Too Young For Meditation?

[Harry Howard]

Im 18 years old in my first semester of college. I got very into meditation a year ago. Meditating became a habit and i definitely raised my conscioussness and had a couple spiritual awakenings (by no means enlightenment experiences). I also tried shrooms and lsd a few times. It has been very profound and beautiful but it has made many problems arise: Im young and i really havent formed a sense of identity yet and i dont have great social skills. I really dont know who i am and ive had quite an identity crisis lately. Meditation and spirituality is beautiful and transcendent and all, but could i be too young and immature to be focusing on it right now? I think sometimes that the  psychedelics were a mistake for me being 17 and socially awkward. I feel in many ways that it makes it much harder for me to relate to people and talk about everyday things. I feel so different from the people around me and im very confused about life. Is all this confusion and turmoil part of the process or could i just not be ready for existential truth in my life?

Sorry for the long post, but ive really had a hard time with this dilemma, and i cant find examples of people with a similar problem anywhere.

 

[Max_V]

I have been meditating since I was 15. It is definitely something that has helped me a ton. You’ll be fine m8.

The confusion and loneliness is all part of it. But it will be nothing to worry about in the end. When you find out who you really are, all those problems will resolve itself and you will be come more authentic automatically.

If you feel unsure about psychedelics you can also stop doing them for now and get back at it when you feel more ready

So keep at it, you are doing great! 

Edited October 5, 2017 by Max_V

[Naturalist]

Firstly, you need to understand yourself before understanding others.  You are what you are.  The truth arises in you.  You are the truth; you create truths and not someone else out there.  Enlightenment would prompt you to understand that there is so-called self in all things but the lacking is merely the ownership of it.  What we used to claim such as the ‘I’ or ‘you’ or ‘we’ is merely an expression for our minds to comprehend on the day-to-day communication with another individual.  However, this expression does not grant us with an ownership of our soul or body.  And all created things are not permanent and subject to change all the time under the influence of conditional phenomena i.e. the emptiness in every existence.  In a way, every existence would not be totally the same or different from each other.  We are all closely inter-depending, inter-waving and inter-relating with one another since the dawn of time in a very comprehensive and complicated network of existence.

 

[Viking]

if you stop now you will be fucked, just continue meditating. maybe dont use psychedelics for the time being until youre more mature.

[cetus]

16 hours ago, Harry Howard said:

I really dont know who i am and ive had quite an identity crisis lately.

@Harry Howard It sounds like your not quite ready to let go of your ego-self identity yet. This is what is causing the conflict. The seed is already set. When conditions are right, it will grow little by little. Give it time. There is nothing that can be forced here. Let it happen on it's own.

Edit;  it has nothing to do with your age.

[LaucherJunge]

You should try around with different meditation techniques. For me usual meditation with just focusing on something has very different effects from the do nothing meditation where i just lay down with open eyes and let my monkey mind think without engaging into the thoughts. I feel like there is this difference with going inward to meditate and going outward in your situation i would recommend the do nothing meditation because you need to first get the hang of the outside world.

[Harry Howard]

10 hours ago, Max_V said:

I have been meditating since I was 15. It is definitely something that has helped me a ton. You’ll be fine m8.

The confusion and loneliness is all part of it. But it will be nothing to worry about in the end. When you find out who you really are, all those problems will resolve itself and you will be come more authentic automatically.

If you feel unsure about psychedelics you can also stop doing them for now and get back at it when you feel more ready

So keep at it, you are doing great! 

So do you think meditating and working through all this turmoil will make me able to express myself authentically? One big thing is that i feel veru inauthentic when talking to people. Did meditation help you with that?

[Afonso]

Meditation completely transformed my life... I'm 18 now.

[pluto]

Boy i wish my parents taught me about meditation when i was a young child... I believe if every child is taught meditation from young the world would be so much more peaceful and conscious, possibly 1000s of years more spiritually developed of where we are now IMO

Edited October 5, 2017 by pluto

[Sevi]

@Harry Howard congrats on such an early start to what matters the most in life; that's a valuable gift of life to you.

It's not one way or another, you need to learn and master both ways equally. Very superficial daily basis of life is also an important compound of your journey into enlightenment.

How to balance the work between the components and the timing are the life time topics which will depend on very different variables which will be also in evolution of their own sort, but the most definer variable will be knowing and understanding yourself in different layers.

[AdamDiC]

Hey man, you're not alone!!! I'm 17 and started meditating 8 months ago. Have done shrooms and a few retreats and I can relate.

The avergae kid at school isn't thinking what I am, sometimes I feel lonely and resentfull and nihilistic and shit. I got depressed this summer but it passed. Its impermanent. But its worth it!!!

I think you're undervaluing the power of meditation.

Just hang on, meditating is supposed to make suffering arise, its testing you.

Good luck!

[YaNanNallari]

Regarding identity you don't have to have one. Once you understand that not relating to people and being alone is fine then you will be able to still connect with people and talk to them normally even if you can't relate to them. Relating to others isn't necessary, but know your basis similar to them even if you've figured something new out.

Right now you have a perspective of needing an identity. It's sort of your identity, a person who needs an identity. You don't need any roles, letting go of them and having your natural inspiring self is enough. You can just follow the values of spiritual teachers or what Leo recommends for now.  You won't go too wrong with them. You also don't have to think to yourself how different you are from others. It's totally fine to be different and it's only another distraction to worry about it.

If you feel like you're socially awkward you could try to not force conversations too much and instead just see how other people converse. Not so much the words but the feeling and rhythm. After a while you start to get a hang of the basics and you'll develop your own style.

I wouldn't stop meditating. Instead I would actually encourage you to watch leo's self-inquiry video, neti neti method and do some exercises that are in this forum in meditation area. This will give you more understand of what you are. Also his videos on enlightenment and nature of reality probably help.

You might feel overwhelmed right now but that feeling will pass. Just push through and figure stuff out with patience and you'll be all good.

[Epiphany_Inspired]

After Leo told me something like the best thing I could do for my daughter is to set an example for her by making my meditation look cool or something...(obviously not his wording....lol...) anyway,  it's worked...my four year old begs for a turn to meditate....she only lasts a minute or two....but this is proof that you are never "too young"  

[Guest username]

You're late. Should have started as a child. Get to it!

[Max_V]

@Harry Howard Yes because over time you feel like the reactions you give conversation are not in your control what so ever. Learning to accept that gives you peace.

Have you watched Leo’s video on free will?

Edited October 10, 2017 by Max_V