Overwhelmed with Distractions During Meditation? Here's What You Can Do
3 Ways to Overcome Distractions That Actually Work
Have you ever found yourself intrigued by the very possibilities that lie ahead with a consistent mediation practice?
Perhaps you’re Captivated by the innumerable ways in which it can potentially enhance and transform your life, only for your efforts to be met with a wave of distractions that completely overwhelm and derail your intentions.
More often than not, when you sit to meditate, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and all manner of distractions begin to rise to the surface shifting your awareness onto every other thing that’s vying for your attention.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. This post will explore 3 Secrets to overcoming distractions that actually work.
The Disturbing Nature of Distractions
We are all surrounded by innumerable events, people, circumstances, and the like that persistently threaten to deter us from our intended focus. Whether you are a new or an experienced practitioner, distractions are one of the most prevailing factors that limit us from developing and maintaining a consistent practice. In fact, just when you manage to designate a distinct quiet space, and time, to practice, all seems right with the world.
Until that is, you actually sit and begin to meditate. Suddenly what seemed so practical and straightforward, now seems daunting as your awareness is increasingly flooded with thoughts of the past, fears, regrets, perceived failures, wronging, negative self-talk, and the like.
Essentially any manner of things can potentially trigger you to critique your experience and question your very ability to engage in the practice. This has the potential to immediately shift your thoughts into a downward spiral.
In an ideal world, we could easily execute our intentions, with poise, grace, and ease. Quinticientally by the manner of our sheer intention, the path forward should be easy. But as we all know life doesn’t quite work that way. On any given day, we expend our energy, time, and efforts, engaged in persistent motion.
Be it caring for ourselves, others, and all manner of obligations, responsibilities, and the like, we ate essentially always engaged in some form of movement, or action. Therefore, our minds, bodies, thoughts, and awareness are constantly centered on doing multiple things at the same time. In essence, we are literally dispersing our awareness into any number of opposing focal points at any given.
Why do Distractions Overwhelm?
Much like a ray of sunshine that peers through an effervescent object, our awareness disperses its light into any number of opposing directions. Add in mediation, and our awareness is likewise diverted to the many competing elements that competitively vie for our attention.
Contrary to popular belief, being easily tempted, overcome, and frustrated by distractions does not necessarily mean that you have a “bad” practice. It simply serves as a mirror that is reflective of your current mental state. In other words, mediation in itself is a practice that calls you to function as an observer of all of my that which passes through your awareness.
At any given time we experience any number of distractions that threaten and often succeed in pulling our awareness away from our intended focus. Be it internal or external, distractions are a prevalent force within our day-to-day lives. Therefore, when we essentially settle down, retreat into the quiet solitude, and center our awareness on an intended singular focus, the mind essentially proceeds to do what it normally does, go rogue into every possible direction.
So when pulling our awareness away from the external environment, our minds inherently goes into default mode. In other words, it instinctually follows our ingrained habitual patterns, which follow along the path of multitasking.
In our mind’s eye, our awareness is essentially doing what it always does, with ease and expediency. Therefore, overcoming distractions requires that we practice redirecting our awareness onto our intended focus as many times as need be. Repetition and consistency evolve new habits that empower us to disrupt old patterns that no longer serve.
3 Ways to Overcome Distractions that Actually Work
1. Acceptance
In life, there are situations, circumstances, events, people, and all manner of things that lie outside of our realm of control. Let’s face it, the only thing we can control is our response to what passes throughout the experience.
It is human nature to resist what doesn’t align with our desires. However, anger, frustration, and every other reaction that resists what is does more harm than good.
Acceptance of what is, frees us from the emotional and physical reactions that occur within our physical bodies. Acceptance doesn’t equate to compliance. This simply means you don’t have to necessarily like what’s unfolding to accept it.
2. Non-Judgement
For many of us, self-judgment has evolved into something that has essentially become second nature. Therefore, the practice of non-judgment is far from automatic, meaning it requires conscious effort. Habits occur as a result of deliberate, consistent practice, and effort.
Therefore, anytime your mind strays during meditation and/or your experiences fail to align with your intention, release any judgment and redirect your attention back onto your intended focus.
3. Begin Again
The intention for mediation is to root ourselves within the present moment. During meditation, whenever we notice that our attention has shifted away from our intended focus, we have the power to bring it back to our intended focus, as many times as need be, and begin again.