On the surface, meditation looks incredibly easy and incredibly hard. On the one hand, meditation is easy because it requires you to sit still, clear your mind, and ignore the many distractions around you. On the other hand, meditation is so hard because it requires you to sit still, clear your mind, and ignore the many distractions around you.
If you’ve ever found yourself at these crossroads, you’re not alone. Meditation can be pretty difficult, and it’s called a practice for a reason. A perfect meditation session and enjoying the many benefits meditation has to offer never happens the first go. Here are a few reasons why people find meditation so hard to do and what you can do about it if you find yourself in the same boat.
I Don’t Have Enough Time
Most people find it hard to meditate due to a perceived lack of time. And with so many things competing for our attention, that’s completely understandable. Whether it’s your job, your kids, or any of the myriad responsibilities you have at any given moment, it can be hard to slow down and take a beat.
If you look a little deeper, though, you’ll find that meditation doesn’t take hours out of your day. Meditation really only requires a few minutes of your time. Truth be told, you can start meditating for even five minutes a day and still reap the benefits. And if you’re honest with yourself, it’s not that hard to find 5 to 10 minutes on any given day.
My Mind Is Too Busy
One of the most popular objections to meditation is that it’s hard to stop the monkey brain. At any given moment, our thoughts are going in a million different directions. And if you’ve ever put off meditation for the same reason, you might take heart to know that you are certainly not alone.
What you need to understand in this case is that a busy mind is so very normal. There is no off switch. But here’s the thing, you don’t need one. Invariably, when we’re left to our own devices, our minds will replay the conversation (read: argument) we had with our spouse earlier that day, try to figure out what we’re making for dinner, and make a mental note to grab some glue sticks for the kids on the way home.
Your mind will wander, and if it does, that’s ok. Meditation doesn’t require you to wage a battle with your busy mind. If you find yourself drifting, the trick is to accept it and just come back to the now.
There Are Too Many Distractions/Noise Around Me
If you’re one of the many people in the world dealing with a full-time job and a family, it can be understandably difficult to find some quiet time to meditate.
Here’s another surprising thing about meditation, it doesn’t require complete silence. There’s a world going on around you, and you can’t stop it from spinning so that you can take 10 minutes to meditate.
Just as you should acknowledge your wandering mind and bring it back to the now, the same goes for dealing with distractions and noise. If the kids are arguing over the TV, sirens are blaring outside your window, or the dog is barking at the mailman, it’s perfectly okay to acknowledge the noise and the interruption; just make sure you come back to the meditation.
If “just go with it” isn’t the advice you hoped for, you could always try early morning meditations before everyone wakes up or late night meditations when the house is quiet.
Meditation Is So Hard I’m Afraid I’m Not Doing It Right
The most important thing to know about meditation is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. There are many different types of meditation, and the key is to find the one that works for you.
If sitting in silence doesn’t feel right, you could try a guided meditation instead. With that type of meditation, someone (either in person or on audio) gives you gentle instructions to guide you through. If that doesn’t work, you can try mantra meditation. This type of meditation involves repeating a particular phrase over and over again as a means of focus. And if sitting still isn’t your bag, you can always try Qigong meditation which pairs meditation with controlled breathing and gentle movement.
The point is, there’s a meditation style out there for everyone; you just have to experiment a little to find that one that works for you.
How To Start Meditating Daily
If meditation is so hard that you’ve been putting it off, here are a few tips to help you get started with a daily practice. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint.
Carve Out A Few Minutes Each Day
So you’re probably not a yogi sitting in a cave in India with copious amounts of time to meditate. Got it. To begin your practice, think about setting aside just 5 minutes each day to meditate. That’s it—5 minutes is all you need to start. And if you can’t spare 5 minutes, then start with two or three minutes. All you need to do is start.
Pick A Time To Meditate
The key to creating a habit is consistency. So while you can start as small as you like, you must be consistent. So when you decide to start meditating, choose a time of day that works for you. If it’s getting up 10 minutes before your family, so be it. If it’s going to bed 10 minutes later than the family, that works too. Contrary to popular belief, meditation doesn’t require a lot of fanfare. So if a couple of minutes on your lunch hour is all you have to spare, that works too.
Find A Quiet Spot
If you choose to do your meditation before or after the house wakes up, you’ve already checked the box for finding a quiet spot. If you have to work your meditation into your workday, consider finding a quiet spot outside. In this case, a park bench would be just fine.
Sit Comfortably
Before you begin your meditation, make sure that you’re sitting in a comfortable position. While most resources on the internet will probably lead you to believe that you need to master the lotus pose in order to meditate, that’s not true at all. If you’ve already mastered the lotus position, more power to you, but ultimately all you need to do is make sure that you’re comfortable. If sitting on a chair is more comfortable, then for it. If sitting on the floor with your back against the wall floats your boat, have at it.
It’s worth noting here that meditation is often idealized and ritualized whenever we see it in the media. But anyone who practices in real life will tell you it doesn’t work that way. You don’t need a meditation room filled with incense, cushions on the floor, and Tibetan singing bowls. If you wake up in the morning and sit with your back against your headboard to meditate, that’s a great start too.
Focus On Your Breath
Begin your meditation by breathing in and following your breath as it expands your body. Hold the breath for three to five seconds, then follow your breath back out as you exhale. If your mind begins to wander (and it will), acknowledge it, but then bring your thoughts back to your breath and the moment. Repeat the process for as long as you’d like to meditate for the day.
Meditation isn’t easy for anyone the first time. There are plenty of things in the world competing for our attention, day after day, minute after minute. The fact is, if you’d like to begin a meditation practice, it’s just something you’ll have to make time for and accept the shortcomings until they are no longer shortcomings. The most important thing to remember here is that your first meditation session is not going to be an earth-shattering experience. It’s going to feel weird; it’s going to be clunky, but that’s okay. Just know that every day you do this, you will get better and better.
Take 15 minutes for yourself – here’s a quick meditation from Goomi you can try.
