Studies have found that cultivating a regular meditation practice is associated with a whole host of benefits, including reduced anxiety, increased well-being, increased connectedness and empathy, improved focus, improved relationships with others, heightened creativity, better memory and improved decision-making skills. And those are just the cognitive benefits. Meditation is also associated with other, more tangible health benefits, such as addiction treatment, improved cardiovascular health, a stronger immune system and better sleep quality. This is all great, but, for some of us, “doing nothing” is deceptively difficult. When I started my meditation journey, I struggled to physically sit still, let alone actually clear my mind. Part of the problem was my understanding of meditation. I thought you were only “good” at meditating if you could achieve a state of perfect zen: calm, still and able to maintain a clear mind for hours on end. MORE: Mood-boosting recipe: Vegan enchiladas with sweet potatoes & kale But, as it turns out, being that good at meditation is as hard as attempting a full marathon the first time you lace up your running shoes. For most, it’s impossible. I just didn’t know that. In fact, I spent a lot of time beating myself up about just how terrible I was at meditating before I shifted my focus to something I actually am good at: Researching. In my quest to learn how to suck less at meditating, I learned to redefine my idea of what meditation even is, and I picked up a few techniques. Here are some of the best ways I’ve found to meditate when you’re terrible at meditating.
If you don’t fully get what mindfulness is, try body scans.
Body scans are a very basic meditation technique — a good stepping stone to deeper meditation practice and a fantastic crash course on the concept of mindfulness. In meditation, mindfulness is an intentional awareness of the present moment. It’s the kind of thing that seems obvious, like something you must already be doing just to function, but it’s not. Ever gotten into your car and made it home without exactly remembering the drive? That’s how easy it is for us to get stuck on autopilot and mentally disconnect from what’s going on in the moment. Body scanning is just what it sounds like. To practice this technique: Notice the weight of your own hair hanging down from your scalp. Notice where you situate your tongue in your mouth when you aren’t talking. Notice where your weight rests in your spine and what your feet feel like pressed against the ground. This seems very basic, but most of us never do it in day-to-day life. We’re too busy thinking about the emails we haven’t answered and the errands we haven’t run. But, when you’re actively focusing your attention on how your body feels, you can’t think about the emails and errands, and mindfulness starts to take shape. If you do catch your mind drifting to those emails and errands, don’t beat yourself up or write the session off as a failure. Just acknowledge that your mind drifted, let the thought go, and refocus on the body scan, right where you left off. A guided body scan meditation can be extra-helpful when you’re just starting out, and there are a lot of great free options in apps, podcasts and on YouTube. Here’s one to try. MORE: Professional burnout: How to know if you have it & how to fix it
If you’re just too fidgety to meditate, try walking meditations.
If sitting still is part of your problem with meditating, consider walking meditations. These turn the very act of moving into meditative practice. To practice walking meditation: Eventually, as you cultivate your mindfulness skills, you’ll be able to turn any walk into a meditation opportunity, and you’ll be able to drown out distractions. MORE: Why you should draw even if you suck at drawing
If you’re “too busy” to meditate, try sound mindfulness meditations.
People who are “terrible at meditation” tend to be very susceptible to the busy-ness trap. They wear their packed schedules and blatant exhaustion like badges of honor and use their teeming to-do lists as a ready-made excuse against making time for the “do nothing” mantra of meditation. If that sounds like you, consider sound mindfulness. I came across sound mindfulness when studying dialectical behavior therapy; I found it to be a perfect midday mindfulness meditation technique. A lot of meditation guides recommend setting aside a specific block of time for meditation each day and making it a part of your routine. This is excellent advice, but, like so many things in life, meditation isn’t (and shouldn’t be!) one size fits all. The amazing thing about sound mindfulness is that you can practice it anywhere, anytime — whether you’re at home, standing in line at Starbucks, or fending off anxiety in the bathroom at work. The idea is simple: Sound mindfulness is not only versatile, but also a quick, effective way to break an anxiety pattern, particularly if you’re prone to ruminating and catastrophizing. The moral of the story: Even the least skilled meditators can find a way into helpful practice, as long as they’re willing to rethink what meditation means. Drawing can also serve as a cathartic meditation. Learn how to draw like a pro in the video below.
