6 Keys To Prevent The Mind From Scattering When Meditating

Meditating is an opportunity to connect with ourselves,  to begin to be aware of how we feel and to observe the noise of our thoughts, in addition to many other benefits. However, preventing the mind from wandering while meditating takes a lot of practice and the right techniques to do so.

Many people believe that meditation is not for them, because they think that they will not be able to stop thinking or that they are unable to relax. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify that the objective of meditation is not to stop all thoughts, nor to leave the mind blank.

If you have thoughts when meditating, don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. Our minds are very active machines. In fact, it is estimated that we have between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts a day. It is logical to think that with these numbers, deactivating the act of thinking at will is not something easy.

Now, what meditation teaches us is not to cling to thoughts and not to run away with them. We can allow them to come and go, but without getting carried away by the story or the emotion that they may provoke. Therefore, learning how to prevent your mind from wandering while meditating is one of the keys to mastering this discipline.

Here are some helpful tips to keep your mind from wandering while meditating.

1. Use your breath

It helps the mind to have a task to focus on. Thus, breathing exercises are a good way to keep the mind focused, while helping the body to relax.

To use this technique, you can simply count inhalations and exhalations. For example, you can go from one to one hundred. If your mind wanders and you realize you’ve lost count, that’s okay. Be nice to yourself and start over.

2. Draw or imagine shapes 

Try imagining a triangle while you are breathing in (inhale, exhale, hold or inhale, hold, exhale). Another version of this exercise involves trying to draw a square in your mind (inhale, hold, exhale, hold).

Sometimes you can help with a visual element that you have around so that your mind fixes on it and it is easier for you to concentrate. For example, the flame of a see.

3. Practice guided meditation

There is no right or wrong way to meditate. Silent meditation is one way to do it, but another possible way may be to use a guide to help you. When someone’s voice directs you and teaches you visualization exercises, the mind is usually occupied with the images. Thus, there is less room for your thoughts to run.

There are many resources, both in audio and video, to carry out guided meditations. Many of them can be found for free on the Internet. Explore a bit, and it won’t cost you anything to find one that you like.

4. Accept your thoughts

By practicing silent meditation, instead of trying to push your thoughts away, welcome them. It often happens that what we resist persists. Therefore, welcoming them will allow you to have more freedom. One way to achieve this is to integrate them into a nice image.

For example, you can imagine that your mind is like the blue sky and your thoughts are like the clouds that pass through it. Or that your mind is a river and your thoughts are logs that move with the current. In this way, you  allow those thoughts to come and go. Thus, your thoughts will not affect you, you will not depend on them and you will not prevent them from remaining and hurting you. Just watch them float.

5. Write your thoughts

If you have a lot on your mind, it may be helpful for you to record those thoughts before you meditate. In this way, you will be giving them an outlet and will prevent them from obsessing you.

Write down all your thoughts as they appear, without analyzing them, judging them and without stopping to think if you are formulating each one correctly. Putting everything you have in mind on paper will help you enormously in your meditations.

6. Practice regularly

Meditating at the same time every day, and in the same place, makes your mind know what is coming. This way, you will feel more comfortable doing it. The mind is not trained to be still and will therefore fight a sudden request to stop doing what it naturally does.

Therefore, it  is essential that you create the habit of freeing yourself from your thoughts. Only then can you prevent the mind from wandering while meditating.

Don’t underestimate the power of meditation

Meditating is simple, but not easy. However, it is worth learning how to do it and include it in your life as a daily habit. Research has shown that practicing this technique can have positive benefits for emotional well-being and physical health.

In addition, it is indicated to treat serious conditions such as depression, anxiety, heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep problems, chronic pain … With the keys that you have found in this article,  meditating will be much easier. However, now it is your turn. Try to practice this discipline and the results will surprise you.