How to trick yourself into meditating.
Meditation.
It’s a word that no doubt conjures some type of visual or feeling in most of us. For me, the first memory I have of the word goes back to my days as a second grader at a private Christian school. It was lunch time, and I was eating with my friends when somehow or another, we all started performing the recognizable ‘meditation pose’ in our seats.
You know the pose.
Criss-cross-apple-sauce, hands resting on your knees, back straight, and of course you have to hum the magic word: ‘Ommmmm’ — the louder and more drawn out the better.
What made the memory stick was not the sheer absurdity of five elementary school boys all humming in unison, but was the fact that another student had scolded us about our dumb fun! ‘Meditation means you’re praying to the devil!’ She proclaimed — which, just in case you didn’t know, isn’t true. But really, meditation is what you make of it. So — sure, if you want to commune with the dark lord of sin, that’s your prerogative.
To me, that whole thing is nothing more than a funny memory, and one where both sides were misguided, and misinformed as to what meditation really is. On one hand, we have me and my friend, whose only experience with meditation was what we saw in movies and cartoons. It was almost always some bald guy sitting in a strange pose with his eyes closed, and that's all it appeared to be. On the other hand, we have a fellow student who was fed misinformation about what meditation is, and promptly reacted according to what she knew. And don’t get me wrong, I do not blame her for her actions. She was simply acting with her conscience, the problem was she didn’t have full context for why she thought the way she did. And to be fair — knowing how kids ask endless questions — saying ‘meditation is praying to the devil’ is probably a much simpler answer to give a child than to really explain the concept in detail. Not that I agree with that approach, but I can understand the reasoning. Yet for both parties, we are left with a question: If meditation isn’t just sitting funny and humming, and it’s not devil communion, then…
What is meditation?
To me, meditation is this: A time when you pause, and reflect. It’s as simple as that. Now that’s just my interpretation, and there may be differing opinions on what meditation actually is, but that’s what it is to me. To pause and reflect.
Reflect on what? Well… anything you choose to. You could reflect on current affairs, or what you had for dinner yesterday, and how you didn’t really like it so you probably won’t order from that restaurant again. Even though your friend, like, vehemently recommended it to you and…
Stop!
Pause, and reflect! An important part of meditation is that you do not get lost in your thoughts. Which is a hard task to accomplish for us with vagabond minds, always drifting from thought to thought. But when we do that in our moment of reflection, we’re actively letting the outside in, and we only want to look at what’s already inside. When we meditate, we should be organizing what is already inside our mind, heart, and soul. Think of it as Spring cleaning for the soul — except you can do it whenever you very well please!
Meditation also can be just a time to not think. A time of silence, not necessarily spent reflecting, but to pause and escape from the daily pressures. This is called ‘being present’. As in, not thinking of external pressures or problems. Actively cultivating time spent alone, with just the ambience of the world at work.
“But I simply can’t do that!” You may say, “I just can’t sit still for an hour and not think!” And you may be right, that is tough for a lot of us. Personally, I’m still working on that ability; on the power to sit and clear my mind — to sit and be present for extended periods of time. Which might seem impossible for some, but I’ve got good news…
There’s an App for that!
You can go on any App Store and find a good handful of meditation apps. You likely have seen advertisements for apps like Calm or Headspace. And while they do their best to try and ease newcomers into to the art of meditation (By having smaller length sessions for example), it’s hard for that habit to stick. And at the end of the day, meditation is a habit, and one we should incorporate into our lives. But if you know anything about trying to start a healthy habit, you know it isn’t easy. Which is due to a multitude of reasons, but that’s a topic worthy of its own blog post. However, one key part of being able to build a new habit — any habit — is one I will share now, and that concept is:
Minimum Viable Effort — or how to start a new habit.
Minimum Viable Effort (or MVE) is a term coined by Stanford researcher “BJ Fogg”. And put simply, it’s doing something so simple that “you can’t not do it”, as Eric Barker puts it . Eric Barker is the creator of a blog called Barking up the Tree. He’s the one from whom I first learned the concept of MVE. In a particular post he says the following.
“Want to floss more often? Okay, just floss one tooth. Sound silly? That’s fine.”
-Eric Barker
Something so small, so simple, so miniscule, that you can’t not do it.
How does this apply to meditation? Well, for true sit-down meditation, you could apply it this way: For 10 seconds, turn off all screens, music, any distractions, and be present. If you can’t do 10 seconds for whatever reason, do 5. Just do it. Don’t worry about the ambient noise of the world, as that is what you’re focusing on. Steady your breathing, see the leaves rustle on the branch of a tree, hear the clack of your dogs nails on the hardwood. Just be present (for only 10 seconds!), then continue on with whatever the day calls for.
“But that’s boooooooring!” You may cry.
Fine! Alright! So true, quiet meditation just isn’t an option for you right now. You absolutely cannot do it even for a few seconds. That is fine, don’t be discouraged! Because if you’re out of options, I can offer another solution…
I can trick you into meditating.
You read that correctly.
The best part? You’ll be actively doing something the whole time too! Which, I know, sounds contradictory to the whole “Pause and reflect” thing I’ve been droning on about — but just trust me on this, you’ll be doing a lot of reflecting.
“Okay, okay. What’s this secret? What is the trick then?” you ask.
Journaling, I say.
The Power of Pen and Paper
Journal, diary, chronicle, record, whatever you want to call it. This is ultimately a little trick that I call ‘Forced Meditation’.
Now I don’t say ‘Forced’ like anyone is making you do this. Instead, I mean you are quite literally forcing your thoughts out onto a page. Your thoughts, ideas and feelings, there for you to behold. Read it. And weep. For you cannot chase other thoughts when something you slowly and intentionally wrote is there in front of you!
Journaling is a powerful tool, because it helps us to really articulate our thoughts. You have to think of your words before ink touches paper. In that time before your hand goes to draw the first line of a letter, you have to consider your words, and whether you mean them. Journaling is slow, methodical, and intentional. It demands that we be calm and, when we choose to, it offers us the opportunity to reflect.
Left to right, your pen will flow.
Top to bottom.
Line to line.
Pen and paper, NO TYPING.
Typing is too fast, your thoughts hit the paper before you’ve had time to really process them, and that defeats the purpose of what you’re trying to accomplish! The goal isn’t to write as fast as possible. Nor is it to write for anyone else. You are supposed to be honest with yourself when you meditate, so then why would you then write down things you don’t believe and sign off on that?
Even if you do write something you don’t agree with, don’t erase it (which is why I recommend writing in pen)! Stare at it, and wrestle with it for a moment, look inward and discover why you think you feel that way. Ryan Holiday puts it well in his book ‘Stillness is the Key’. He says when we journal (or meditate), we are to “ … wage peace with oneself”. You shouldn’t be writing to make yourself angrier! You should stare at your flaws and misguided opinions and attack them with virtue.
Marcus Aurelius, the last great emperor of Rome, wrote quite a bit. From what we know, he was an avid practitioner of journaling. And fortunately for us, his works have been preserved over centuries for us to read. And in it we see reflection, words of wisdom, lessons, and and appreciation for the people in his life. That is meditation. It and journaling are closely related, we can extract similar value from both. Another take-away from this fact, is that journaling isn’t something only certain people can do.
Roman emperors can journal. Military generals. Fast food workers, Moms, Dads, and Doctors. If you can read and write, you can journal. And if you can journal, you can meditate. The truth is, there is no trick here. In my humble opinion, journaling is simply meditation in written form. However, that is not to say that journaling is the ultimate replacement for true meditation. To quote Marcus Aurelius himself:
“People try to get away from it all — to the country, to the beach, to the mountains … you can get away from it anytime you like.
By going within.”
-Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.3
What does he mean by this? Well he’s likely referring to something we all struggle with. By ‘all’ here, he most nearly means things like work, pain, suffering, responsibilities, etc. Who wouldn’t want to ditch their 9–5 job and go live freely by the seaside? I imagine a fishing trip would help anyone temporarily muffle their thoughts about their failing relationship.
But he goes on to say in that same entry, that we don’t have to rely on these far away places of refuge to find solace from our problems. We have refuge inside ourselves. Our soul.
“ … A quick visit should be enough to ward off all … ”
-Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.3
In his own writing, in his own journaling, he acknowledges the power of of just being able to sit and be present. I believe both meditation and journaling go hand-in-hand. They act as supplements for each other rather than total replacements. Any wisdom you discover after time spent being still can be transferred onto paper for you to reflect upon later. Which is another benefit of journaling, the ability to go back and see the clarity you have come upon. It can become a source of power to refresh yourself when you struggle with similar issues later.
To close this section I want to reiterate: true meditation is hard to master, especially during an age where we have so many things pulling on our minds. So if it’s something that you struggle with, slowing down with a journal is a good first step. Think of it this way; you’ve got to slow down before you can come to a stop. It’s when we stop that we can get out of the car and appreciate the scenery around us.
Other types of meditation
Beyond journaling, here are some even easier ways to break into meditation.
Walking: If you can, find a time and place to just take a walk. Preferably solo, and without music to distract you.
Take in the sights and sounds around you, and let the natural flow of the world be your backdrop. Hear the birds chirp, the dirt grind underfoot. Hear the passing of a car while whoever is inside plays their favorite song on max volume.
Just be present, be aware, and use the rhythm of your feet to focus. Use this time to think, or to clear your mind. What you’re after here is stillness. And it’s much easier to acquire stillness when the distractions are put away.
Prayer: This one really only applies to those who have faith in a higher power. But for those of you that are avid practitioners of prayer, you no doubt know the benefits.
Prayer is simply another form of meditation. For some, it might be even better! Because in the presence of your higher power, you don’t have to face your darker side alone. When you pray, you actively engage with a being who exemplifies virtue, something of a mentor to help you focus your thoughts. When you pray, you can use the time to reflect on your misdeeds, and ask forgiveness. You can take inventory of the good things in your life, and humble yourself before one much mightier by giving heartfelt thanks. Prayer is intentional, its motivated and heartfelt.
For what is prayer if not meditation? When you truly submit yourself before your God (or Gods, where applicable), you have to pause and reflect to get the most out of that meeting.
Prayer — much like walking, and journaling — is a time to Pause, and reflect.
Final thoughts…
I would like to extend a thank-you to Ryan Holiday for his wonderful books. They have truly been a source of strength for me in a rather turbulent and uncertain time in my life. And it was through his work that I discovered the works of Marcus Aurelius, who’s meditations have greatly changed the way I view the world, and how I approach it.
I would also thank my proof-readers, for taking the time to pour over this (potentially pedantic) blog post.
And of course, I extend a thank-you to God. He has blessed me with these resources and talents. And despite much inspiration coming from secular sources, I have found that my faith has only strengthened because of the wisdom found in these works.
Relevant Sources:
If this topic intrigued you, and you wish to explore it more, here are some recommendations for you. (I will include links to store pages to order these books online, but I highly recommend supporting your local indie bookstores!)
- Stillness is the Key-Ryan Holiday
- Meditations-Marcus Aurelius
Thank you for reading.
— Kory Hacker
