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Can’t Seem To Meditate? Try This Instead!
| Mindfulness Activities For Adults | Meditation Alternatives | Practicing Mindfulness | Drawing Meditation | Mindfulness Journal |
If you struggle with meditating, then you have come to the right place. First of all, know that it is completely normal not to be able to meditate and that you are not alone in this. You may have trouble with meditating because of your mind being overloaded. Life is fast-paced nowadays and there are lots of things an average person needs to take care of.
With so many things on your mind – personal life, work, school, relationships, mental and physical health, etc., - your mind may be unable to shut off when you attempt to meditate.
The good thing is, there are alternatives to meditation. You can still continue practicing meditation and you will eventually succeed in this practice. But in the meantime, you can engage in other activities that will have the same impact on you as meditating. At the end of the day, the aim of meditation is to focus on the present moment, achieve inner peace, relaxation, and tranquility.
With so many things on your mind – personal life, work, school, relationships, mental and physical health, etc., - your mind may be unable to shut off when you attempt to meditate.
The good thing is, there are alternatives to meditation. You can still continue practicing meditation and you will eventually succeed in this practice. But in the meantime, you can engage in other activities that will have the same impact on you as meditating. At the end of the day, the aim of meditation is to focus on the present moment, achieve inner peace, relaxation, and tranquility.
So, we have come up with a list of activities you can do instead of meditation.
1. Meditative Drawing
Meditative drawing, also known as drawing meditation, is an easy alternative to meditation. All you need is a pen and a sheet of paper to train your attention and practice awareness.
While there are many ways to meditate while drawing, an interesting practice is drawing your breath. To do this, pay attention to your breath without any effort to control it. Move the pen up when you breathe in, and move it down when you breathe out. Don’t hold the pen with a tight grip. Try to relax and simply follow the natural flow of your breath. As you focus on your breath and the process of drawing it, there won’t be room for other thoughts.
Meditative drawing, also known as drawing meditation, is an easy alternative to meditation. All you need is a pen and a sheet of paper to train your attention and practice awareness.
While there are many ways to meditate while drawing, an interesting practice is drawing your breath. To do this, pay attention to your breath without any effort to control it. Move the pen up when you breathe in, and move it down when you breathe out. Don’t hold the pen with a tight grip. Try to relax and simply follow the natural flow of your breath. As you focus on your breath and the process of drawing it, there won’t be room for other thoughts.
Another efficient practice is drawing or coloring mandalas. Mandalas are arrangements of repeated patterns. They can be very intricate. Drawing them or coloring them is a soothing and calming practice.
Another great way to try art therapy is anti-stress adult coloring books. As little as 10 minutes of coloring a day can have essential therapeutical mental health benefits, including reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. The study, published in the Creativity Research Journal, states that this artsy activity can be an effective self-help tool that provides calming relaxation, increases creativity, and helps unplug from the digital world.
2. Dancing
If you love dancing, you may consider it to be an alternative for mediation. This is because when you dance and tune in with music, you turn off the world around you and go deep into yourself. If this is not something you can easily do when dancing, try to focus on the music. Feel your body and how it moves.
You can also try ecstatic dancing for meditation. Ecstatic dance implies moving with the rhythm and allowing the music to take over your body and thoughts. This is a free form of dance the aim of which is to fall into ecstasy. Ecstatic dancing calms the mind, brings you to a state of inner peace, and helps enter the state of meditation.
Our mind and body are interconnected. When you find relief for physical blockages a lot of times your emotional and psychological knots are untied as well.
Try dance therapy for yourself as a part of our inner peace online retreat.
If you love dancing, you may consider it to be an alternative for mediation. This is because when you dance and tune in with music, you turn off the world around you and go deep into yourself. If this is not something you can easily do when dancing, try to focus on the music. Feel your body and how it moves.
You can also try ecstatic dancing for meditation. Ecstatic dance implies moving with the rhythm and allowing the music to take over your body and thoughts. This is a free form of dance the aim of which is to fall into ecstasy. Ecstatic dancing calms the mind, brings you to a state of inner peace, and helps enter the state of meditation.
Our mind and body are interconnected. When you find relief for physical blockages a lot of times your emotional and psychological knots are untied as well.
Try dance therapy for yourself as a part of our inner peace online retreat.
3. Cloud Watching
If you don’t want to do anything physical, then cloud watching might be your new favorite way to meditate.
Watching the drifting clouds is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety. Simply sit or lay comfortably and look at the moving clouds. It is best to find a spot with a big sky through a window with a sky view will work too if that is the only option you have.
Push away your thoughts and worries and connect with nature. For starters, try to concentrate your attention on the moving clouds for 30 seconds. With practice, you will see that becomes easier for you to meditate through cloud watching for longer periods of time. Do your best to stay in the present moment.
If you don’t want to do anything physical, then cloud watching might be your new favorite way to meditate.
Watching the drifting clouds is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety. Simply sit or lay comfortably and look at the moving clouds. It is best to find a spot with a big sky through a window with a sky view will work too if that is the only option you have.
Push away your thoughts and worries and connect with nature. For starters, try to concentrate your attention on the moving clouds for 30 seconds. With practice, you will see that becomes easier for you to meditate through cloud watching for longer periods of time. Do your best to stay in the present moment.
Don't have a minute to step outside? Take a look at this meditation on our Youtube channel.
10 Minute Eyes Open Cloud Watching Meditation To Release Stress & Anxiety
10 Minute Eyes Open Cloud Watching Meditation To Release Stress & Anxiety
4. Walking or Running
Walking and running are meditation exercises accessible to many people. These methods are especially good for people who are having a hard time with meditation practices that require them to remain still.
Walking and running are not only good for your overall health but they are also good for reducing anxiety and stress. When walking or running as a way to meditate, try to stay focused on something. It may be the sound of nature or your steps, how your body moves, how you breathe, etc.
Walking and running are meditation exercises accessible to many people. These methods are especially good for people who are having a hard time with meditation practices that require them to remain still.
Walking and running are not only good for your overall health but they are also good for reducing anxiety and stress. When walking or running as a way to meditate, try to stay focused on something. It may be the sound of nature or your steps, how your body moves, how you breathe, etc.
5. Stargazing
Stargazing meditation has a concept somewhat similar to cloud watching. This practice helps release stress and achieve calmness. But there is something more magical about stargazing. Through stargazing, we connect to the magical world of these celestial bodies.
To stargaze for meditation, first get in a comfortable position with a good view of the stars. Close your eyes, take a breath, and relax. Then, open them and look up with a broad vision. Look at the stars and think about nothing. If you are struggling with the thoughts and worries that come to your mind, focus on your breathing and let your gaze go up and down as you breathe.
Stargazing meditation has a concept somewhat similar to cloud watching. This practice helps release stress and achieve calmness. But there is something more magical about stargazing. Through stargazing, we connect to the magical world of these celestial bodies.
To stargaze for meditation, first get in a comfortable position with a good view of the stars. Close your eyes, take a breath, and relax. Then, open them and look up with a broad vision. Look at the stars and think about nothing. If you are struggling with the thoughts and worries that come to your mind, focus on your breathing and let your gaze go up and down as you breathe.
6. Cooking
Cooking is a surprising form of meditation. But it is quite effective and suitable for people who enjoy spending time in the kitchen and preparing food. But cooking as a form of meditation implies mindful actions throughout the entire process of cooking your favorite dish.
In the process of cooking for meditation, your goal is to stay in the present moment in any step of the process. This helps cultivate awareness and mindfulness.
Cooking is a surprising form of meditation. But it is quite effective and suitable for people who enjoy spending time in the kitchen and preparing food. But cooking as a form of meditation implies mindful actions throughout the entire process of cooking your favorite dish.
In the process of cooking for meditation, your goal is to stay in the present moment in any step of the process. This helps cultivate awareness and mindfulness.
As a continuation of your cooking meditation, you can practice mindful eating as another form of meditation. This implies being conscious of the food you consume, focusing on the process of eating and enjoying your meal, and not getting distracted by the TV, your phone, reading, etc.
If you or your loved one is a cooking enthusiast, get inspired with these best gift ideas that every home chef will appreciate.
7. Journaling
Journaling is another great way to meditate when you are not in the mood for any movement. This practice implies practicing meditation through writing down the thoughts that cause you to be anxious and overloaded. Writing helps you quiet your mind and overcome stress.
If you don’t know how to start, start writing sentences with ‘I am feeling…’. This will help you get your emotions out and calm yourself.
You can also try out this 7-Day Journaling Challenge where we collected self-discovering journaling prompts and mindfulness activities to help you connect to yourself on a deeper level.
Or take a look at our Online Retreat where we offer guided journaling as one of the retreat activities. This practice is a combination of guided meditation and journaling.
Journaling is another great way to meditate when you are not in the mood for any movement. This practice implies practicing meditation through writing down the thoughts that cause you to be anxious and overloaded. Writing helps you quiet your mind and overcome stress.
If you don’t know how to start, start writing sentences with ‘I am feeling…’. This will help you get your emotions out and calm yourself.
You can also try out this 7-Day Journaling Challenge where we collected self-discovering journaling prompts and mindfulness activities to help you connect to yourself on a deeper level.
Or take a look at our Online Retreat where we offer guided journaling as one of the retreat activities. This practice is a combination of guided meditation and journaling.
8. Puzzling
Immersing in a puzzle can be an interesting form of practicing a mindful meditation that supports relaxation of your mind and body and decreases stress.
When we practice mindfulness, we bring our mind and full attention to an object. With puzzles, when you put it together piece by piece you are focused on the process which means you are present in the moment.
With puzzles, you also have a sense of control. Sense of control has a calming effect on the mind, especially during stressful times.
Puzzles take time which means you allow yourself to slow down, get rooted and charge your batteries. And once all pieces of the puzzle fall into the right places, you feel satisfaction and gratitude.
Immersing in a puzzle can be an interesting form of practicing a mindful meditation that supports relaxation of your mind and body and decreases stress.
When we practice mindfulness, we bring our mind and full attention to an object. With puzzles, when you put it together piece by piece you are focused on the process which means you are present in the moment.
With puzzles, you also have a sense of control. Sense of control has a calming effect on the mind, especially during stressful times.
Puzzles take time which means you allow yourself to slow down, get rooted and charge your batteries. And once all pieces of the puzzle fall into the right places, you feel satisfaction and gratitude.
Practicing mindfulness is a life-long journey. And it's totally ok that there will be days that you just feel uninspired along the way. Just find yourself immersed in the activity that feels good, requires your full attention, and helps you lose track of time. Essentially anything can be a form of meditation, i.e. crocheting, knitting, painting by numbers, beading, DIYing, lettering, making a macrame, playing a musical instrument, staring at the fire or water, etc. - engaging in these activities will allow your mind and body to relax and help you combat stress.
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