Things People Say When You Start Meditating

[caption id="attachment_826462" align="alignleft" width="1068"] Bigstockphoto.com/Young afro american woman meditating. Sport meditation healthy lifestyle concept.[/caption] For some reason, there is a bit of a stigma around meditation. The Western world has been slow to pick up more holistic forms of healing, but if we’ve managed to take a liking to Chinese herbs, yoga, and acupuncture, then why can’t we accept meditation as a legitimate practice? If you’re getting into meditation, then you can probably already see how it can truly change your life. And when you find something that can change your life, you want to tell everybody about it! But don’t be surprised if you get a little pushback from your friends—especially those who depend mostly on medication to calm their mind. Hey, they mean well. They just aren’t woke yet! Here are things people will say when you start meditating.   [caption id="attachment_699584" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You’re having a crisis, aren’t you?

People automatically assume that if you start meditating, that you’re having a life crisis. Meditation can be seen as equivalent to self-help books. But meditation isn’t a one-time fix; it’s a daily practice and a healthy lifestyle choice. You can and should meditate in good and bad times.       [caption id="attachment_710565" align="alignleft" width="420"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Can you levitate, too?

Some people may tease you, and start asking you things like “Do you levitate” and “Do you travel through time?” If you’ve been meditating, then you should be in a nice Zen state to laugh these questions off.           [caption id="attachment_613921" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

I just drink alcohol instead

A few friends may joke that alcohol does the same thing for them that meditation does for you. Meanwhile, you know that alcohol actually pulls them further away from their subconscious mind, and is just a band aid. [caption id="attachment_621822" align="alignleft" width="420"] Corbis[/caption]

Are you going all hippie on us?

When Americans started doing yoga and getting acupuncture, there was a large group of us that saw that as “Hippie stuff.” Now CEOs on Wall Street swear by yoga for stress-relief and physicians will recommend acupuncture. People are just taking a little longer to accept meditation.       [caption id="attachment_608142" align="alignleft" width="420"] Corbis[/caption]

Is this a cult thing?

Do they see you wearing all white? Are you talking about “going pure?” Do you have some charismatic man you’re paying thousands of dollars to “save you?” Nah. You’re just lying down in your room and doing some deep breathing.         [caption id="attachment_607271" align="alignleft" width="462"] Corbis[/caption]

You’re just running from your problems

Actually, meditation helps you face your problems head-on. People who meditate are quite brave because they’re willing to access memories, feelings, and beliefs they have mostly suppressed because they’re scary.     [caption id="attachment_717981" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Are you super religious now?

You don’t have to be a Buddhist to meditate. Some people have a hard time accepting that meditation doesn’t have to be associated with some new group or religion—it is something you can do solely on your own.         [caption id="attachment_616118" align="alignleft" width="414"] Shutterstock[/caption]

I need to stay alert so I can’t meditate

This is a silly sentence because meditation actually makes you more alert than ever! Sure, during actual meditation, your eyes are closed, but after meditation, you are more in tune with how the world affects your behaviors, and you are more in control of your responses.       [caption id="attachment_626109" align="alignleft" width="419"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

So, you’re into hypnosis now

No, but hypnosis does have its own benefits, too. Many people confuse hypnosis and meditation or see them as one and the same.           [caption id="attachment_699419" align="alignleft" width="469"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You think you’re better than us now

Any time you do anything to better yourself, whether that is quitting alcohol or going to the gym, some people will assume you think you’re better than them. These are usually the people who are too afraid to start bettering themselves.           [caption id="attachment_708390" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Why don’t you just see a therapist?

Therapists certainly serve an important function, but they can take a lot longer than meditation can to access your suppressed thoughts, memories, beliefs and feelings. Plus, therapists are expensive.         [caption id="attachment_694313" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You can talk to me, you know

That’s a very sweet thing for your friend to say. But, again, like with a therapist, you have to be fully in your conscious mind to have a conversation, and you can’t access all of your more guarded, secret thoughts there.         [caption id="attachment_695505" align="alignleft" width="500"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Don’t try to recruit me

Again, this is not a cult! Some people may, deep down, know that they are suppressing certain thoughts, and are afraid of meditation for that very reason. They might project that fear onto you, and tell you not to recruit them.       [caption id="attachment_717207" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Meditation isn’t real—it’s like magic

Actually, real scientific processes take place in the brain during meditation. We know that, for example, when we sleep, we access parts of our brain that we don’t access when we’re awake. So why is it so hard to believe that we can do that through meditation?       [caption id="attachment_700393" align="alignleft" width="468"] Shutterstock[/caption]

I don’t have time for that

Really, you don’t have time not to. You may give 20 minutes a day to meditation, but you’ll gain years of your life because you’ll find more efficient ways to communicate, and you’ll learn what you really want.

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