As a child, my mother frequently begged me to “please just sit down,” my constant motion both familiar and, I am sure, more than a little irritating. As an adult, a friend and mentor told me that I had “the attention span of a monarch butterfly.” Those comments join a lifetime of similar ones, in every setting in my life.

Fortunately, I have, by and large, learned to cope with my “jangly” nature. I have found outlets for my need for constant motion by making sure that my morning begins with a workout. I know that deadlines are critical for me to “get stuff done” and that having “a plan” helps me to stay on track. I managed myself through school and I continue to try and find ways to use my restlessness positively.

Mindfulness is one of the areas in which I struggle. Over the course of years, I’ve tried many meditation techniques. I’ve tried apps and music and moving meditation in nature and none of these really helped me to achieve the calm I crave. The centeredness I’ve seen in others is just not a part of who I am and not a part of who, I suspect, I will ever be.

But I have found some ways to make mindfulness more real and less wishful, to seize moments of focus and concentration, brief though they may be. Those moments have found me through the practice of sadhana, the Sanskrit word for a daily spiritual practice. For me, it is not the breathing or stretching that works. It is to journal and to journal, not just what is on my mind, but to begin that process with a spark. Often it is through the words of a text, a poem, or a yogic sutra. I will turn to a page at random and read a few lines. Then, journal as to what those lines mean and how they apply to me, to my life, to the lives of others. For those moments of thought and creativity, my focus is absolute and my restless self is at peace.

Each of us needs a place of mindfulness and calm. For some, it is to meditate. I have a friend who meditates every afternoon and finds that it leaves him as refreshed as a good night’s sleep. I have another friend who finds peace in prayer and energy work. It doesn’t matter what you do, what matters is that you find a way to calm, to renew, that you find a way to nourish and fill your full heart.