I broke my streak... and it's okay

My 1800+ day meditation streak broke recently, and honestly? I mostly felt free. I'd been meditating largely to keep the streak alive in the app I use, which often meant I'd just put it on in the background while I did something else without actually actively engaging with the meditation. Reflecting back, that probably undid at least some of the benefits of the mindfulness/meditation practice.

I feel a lot less pressure to actually meditate now that the streak is dead, and paradoxically, it's easier for me to take some time to get my butt on the proverbial meditation cushion.

Streaks are still a great way to build a specific habit, but it's all too easy to get caught up in just doing it for the streak while the thing you're doing should be the goal. I'll keep meditating (it's by far the best habit I've built, ever), but the stakes are a lot lower now that there's no streak to uphold anymore.