8 Simple Tips for Meditation When It Seems Impossible

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Meditation is the easiest thing you’re not doing. 

Look, let’s be real: You probably know the benefits of meditation, but just can’t get around to doing it. You’ve heard people say (annoyingly, and maybe on social media) a million times how amazing it is, how much it’s changed their lives, blah blah blah. Perhaps you bought books, or collected meditation tips and methods, and have them neatly stored somewhere.

But once you get up and get your motor going, it seems impossible to just sit for any length of time, doing nothing.

Do you know what’s even more annoying? Those Instagram quotes and Oprah articles and medical studies are RIGHT. It’s true. Meditation WILL change your life. It will change your sleep patterns, your emotional life, your energy, your fitness and your ability to be happy. 

Meditation doesn’t need to be tedious, complicated or lengthy. 15 minutes a day is all you need for a solid meditation practice, but even 60 seconds will do the trick.

Yeah, 60 seconds. You heard me. I’ll get to that. 

And it’s likely much, much easier than you imagine. So let’s cut through those excuses and simplify this whole meditation thing, shall we?

3 major obstacles that get in the way of meditation, and how to fix them.

The cool-slash-annoying thing is that all these obstacles are mental. It’s cool because fixing them is entirely under your control. It’s annoying because meditation will actually fix the problem of not being able to meditate in the first place. It’s a bit of a catch-22.

So, I ask that you be generous with yourself. You will fall off the meditation wagon many times. That’s okay.

“I don’t have any time.”

Your day may wake up with a baby screaming in the early morning, running to the bus and getting three kids to school, all while you’re exhausted and trying to be presentable for your own agenda. I get it—the stories of people waking up calmly to do 30 minutes of yoga, visualization, and meditation before drinking artisanal coffee and slow-pressed juice probably makes you annoyed AF. 

The good news is that you don’t need more than 60 seconds, and it can be whenever you like. Morning is great for meditation since your mind is fresh, but you can meditate later in the morning, on your transit commute, during lunch or in the evening. Any time is better than no time. 

If you find yourself wanting or able to do more once you’ve begun, great! Over time, you may find scheduling five or ten or even 15 minutes much more possible. Why? The experience will make you much less resistant to it. 

Tips when you don’t have enough time.

1. 60-second meditation.

The difficult part isn’t the beginning of the meditation. When we have our monkey mind going, new things are enticing, even addictive. So the prospect of doing something different should start out with that freshness and intrigue. 

Set aside just 60 seconds for meditation. Tell yourself that that’s all you need to do.

This 60-second mini-meditation I do daily, either as part of my 15-minute morning meditation or at some point during the day. It’s simple. Ready?

1. Get comfortable and present.
2. Take ten natural belly breaths.

Normally for meditation, you want to sit upright, but for just 60 seconds, you can be in any position. Just be comfortable. Lying down is fine as long as you aren’t sleepy. If you are able to close your eyes, do, but it’s not necessary.

Don’t force your breath. The rhythm should be similar to that when you are asleep. You should feel your belly moving, not your upper chest.

Draw your focus to your breath. While you can count for ten breaths, I prefer to do two sets of five. After about five breaths I find that my mind wanders. When I reset back to one, the mind clears a bit because I’ve started something “new.” By all means, if counting straight to ten is easier for you, or you’d rather do it in sets of two, three or four, or you’d rather recite a simple mantra, do that.

2. Use waiting time.

There is usually some moment of the day that you’re forced to wait. I used to meditate while in my car waiting to pick up my kids from school. If you take public transit, use your morning or evening commute time to do a quickie meditation. Maybe you have a minute at work—sit still, keep your eyes open and do the 60-second meditation above.

Even if you’re not pressed for time, meditating during a period of waiting is a great way to keep anxiety and restlessness at bay.

“It’s boring.”

It’s really difficult to convince yourself to slow down (even for 60 seconds) and do…well, nothing. Doing nothing is one of the simplest yet hardest things to do. We are so programmed to DO things. We reward discipline and effort from an early age, so when problems or situations arise that require us to do the opposite—to let go—it’s scary. How do you DO something that isn’t doing? 

It’s boring. Right? 

Well, yes, it is, but only for a bit. If you’re lucky (and you won’t always be, no matter how many years you’ve been meditating), you’ll eventually reach a mental place where the clouds clear and you feel peaceful, not anxious. 

It’s not the thing itself, but our resistance to it, that sets us back.

Other than those instances, you probably will struggle with boredom. But the issue isn’t with actual boredom, it’s with avoiding boredom. Like many issues in life, the issue isn’t with the thing itself, but resistance to it.

You know how when you stretch your hamstrings, after a period in agony the muscle suddenly relaxes, lengthens and stops hurting? That’s your hamstring accepting the stretch and surrendering to it. Sure, it’s still a bit painful, but most of the discomfort is caused by your body’s tension in resisting the stretch in the first place. 

Know that boredom, like stretching your muscles, isn’t to be feared. Once you accept it, it stops being so uncomfortable. 

Tips when you find meditation boring. 

3. Do a guided meditation.

There are hundreds, probably thousands, of guided meditations on the internet, and many of them on YouTube. One of my favorite channels for guided meditations is Meditations by Rasa, but there are many, many more. Headspace is a fantastic app with many wonderful meditations, but it does cost about $12 a month.

The lovely thing about guided meditations is that you are not dropped in the middle of some black, thoughtless abyss. Someone else will lead you through where to focus, how to breathe and how to relax. 

4. Do a meditative activity, but not strict meditation.

Meditation doesn’t have to be sitting still with your eyes closed. 

You can meditate while walking, doing yoga, knitting, listening to music or even working out. It’s a state of mind, and some of us can quiet our minds better when we aren’t so still. 

5. Get out.

Nature is excellent for reaching mindfulness and presence. There’s something about getting away from man-made things and society that can help you realize that life exists regardless of accomplishments, money or stature. Go for a walk in nature and just be present with the day.

6. Use the 5-second rule.

Mel Robbins has a fantastic and stupidly simple method for getting sh*t done. Check out one of her videos here. If you like what you see, she has many more, plus books you can purchase on her 5-second method.

Basically, when you have an impulse to act on something, you have five seconds before your brain kills it. So right away, you go, “5-4-3-2-1-GO!” and begin.

When you find yourself in a moment when you could meditate, use the 5-second rule and just begin. This way you have no time to hem and haw or worry about how boring it will be. As Shia LeBeouf says, “JUST DO IT!”

via GIPHY

“I can’t quiet my mind.”

Here’s the thing–-you don’t really need to quiet your mind. In fact, that’s probably an impossibility. Even when I’m really feeling in the zone, I still have little thoughts creep in. That’s okay. Whatever you do, do not punish yourself or get frustrated if you feel overrun with thoughts. 

Any meditation is multitudes better than zero meditation.

Meditation is like fitness for the mind. You simply need to be patient with yourself as you build up the habit. Over time, you’ll build up a tolerance for sitting still, being able to meditate more readily and for longer periods of time. 

Here’s the cool part: Even if you’re sitting still in agony for ten minutes, not feeling rested, peaceful or refreshed, it’s still valuable meditation time. You’re building up your tolerance for the future, and likely still gaining at least a little of the many, many benefits available from the practice.  

Tips when your monkey mind won’t let you settle.

1. Keep it short. (See #1: 60-second meditation.)

Try the 60-second meditation above. 60 seconds is usually when things start to get boring, anyway. It’s the one-minute to 15-minute mark for me that’s the most challenging. Setting out to do and finish a short meditation will help create consistency, building a firm foundation for your practice. You might even realize that after 60 seconds you are able to settle your mind for a longer period of time.

7. Don’t quiet your thoughts. Invite them in and observe them.

This is a slight shift of focus, but it works. Instead of living your thoughts, and pushing them away, try inviting them in. Then once they come, watch what they say and what they do. Don’t try to stop them. Just watch and observe. 

The mere practice of observing your thoughts will detach your consciousness from them, separating YOU from your thoughts. And once your mind realizes it has no resistance from you, it will stop needing your attention, and stop relentlessly bothering you. 

8. Try going into the “space between the thoughts.”

I got this idea from Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Signs of Success. I’m paraphrasing, but he talks about finding the “space between the thoughts.”

This works wonders for me, perhaps because I’m a visual person. I grab on to a thought, observe it, and once it leaves, I jump into that space that’s left. It’s almost like looking through posters at a store, turning one to the left before making space. 

Meditation has changed my life.

Meditation has personally helped me with anxiety, financial troubles, addiction, depression, sleep deprivation, confidence, performance, relationships, goal-setting and so much more. I’ve had times when I had too much on my plate and was close to a breakdown; a simple five-minute meditation gave me back all my lost energy and focus.

Just do a little. Don’t try to do an hour a day. You’ll likely forget, and then you’ll avoid it because you’ll be telling yourself you don’t want to be bored for an hour anyway. Doing a little every day, five minutes if you can, but even 60 seconds, will build a good habit. Consistency is the key here. Doing 60 seconds for 60 days in a row is far more effective than doing an hour once in two months. 

Once you have enough time under your belt, you’ll see the benefits yourself and realize that it’s worth it to build it into your routine and make it a habit.