If you want to gain all the benefits that come with regularly meditating, you have to do it correctly. Unfortunately, there are many mistakes that beginners make that keep them from being able to reap the benefits from meditating. Here are some of the meditation pitfalls you need to avoid.
1. Not Figuring Out What Works for You
There is no one method that works for everybody, so it’s important that you take the time to figure out which method will work best for you. If you pick one method and it’s not working for you, but you keep trying it, you’re not going to be able to enjoy it and you may end up giving up.
To avoid this pitfall, make sure you try different methods until you find one that works for you.
2. Using Meditation in Stressful Situations
Although meditation will certainly help you through a stressful situation, it’s not something most beginners are able to do well, which can make it ineffective and lead to thinking that meditation in general is the problem.
Instead, only meditate when you’re relatively calm until you’ve mastered meditation.
3. Meditating for Long Periods of Time
The quality of your meditation time is much more important than the quantity of it, so make sure you’re not forcing yourself to spend hours in meditation when you’re still learning. Meditation is something that takes time to learn and requires practice, so you’re not going to be able to do it for hours just yet.
Make sure you’re taking lots of breaks while meditating and don’t push yourself to meditate for too long.
4. Following Guided Meditations Too Much
Although it’s a good way to get started with meditation, sticking with guided meditations for too long can hold you back. This is because meditation is a deeply personal experience, so allowing yourself to rely completely on guided meditations won’t help you reach the next level of meditation.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of meditation, start using only self-guided meditation.
5. Allowing for Too Many Distractions
Too much of a good thing is a bad thing, especially when it comes to meditation. Although you may benefit from some soft music playing in the background to help you focus and drown out background noises, too many distractions are going to keep you from being able to meditate well.
Find a quiet place to mediate and shut off the music if even that becomes too much for you.
6. Getting Frustrated
The point of meditation is to relax your mind and body, but many beginners fall into this pitfall of getting frustrated when they can’t get it right at first. But, if you get frustrated or angry with yourself while meditating, it’s only going to make it even harder to meditate.
Remember that meditation takes time and practice to master, so give yourself a lot of room to make mistakes at the beginning.
Whatever you do, don’t give up, and don’t be afraid to ask for help from a meditation expert who might be able to tell you what you’re doing wrong or give your ideas to get you back on track. Like anything, some people are naturally going to get it faster than others.
