I've been on three meditation kicks in my life. Somehow I read an article or a book, and I'll get all excited about it for a week, by the second week it becomes challenging, and by the third or fourth week it stops completely.

Initially, when you haven't meditated in a while, your body will just be so receptive to it. It's like getting a massage the first time. Your body responds with, "where have you been all my life?"

But by the law of diminishing returns, you eventually get a little desensitized to it. In Mindfulness in Plain English, there are segments devoted to handling these moments. However, I kind of don't like the suggestions because they involve increasing your involvement with meditation.

Meditation, for me at least, starts to become a chore or another achievement arc. I start to find that I'm less relaxed than when I started.

I talked to some of my friends about meditation, and they have their own techniques. One friend says he practices what he calls "peacing out." This could be just sitting still on a bench in a park. Or it could be closing his eyes and reclining for a while.

Another friend of mine says she takes "mindful showers," where she tries to feel all the warm droplets making contact with her skin.

What I want to propose is simply this:

Meditation is a good first step, but if that doesn't work out, do whatever else has worked. Read a book if that's your thing. Play video games. Turn off the computer. Just whatever it is, leave yourself more relaxed than when you started the task.

You could even ask the same about your job. How can I go through my day such that when I leave I'm more relaxed than when I started?