Hey love,
Are you struggling in meditation? If yes, don’t worry! I’ve been there too and in this article you’ll learn why and what to do about it.
Meditation has become a more popular thing to do and I’m so happy about it. I started meditating every day around one year ago. It has since helped me so much to show up as the best version of myself, to be emotionally balanced, mindful and overall happier. Don’t get me wrong, meditation is not the easiest thing to do, especially when you are just starting out. It’s a skill you learn over time and it’s totally normal to struggle in the beginning. Once you stick with it, you will see amazing benefits and it can literally change your life!
So if you’re wondering why you’re struggling in meditation and what you can do about it, here are some of the reasons why that could apply to you:
Reasons Why You Are Struggling in Mediation
1. You put too much pressure on yourself
More people are suffering from their perfectionism than you would think. If you become so attached to the outcome and want to do everything as “perfect” as possible, you are much more likely to give up too soon. Just enjoy the process and reward yourself for showing up every day, regardless of the outcome of your meditation practice. That’s how you get better and start establishing a routine.
2. You believe that you have to quiet your mind
One of the most widely-spread myths around meditation is that in order to have a successful practice, you need a calm mind. It’s probably also one of the things that make people give up in frustration. First, remove all the labels and “successful” is one of them. No labels, no judgement, right?
Meditation isn’t about stopping your thoughts and emptying your mind. It’s actually about finding the gaps between your thoughts and deciding how much attention you want to give to those thoughts.
It’s also completely normal that thoughts arise. When they come up, there is no need to judge them or trying to push them away. In fact, you take the position of the observer and it allows you to look at your thoughts from a neutral perspective. So, if you’re struggling in meditation because you can’t quiet your mind, completely let go of any expectations and you will see how much your experience will change.
3. You haven’t made it a habit yet
Most people underestimate the power of habit. When learning a new skill, consistency is key and the same goes for meditation. When you make it a habit and start doing it every day, it will get easier and easier over time for you. I have been meditating every day for almost one year now. During this time, I only skipped it twice and I could immediately feel the effect it had on the rest of my day.
4. Do you feel inspired to meditate? Do you have a why?
One of the biggest reasons why people are struggling in meditation is that they lack purpose and don’t feel inspired to meditate. Let’s be real. If you don’t have a “why“ and cannot come up with a reason why you should meditate, it is going to be so much harder. You should definitely feel a desire to implement meditation into your life and it’s always easier when you have intrinsic motivation.
If you don’t know the benefits of meditation yet, here are some:
- Promotes emotional health
- Controls anxiety
- Reduces stress
- Enhances self-awareness
- May help fight addiction
- Improves sleep
- Lengthens attention span
5. You haven’t optimized your surrounding
Especially when you’re just starting out, having your surrounding optimized for meditation is so important. Do you have access to a calm and clean space? Do you have scheduled in time for meditation? For example, if you want to meditate in the morning after waking up, make sure that you won’t get distracted. You might also consider going to bed a bit earlier and not scheduling any meetings or commitments at that time.
So you might ask yourself, what should I do instead? I mean, it definitely is just about practice but here are some special meditation hacks you can used that also helped me and I’m a happy meditator now.
So now that you know some of the reasons why meditation is currently not working for you, here are some tips that you can use to make starting it and making a habit out of it a bit easier for you.
Meditation Hacks
1. Start small
Start with short guided meditations that last up to 10 minutes. Like I said, it’s normal to struggle in meditation in the beginning but it might also be that you just try to do too much. When you start with shorter meditations, it doesn’t seem as intimidating and you can still increase the length of your meditation practice over time. Even though I have meditated now for a longer time, I still use guided meditations because I love listening to a soothing voice and the background music helps me relax and get into the “mood”. Here are links to some short guided meditations I can recommend when starting out:
- Mindfulness Guided Meditation (10 minutes)
- Chakra Balance Guided Meditation for Positive Energy (10 minutes)
- Feel Good Morning | Wake Up Guided Meditation (5 minutes)
2. Exercise before meditating
If working out is already a part of your morning routine, try to meditate right after that. When your body is tired from all the exercising, it is easier for your mind to focus. It’s also a good way to relax.
3. Enjoy the process
This is one of the most important things! Don’t judge yourself and focus on enjoying the process instead. Just be present during the practice. When you surrender and don’t have any expectations regarding the outcome, things usually work out much better. Just try to be present and focus on your body and your breathing.
You might also like: How To Be More Present in Everyday Life
4. Sign up for a challenge
There are sometimes challenges that can help you get into the habit of meditation. When you commit to 21 days and show up every day, it’s very likely that you will also meditate after these 21 days and that it has already become a habit. Another tip is to look for an accountability buddy and just text each other every morning that you meditated. A short “done” is already enough. However, it really depends on how you get motivated. So try it out if external expectations work as a motivation for you and if not, try to motivate yourself and push through.
5. Have a place in your apartment that you use for meditation
It’s much easier to stick to a habit when you already have a certain location where you do your meditation practice. Make sure that it feels inviting, comfortable and tidy. So, when you see this special place in the morning, it reminds you of doing your meditation practice. For me, it’s my sofa and when I’m really tired, I just meditate in bed. Done is better than perfect!
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Final Note
I hope this article helped you to get a better idea of what might be holding you back from enjoying a regular meditation practice and what you can do instead. Let me know in the comments which tip helped you the most. In case you have any more questions, you can always dm me on Instagram. My handle is @jenniferlion_ and I always love to connect with you more.
Much love to you,
Jennifer
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