Nappin' Ain't Easy 10
Meditation ain't easy 2
I’m confident that over time, meditation can help a person experience stress differently and reframe their relationship with it. However, I don’t think that’s how many frustrated would-be meditators expect (or even want) it to work. I suspect meditation teachers would say these expectations are the problem — they’re probably not wrong.
While I’m sure most view meditation’s traditionally touted benefits as “nice to have,” I believe they “need to have” shorter-term stress relief and expect to (but often do not) find it in meditation, giving up the practice as a result. Enter napping.
When meditation is easy, it’s amazing. You sit down, close your eyes, focus on your breathing or mantra, and it all works. You go deep. You’ve got it figured out. You’re on the path.
But when meditation is hard, it’s impossible. You’re tired. You’re worked up. Your thoughts are racing. The app voice is annoying. Everything is wrong, and noticing it isn’t helping at all.
This isn’t what we want from meditation, particularly when we’re having a moment. We don’t want to notice it, then go back to the object of focus. We can’t. We want the moment to go away. We need relief. We need a nap – it’s like meditation, but you drop out, rather than tune in. It’s not supposed to be hard, though we know it can be.
All that said, pursuit of the longer-term benefits of meditation is still a worthwhile endeavor. What role can napping and other techniques play?