This Is The Reason Why Meditation Isn't Working For You

Let’s begin with a short story. Two friends decide to try meditation and vouch to do it every day for at least a month. They practice it diligently and track their experience. When they catch up, one of them reveals that he had thoroughly enjoyed the art of meditation. He said that he had never felt so calm and focused and he will continue to practice it for life. This astonished his friend. Because he had a tough time meditating and there wasn’t any notable difference he noticed.

If you relate to the second friend, then this will definitely be an interesting read for you. Often, we hear people say things like, “Meditation is not for everyone.” Practicing meditation is surely a choice and nobody should be forced into it. Although, the prime reason why one might not see any fruition, is because they might be making a few errors along the way.

Below are six sneaky reasons that might be hampering your meditation practice. Keep scrolling to see if any of them resonate with you and find out how you can fix it.

Table of Contents

1. Constantly Wondering If You’re Doing It Right

“Can I leave my eyes open?”

“Is this how I am supposed to sit?”

“I cannot focus, I think I am doing it wrong.”

Intrusive thoughts like these will make you question everything and take you further away from the practice. A thing about meditation – it is not about achieving perfection, it is about finding your way through it. Simply focus on being present and mindful. Don’t waste your energy to stop your racing thoughts, because that is futile. No matter where your thoughts wander, actively clear them and bring your focus back to breathing. This beginner’s guide to meditation will help you. (hyperlink video/article here) Keep in mind that there are no ‘rules’ to meditation, but only guidelines that you should adapt to your comfort.

2. You Are Inconsistent

The benefits of meditation are cumulative. With each session, you build something, you grow. If there are huge gaps in between, and you’re not consistent with the practice, you may find yourself at the same place, building the same thing over and over again. It’ll be similar to running on a treadmill – you’re putting in effort, but you’re not reaching anywhere. It’s okay if you do not find time on some days, it’s okay if you could only practice it for 5 minutes on a particular day. But, keeping your skip days as low as you can, will help you unravel desirable results.

why-meditation-may-not-be-working-for-you-inside-image — Image | Drazen Zigic/Freepik

3. You’re Meditating When You’re Tired

Its said that you should begin your day with meditation. Rightfully so, but we would like to tweak it a bit and say – begin your day with meditation, only after you’re fully awake. Meditating when you’re sleepy or tired, say at the start or the end of the day, will compel you to pump in extra effort and make the practice seem difficult. Instead, you can make the most of the habit when you’re fully awake, after you exercise, or in between in your day.

4. You See Meditation As Your Escape From Reality

We’re sorry to break it to, but meditation is not about disconnecting. Allow us to explain. Meditation is about becoming aware, present and lucid. If you meditate to ‘run away’ from problems and stress, you will actually end up feeling more frustrated, because you won’t find your escape. What it actually does is help you integrate better with yourself, your thoughts and people around you. It provides insight and allows you to look at things in a different light, by making you aware of your present. Think of it this way – you’re on a holiday, and you just witnessed a breath-taking scenery. You want to stay there longer, just stand there in awe and absorb that moment as much as you can. Meditation does exactly that. Makes you hyper-aware of the present moment, with no past or future thoughts to disrupt. It is because of this reason, that you will be able to experience peace and relaxation.

5. You’re Expecting Immediate Results

Meditation does not work like an antacid, where giving it 15 minutes will solve everything. Sure, you might notice something positive even out of one session, but that won’t linger around for long. For meditation to really work, you need to put in dedicated time every single day. It is okay if you miss out on some days, don’t beat yourself with a stick. As long as the days you meditated are more than the days you did not, it’s all good here. But for results to show, you need to give the practice your sincere effort, time and most importantly, your patience. Only then you will notice a dramatic shift in terms of improved sleeping pattern, lowered stress, blood pressure, better focusing ability, and a general feeling of contentment.

Must-Read: Did You Know These Scientifically Proven Benefits Of Meditation for Stress Relief?

6. Thinking Of It As A Task

If you’re convinced that meditation is difficult, it will be. Starting off with a closed mind will not allow any goodness to flow through, and in the end, your conclusion will stand true. If meditation is something that you ‘have to’ do, or you’re doing it just for the sake of it, or you’re reluctant as is, then you will only be punishing yourself. For it to really work, try to surrender and give it a genuine shot.

If you want to give meditation another try, start with this guided meditation.