfast. When you cook and eat food, you activate your sense of touch, taste, and smell, all while nourishing your body.

During meditation you are in a mode of active relaxation, and cooking and eating a simple meal can have similar effects. But doing so will help you activate your body more intentionally and peacefully.

Avoid checking your phone while eating and make sure you eat something you really like. This will help you maintain the good state you came out of after meditation.

No. 4 Go for a walk

Getting your body moving first thing in the morning is one of the best things you can do for your overall well-being. This helps your body stay fit, strengthens your bones and muscles, but also helps your mind relax and stay active at the same time.

Walking after meditating doesn’t have to be difficult or take a lot of time out of your day. Try taking a 15 minute walk around your house and that will be enough.

If you’re one of those people who listen to music or a podcast while you walk, make sure you listen to something you enjoy and that doesn’t make you feel overwhelmed or stressed.

And if you meditate at night this option may not be feasible, but you can try any of the other options in this post.

No. 5 Write your feelings

Writing is one of the best ways to help your mind release stress and trapped feelings or emotions. It is a great way to end your meditation session because it will help you get rid of all the things that came up during your session.

A great way to stick to your habits is to be aware of the immediate benefits they bring you. What you can do is write in 1 or 2 sentences about how you felt during the meditation and what you can do to improve the practice.

Writing about your emotions or thoughts that you had during meditation will help you more easily recognize them and understand why you have them. When you are more aware of what is on your mind, you will have more control over your mind and be able to use its full potential.

No. 6 Fall asleep

People ask if it is okay to sleep after a meditation and the answer depends on what time of day you are meditating. If you do it at night, it’s perfectly fine to go to sleep after meditating, but doing it in the morning may not be the best idea.

There is no problem with sleeping after meditation as long as it fits into your routine and is not interfering with your daily activities.

Falling asleep during meditation is something to avoid and can be done by improving your posture and sitting on the mat or on a chair, rather than on the bed.

Things NOT to do after meditating

You just learned what you should do after meditating, but it’s also important to pay attention and avoid things you shouldn’t do after meditation. Here are some things you shouldn’t do when you’re done meditating.

Check your phone

This is the age of technology and it’s hard to be away from phones but checking your phone after meditating is one of the last things you want to do.

When you check your phone, depending on the content you’re looking at, cortisol is released in your body, which is the opposite of the state you created during meditation. By adding this stress, you will be putting too much pressure on your body and not enjoying the benefits of meditation.

Watch the news

After meditating, the last thing you want to do is overwhelm your mind with negative thoughts or worries, and that’s usually what makes the news. By avoiding this type of content right after meditating, you will help your body and mind enjoy more of the benefits of meditation.

When you watch the news with stressful, sad or disturbing events, your body releases cortisol which is the stress hormone generating unnecessary activation in your body after meditation.

Conclusion

It’s normal to wonder what you should do after meditating. Depending on your lifestyle, the answer to that may be different, but in this post I have shown you the most common and best ways to close your meditation session.

What you do after meditating should be simple and easy to do in no more than 15 minutes. The intensity of the activities you do should also depend on what time of day you are doing your session. If it is in the morning you should do things that activate you and if it is at night you should do things that help you calm down.

Here are some things to do after meditating:

• Read
• Stretch
• Eat
• Go for a walk
• Writes
• To sleep

You’ll also want to pay attention to things you shouldn’t do after meditating, like checking your phone or watching the news. Since these two activities can activate areas of your brain that release cortisol.

If you’re just starting out with meditation, these tips will help you reap more benefits from the practice and help you stay consistent.

Comment below what other tips do you know about meditation to make it a more beneficial and interesting practice?