So here comes the conundrum. We know it’s good for us. Science corroborates. We may have even felt the benefit of meditating in our own lives (I know I have in a very big way). Why, then, aren’t more of us meditating regularly? Why do we find it so hard and what can we do to address those barriers? 

I recently polled my Instagram followers, asking them if they have a regular meditation practice and what gets in their way of practicing. In response, 37% said they did have a regular practice, which is higher than I expected. There were a lot of responses—many of them repeated by several people—as to what is acting as a barrier. Here is a sampling of what people said gets in their way of meditating: “anxiety, impatience, life, to-do list, it just doesn’t work for me, lack of time, falling asleep, all the thoughts of things undone.”

There are certainly important differences in these varying wait-able scenarios, including the degree of control we have over the outcome and what else is going on in our lives at the moment. Nonetheless, regardless of the specifics, waiting carries with it a host of difficult feelings such as uncertainty, anxiety, worry, and impatience. Waiting for possible good news or bad news can feel draining and exhausting, as we sit in the space of not knowing.

It's not an easy time to be a teen. Seven tips to help you support your teen.

As a clinical psychologist with a specialty in working with teenagers, I can tell you from my own observations and reading, many of today’s teens are struggling with their mental health.

How we can cope when the going gets persistently rough.

I can’t be the only one noticing an increase in the number of white hairs on my head, right? I find myself doing double-takes in the mirror making sure I am seeing things right. I know these silver foxes weren’t there a couple of months ago, and I’m also pretty certain I am not yet of the age to expect an ongoing new crop of these guys in my hair.

I think we all could use a bit of grit right now (or yesterday, or last month), no?

According to the Oxford dictionary, grit means “courage and resolve; strength of character.” (It also means small loose particles of stone or sand, but that’s not what we are talking about today.) Grit is being able to hold on tight and stay committed to something important to you, even when the going gets tough.