Why people think Meditating is “so hard” and Hacks to Make it Easier

You’ve learned about some of the benefits of Meditation, yet you still aren’t doing it. Don’t worry – You’re not alone. Despite all the personal stories, research, and data to back up the profound effectiveness of such a simple practice, many people still find it very difficult to meditate. Let’s explore some of the main reasons, and we’ll give you some simple hacks to make it easier to get going. If you knew that doing something 10 minutes per day would reduce your stress level by half, wouldn’t you gift yourself that benefit? I’d say you’re worth it!

Why People Don’t Meditate…

Here are some of the common reasons people give for not meditating – and statements to help you work around them:

“I’m too busy” – Start with just 5 minutes a day! Even just that little bit of time can have a profound effect on your life.
“I’m too stressed” – People have found time and time again, that meditating, even just for 5 or 10 minutes each day has drastically reduced their levels of stress. It’s one of the few activities in life that just a little bit can go a LONG way. If you’re “too stressed,” then meditating 5 minutes per day (or anytime you feel super-stressed) isexactly what you need to feel better!
“My Mind won’t stop thinking; it’s always racing with thoughts” – This is so normal – our minds have been doing this, well, most of our lives. And most of us just let it ramble on and on (oftentimes wreaking havoc in our lives if we don’t manage the negative thoughts that swing through). When meditating, you don’t have to stop every thought – they are going to come. Instead, notice them, be curious about them, decide if they’re really true for you, or not. It can be an eye-opening and life-altering experience to just observe the thoughts you have during your meditation sessions.
“There are too many distractions around; too much noise“- While being on a mountainside all alone can be an excellent way to meditate, for most of us working full-time jobs, it just isn’t feasible. As you learn to just observe your thoughts during meditation, you can begin to ignore all those external noises that come along during meditation. Or find a quiet spot at home – go into your bathroom, a closet, the basement. Turn on some rain sounds or gentle instrumental music or just white noise (a box fan?).
“I can’t get it right; I’m not good at it.” – No one is good at most things when they first start. The more you do it, the better you’ll become. That said, there is no “perfect” way to Meditate. As you give yourself those few moments of calm each day, your health and overall wellness will improve, your stress level will decrease, you’ll discover what works best for you, you’ll likely want to increase the time you meditate, and you’ll get better and better at the practice itself. Just Start, 5 minutes – you don’t have to be perfect or get it right.
“It’s just Weird / New-Age / like the Yoga and gluten-free crazes”- Actually, meditation has been around for over 2,500 years ago! It has become more popular as the health and wellness movements have taken hold of our society in recent years, but it is nothing new and will not go anywhere. And quite frankly – even if it was something new and weird… now that you know all the great benefits of such a simple and easy practice (and for such a short amount of time), who cares when it started or how weird it is. If 5-minutes of some weird, calming, quiet session is going to cut my stress level and improve my life, sign me up!

… and Hacks to Make it easier!

OK so if you’re still not sold on the whole meditation thing, despite having learned the benefits and even though we’ve just negated some of the main reasons people give for not meditating… Let’s share some “Hacks” people have suggested for breaking though this barrier and discovering the beauty – and benefits – of meditation…

1. Count! – Yep, pretend you’re Count Dracula from Sesame Street and count from 1-10, over and over again. If your mind wanders and you lose your place, start over again at 1. Some say to try to visualize the number in your head as you say it (either internally or aloud). I, personally, like to count my numbers 1-10 in Swahili. It keeps me more focused on the task. If you want to try, here you goMoja (1), Mbili (2), Tatu (3), Nne (4), Tanu (5),
  Sita (6), Saba (7), Nane (8), Tisa (9), Kumi (10)
2. Walk! – We explored this one in a previous post, but this is one of my favorites. I especially like walking in an area in which I’m surrounded by trees or a natural water source. I believe nature provides its own element of calm to the meditation. I also tend to pair this type of meditation with Counting meditation (counting my steps up to 10, then again and again), and/or adding either calm music, or preferably something with a rhythmic beat (like the hang drums shared previously).
3. Animal Time! – Spend just 5 or 10 minutes with an animal, quietly petting a dog, rubbing a cat as it purrs, even watching a fish swim back and forth for a few moments. Go to a park and watch the birds above, look for a rabbit, a squirrel; watch the ants march to their hills. Set a timer on your phone for 5 minutes, then fully engage in that activity without worrying about anything else.
4. See Falling Leaves? – Ok so if you’re still concerned about racing thoughts during your meditation, turn this one on its head. For 5 minutes, sit quietly and imagine that every thought that enters your mind is a falling leaf. See it, look at it, explore it, be totally curious about it. Oh! Another one just fell, what’s that one? Don’t judge them, just notice them and let them fall. As you improve, you may start to dig in more – where did that thought come from? did that come from someone else’s expectations or my own experience? is it true for me now? do I still believe that? do I want to hold on to this thought or let it go for good?
5. Drive! – Go for a drive. No phone, no distractions. You can drive in complete silence (my favorite) or put on instrumental music (or rhythmic beats) with no ads or interruptions. Just be in the moment…
6. Write! – One of my favorite Self-help books is “The Art of Creativity” by Julia Cameron. In it, you start a 12-week journey to your creative self. I highly recommend the book – and journey – to anyone, but her “Morning Pages” are an excellent way to meditate in an unusual way. She recommends that the very first thing you do when you wake up in the morning (you may have to wake up 5-10 minutes early to do it first thing), is just write 3 pages of whatever pops into your head – literally, anything. Sometimes you may write, “This is so stupid, why am I writing these silly pages. I don’t see how this is helping in my life. Heck, I don’t see how meditation is helping either. Well, ok, I do kind of enjoy it a little bit because I get all this stuff in my head out on paper and then it’s like I don’t have to worry about it all day. It also helps me to figure out things I need to do. Oh yeah, I’ve got to call Grandma Cora soon. I love her so much. Gosh, I really miss her. I remember when we were younger and…” Literally, just Write.
7. Be Artsy or Creative! – Along the lines of Writing meditation – and Focused meditation, which we discussed in a previous blog post – you can meditate doing lots of creative things. Paint, Draw, make a necklace, sew a shirt, make stamp designs, give yourself henna tattoos, try pottery or hand-building.
8. Practice Gratitude! – An amazing way to “meditate” is to merely be thankful. Here are two of my favorite ways:
  a. Start a Gratitude Journal: For 5-minutes each day, write out what you are thankful or grateful for. You can repeat things, though as time goes along, you’ll likely begin to discover things that you hadn’t thought of before to even be thankful for. It’s an enlightening experience. Many people have reported amazing life changes of doing this activity for just 30 days. We’ll just start with 7 now.
  b. Write and send out a daily Thank You Note: A variation on the Gratitude Journal, with this activity, you write a thank you note to someone every day. This one makes me think of the “Fill Your Bucket” story shared in an earlier blog. As you remember something that someone did for you and you write out a thank you to them, you are filling your bucket. When they receive your note and read it, their bucket is filled as well.

We hope one of these Hacks is something you think you can try to ease into Meditation. We can almost promise you that making meditation a priority in your life each day, will bring greater peace and joy in your life. Commit to yourself that for the next week, you’ll do one of these Hacks for just 5 minutes every day. Or try a different one each day.