Frankly, meditation for beginners could be intriguing or dreary. To find some calm from the race around us, we resort to different kinds of meditation for mindfulness and tranquility. However, it is not that easy to meditate when everything is so fast-paced. Let’s look at some of the many challenges of meditation and what can be done to overcome them.
Challenges of Meditation for Beginners
Distractions
One of the crucial challenges of meditation for beginners is to keep distractions away from the mind. It could be external distractions (like noise from vehicles, people talking, construction work, etc.) or internal distractions (like thoughts, self-talk, stress, anxiety, etc.).
Choose the right corner as you begin your meditation: a place with minimum external noise. However, if it still gets tough to meditate, listen to the source of distraction. Continue with the process even with the distractions. As you become more attentive to your surroundings, you will slowly venture into mindfulness.
Finding Purpose
Most of the time, we do not know why we want to meditate. We hear someone saying the need to do it for inner peace, but we do not feel connected to the purpose.
Understand how meditation can affect you. What is it that you are seeking with meditation? Is it inner peace, tranquillity, adherence, patience or just to disconnect from mundane life? That way, you would not feel bored with the process and even if you do, you could at least bring an active outlook to learning the art of meditation.
Staying Focused
The benefits of meditation are hard to acknowledge when you don’t feel settled with the process. People often start with the process but give up in a week/month/even a couple of days. Either you feel detached or sleepy or just bored to simply continue with the meditation practice.
Form a group with friends or join a meditation group to help you stay focused. Try different forms of meditation and exercises that boost your energy level.
Anticipations
One of the challenges of meditation is anticipating or expecting results in a few days. It does not work like that. Meditation is a process that brings calm and helps you prepare for uncomfortable events/situations, without getting adversely affected.
Stop anticipating results. If you are constantly being pulled out of the process with distracting thoughts, take a step back and observe your thoughts. Do not judge yourself; rather accept and be with the emotion that’s bothering you. Meditation begins when you understand what’s happening within you in the present moment.
Emotional Turmoil
The meaning of meditation isn’t limited to a single definition. When someone starts with the process, they get affected by the emotional turmoil that arises from the overwhelming emotions or situations in the past. Many people also complain of zoning out or falling asleep during the process and experiencing exhaustion, trying too hard to meditate.
