I Bet You Haven't Heard This Meditation Hack Before (But, Actually….)

I Bet You Haven’t Heard This Meditation Tip Before (…. it’s not what you’re expecting)

I Bet You Haven’t Heard This Meditation Tip Before (…. it’s not what you’re expecting)

Alright, alright—ya caught me.

I’m kind of a multi-tasker (gasp!).

I know, I know. Especially since this is a post about meditation, I should be saying I give 100% mindful focus to whatever I’m doing…

But the truth is, I’m a listen-to-podcasts-while-doing-the-dishes, call-my-mom-when-going-on-a-walk, do-ab-exercises-while-watching-an online-lecture-for-school kind of girl...so it might not surprise you that one of my favorite self-care rituals is a multi-tasking hack. *wink*

…ya ready? 

Here it is: a meditation + face mask combo. Yup, that’s right. Whenever I do a formal meditation practice, I usually also apply a face mask. Both of them take about 15–20 minutes, both of them refresh me (mentally and physically), and both of them ground me in the moment. It’s a 2-for-1 self-care moment, and I do this at least once per week. Let’s dig in, shall we?




here’s the basic scoop on meditation:

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that meditation is “good for you,” but exactly how so? 

Meditation is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, being still in the present moment, and reacting non-judgmentally to thoughts, emotions, or situations.

Describing meditation as “good” for us completely understates how impactful this simple, cost-effective practice can be—mentally, physically, and emotionally. Mindful meditation has been found to harness areas of the brain that control cognition, regulate emotions, and decrease negative thought processes…which, in turn, can have an incredible impact on our physiology, emotions, and behaviors.

A little about my own meditation journey—I started small. To be honest, I didn’t even realize I was meditating, but I had started doing brief 5-minute “visualizations” for athletics when I was competing in competitive track. Gradually and naturally, this turned into using 5-minute meditations to fall asleep…or calm down before a test…

Fast forward and I have taken the full 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course, I have attended all-day meditation retreats, I have consumed countless books, tried allllll the meditation apps, and in my doctorate program, I often choose to focus my papers on meditation and its impact on our health and wellbeing. Safe to say, I’m a little obsessed.

i often share tidbits of my meditation practice and various mindfulness tips on my instagram stories. follow along here :)

i often share tidbits of my meditation practice and various mindfulness tips on my instagram stories. follow along here :)




for all my science-loving peeps that want thee “proof”:

I could go on a complete ramble here, but instead, I’ll give you a few bullet points on the power of meditation (all sources can be found at the bottom of the post):

  • In a randomized controlled trial, one group went through a standard weight loss program and another went through an identical weight loss program with the addition of being trained in mindful meditation. The meditation group lost more weight, improved eating behaviors, and improved dietary restraint significantly more than the control group.

  • College-aged students who used a mindfulness phone app showed improvements in depressive symptoms, college adjustment, resilience, and mindfulness in a 10-day span of using the app.

  • In a study of 74 military personnel affected by PTSD or another anxiety disorder, half of the group took part in a 20-minute transcendental meditation session and the other half (a control group) did not. The authors found that at one month, most patients (84%) in the TM group had stabilized, decreased, or ceased medications, compared with 59% of patients in the control group. Only 11% of patients in the TM group increased their medication dosage, compared with nearly 41% of patients in the control group.

  • To all my fellow healthcare peeps—you’ll love this systematic review. It measured various biomarkers (C-reactive protein, various interleukins, immune cells, telomerase, etc.), and the big picture: mindfulness has been correlated with reductions in pro-inflammatory processes (less inflammation, hollllla!), increases in cell-mediated defense parameters (stronger immune system = less illness), and increases in enzyme activity that guards against cell aging (this is in regards to telomeres which are correlated with youth/strong cell processes!).

  • A comprehensive literature review identified that mindfulness meditation has a positive impact on nurses' (and nursing students') stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, sense of wellbeing and empathy. (Looking @ you, all of my fellow nurses and healthcare peeps!)

  • According to Herron (2011), a 14-year study comparing over 2,800 people found that those who meditate had their healthcare costs drop by 11% after one year of meditating and after five years, their payments had dropped by 28% annually. This is compared to the non-meditating group (who was matched for age, gender, and region) whose health costs which did not significantly change. 

— I mean, WHOA. Meditation is free, approachable, and impactful.

But it can also be a little bit intimidating for many people.

okay, okay, i want to meditate, but don’t know how….

I hear that some worry they “aren’t doing it right” or “can’t shut their brain off.” And this is OK! Meditation is a practice after all. Give yourself grace as you begin, and let go of expectation. It is not about doing it perfectly—meditation is not always about sitting in a zen, cross-legged position and hearing “oooommm” for hours on end. It is about bringing mindfulness, presence, and intention to whatever moment you are in. 

I feel like meditation is one of those things that gets lumped into an “I know I should do that, but…” box, but I promise you can find even 5 minutes to start your day from this place of presence and intention. I am a huge fan of short, mini-meditations amidst busy days. While I would love to find 20 minutes every day, sometimes that just isn’t realistic. Start with 3 minutes. Then work to 5, 10, 15…

There is no “wrong” way to meditate as long as you are intentional and present, but here are a few general pointers to get ya started!

  • Pick whatever format you like—some people prefer silence, some prefer white noise, some prefer guided meditation. All of these options can easily be searched on YouTube or a meditation phone app

    • I love the Insight Timer app, The Daily Ritual podcast, and the Peloton App

  • Once you select the sounds you desire, sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes if you feel comfortable.

  • Take deep breaths, feeling your belly expand when you inhale.

  • Concentrate on loosening your various muscles from head to toe.

  • Breathe through your nose and listen to your breath, breathing easily and naturally.

  • If your mind is wandering, bring yourself back to the moment by concentrating on your breath and engaging your senses.

  • REMINDER: If your mind wanders, that’s okay! Meditation is a practice, remember? Focus on your breath, in + out, in + out, in + out until you can feel your thoughts slow and ease.

General rule as a society: if we all actually meditated as often as we talked about meditating, we’d be in a pretty good spot. 1 or 2 minutes of stillness is better than nothing, I promise! I know your days are busy—but I promise, you can find at least one occurrence per week where you can block off 15 minutes to just be…and a face mask may just be the cherry on top. :)

i get asked this a loooooot, here is where i got my floor cushions: big cushion and small cushion

i get asked this a loooooot, here is where i got my floor cushions: big cushion and small cushion

next up… let’s take our medi to the next level with a face mask!

Mmmmmm, you know ya girl loves a little TLC skincare (check out 3 of my fav skin rituals here). But face masks are one of my go-to self-care moves. Cliche? Yes. Impactful? Also, yes. Here’s the deal—there is no way you can’t be present when applying a face mask. The focus you take while mixing it up, applying it to your face, rinsing it off with warm water…the whole process is incredibly grounding and relaxing.

And, bonus! It gives ya that skin glooooooow. ;) 

I know I may sound like a broken record—but as with any product, looking at your ingredients is SO important for your hormone health, toxic load, lymph system, etc. It’s amazing how many chemicals are hiding in your go-to face mask. Shopping for your face masks with intention is soooo important, but it can also feel confusing to know which ingredients are “bad.” To take all the guesswork out for ya, here are a few face masks you can TRUST. I am a self-admitted face mask junkie (hiiiiii, overflowing beauty drawer) and have soooooo many natural options to pick from that have built up over the years.

FOR ALL OF MY PRODUCT JUNKIES, HERE ARE SOME OF THE RANDOM FACE MASKS I LOVE:


But recently I repeatedly find myself reaching for 3 of the same face masks. Despite having about 15 options, I seem to always pick one of these. Heck, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. :) Each of these masks are designed for whatever issue my skin is facing at that moment—ensuring that I am giving my skin exactly what it needs.

FOR ALL MY MINIMALISTS, HERE ARE THE ONLY 3 FACE MASKS YOU NEED (I USE THESE 97.3% OF THE TIME):

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pro tip: use more than one mask at a time

I said I liked to multi-task didn’t I? Welllllll, I also multi-MASK. :)

Here I am putting a plumping/hydrating mask on the majority of my skin + then a clarifying mask on my jawline to target some hormonal acne. :) Giving my skin what it needs, where it needs it.

start multi-masking here >>>

One of the masks is for acne-prone areas and breakouts, one is for moisture and getting that J. Lo-style gloooooowing skin, and one is for reducing inflammation and sensitive skin. No matter what my skin is needing—I can just pick from these 3 masks and let them work their magic. (Alllll the while being 100% certain that the ingredients are good for my skin and body. No chemicals for me plz!)

If you are interested, Primally Pure was nice enough to give Foundation Blog readers 10% off when you mention KATE10 at checkout!

I know facial masks can seem like a luxury, “special occasion” skincare item, but I truly noticed such a difference after making them part of my regular skin routine. And now that they are combined with my routine meditation practice, I ensure that I am taking care of my mind and skin (bonus!). 

put it all together…

Alright—so here is where the magic happens. I will apply my mask, pull up a 15-minute guided meditation or guided imagery session on YouTube or the app Insight Timer, set up on my meditation pillow (I got my small cusion on Etsy and my big floor pillow here), and just be. 

When the meditation ends, I take whatever my body/mind is needing—maybe it’s a few more minutes in silence, maybe a gentle 5-minute yoga flow, some journaling, or some stretching and self-massage. But whatever it is, I try to be in tune with my needs at the moment and reeeeallly soak in this self-care ritual.

Once I feel like I am finished, I go to the sink, rinse off my facial mask with warm water, spritz with an all-natural facial mist, apply 3-5 drops of skin-specific serum, and finish off with some gua sha if I have time. And there ya have it! 15–20 minutes of complete me time that benefits my body, mind, annnnnd skin. ;)

to wrap it up:

I don’t know what it is…

Meditation alone is always a treat and a face mask by itself will always be nice, but something about combining these really does feel very intentional and grounding and extra special. I really can’t describe it, but I hope you try this 2-for-1 self-care deal. It benefits me on so many levels: my mind, my mood, my skin…15 minutes just for me. 

And now, you can try it for yourself. I hope you love this multi-tasking (multi-masking???) combo as much as I do, friend! 


did you like this post? here’s more goodness:

read now or save to pinterest for later!

REFERENCES OF THE DATA MENTIONED:
Ainsworth B, Marshall JE, Meron D, et al Evaluating psychological interventions in a novel experimental human model of anxiety. J Psychiatr Res. 2015;63:117–122.

Black, D. S., & Slavich, G. M. (2016). Mindfulness meditation and the immune system: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1373(1), 13.

Cettina, L. A. (2018). Meditation, not medication, to relieve anxiety. Nursing2018, 48(9), 44-47.

Flett, J. A., Hayne, H., Riordan, B. C., Thompson, L. M., & Conner, T. S. (2019). Mobile mindfulness meditation: a randomised controlled trial of the effect of two popular apps on mental health. Mindfulness, 10(5), 863-876.

Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., Palitz, S. A., Schwarz, N. R., Owens, M. E., Johnston, J. M., ... & Simon, N. M. (2018). The effect of mindfulness meditation training on biological acute stress responses in generalized anxiety disorder. Psychiatry research, 262, 328-332.

Spadaro, K. C., Davis, K. K., Sereika, S. M., Gibbs, B. B., Jakicic, J. M., & Cohen, S. M. (2017). Effect of mindfulness meditation on short-term weight loss and eating behaviors in overweight and obese adults: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, 15(2).

van der Riet, P., Levett-Jones, T., & Aquino-Russell, C. (2018). The effectiveness of mindfulness meditation for nurses and nursing students: An integrated literature review. Nurse education today, 65, 201-211.

Zeidan F, Martucci KT, Kraft RA, McHaffie JG, Coghill RC. Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2014;9(6):751–759.

ALL BLOG POSTS, INTEGRATIVE HEALTH, SELF-CAREKate Eskuri5 Comments