When we’re first learning to meditate, we may find ourselves lost in thoughts, sensations and/or emotions. Previous posts on this site have addressed how to work with these distractions and obstacles and I encourage you to read them to find out more.

There are some things that we can do to bring ourselves, immediately, back to our practice, whether that practice is a formal one, or an informal one.

For the sake of ease, I decided to share the ten things that I remember when I become distracted by the many things that my mind seems to follow. I hope that this list helps you. In the list, when I use the phrase, “…return your attention to the object of your meditation…,” I’m referring to the practice of using the breath or some “thing” as an anchor for your attention. For more information on using the breath as an anchor for meditation, please refer to this post.

  1. As soon as you find yourself distracted, drop the distraction. What does it mean to “drop” the distraction? This means that when we find ourselves distracted, we don’t get caught up in the fact that we’ve become distracted. To do so is to remain in the distraction. Instead, we simply drop the thread of attention that was following the thought, sensation or whatever, and return to the object of our meditation.
  2. When you find yourself distracted by a thought, remain with the thought and that’s all. It’s amazing, but if we really try to stay with one thought, we’ll find that it’s practically impossible to do so. Instead, that thought will either disappear, or it will lead to another thought. At the moment that you find that your mind has moved to another thought, return to the object of your meditation.
  3. When you find yourself distracted, ask yourself, “Am I altering my mind?” The problem with our habitual patterns is that we’re so used to altering our mind, we don’t even realize that we’re doing so. When our mind becomes still, we immediately fill it with “something,” whether that something is a thought, or a distraction on an object of attraction or aversion. What happens when we simply allow our mind to remain unaltered?
  4. When you find yourself distracted, ask yourself whether what you’ve been distracted by is a thought, an emotion, or a sensation. Often times, we take our thoughts, emotions and sensations so seriously, that we don’t allow them to just be, arising as waves in the ocean of our mind. And, many times, we don’t even know what it is that distracted us. Recognize your distraction for what it is, and once you’ve determined the nature of your distractor, return your attention to the object of your meditation.
  5. When you find yourself distracted from the present moment, don’t berate yourself. By chastising ourselves for our distraction, we actually continue with our patterns of distraction. Instead of being hard on yourself, simply return your attention to the present moment, to your practice, and to the object of your meditation.
  6. Celebrate the fact that you’ve caught yourself in your habit of distraction. Instead of fretting over having become distracted, celebrate the fact that you’ve interrupted your habitual tendency toward distraction. Each moment that you’ve remembered to be present, to remain undistracted is one less moment of distraction.
  7. Have a sense of humor. Be spacious with your mind and with yourself. Have a sense of humor about it all. Enjoy the process!

 For more information on how to meditate, and how to retrain your attention, please see the Related Posts below. Also, don’t forget to download the free ebook, Can Meditation Change the Way that You View Your World?, for help with getting started in you meditation practice. Also, you can now download the new ebook, How to Work with the Four Distractions to Meditation to learn how to deal with some of the obstacles to meditation.

NEW – this site has a new page, Media, where you can find articles, MP3 tracks for downloading, and videos on the subject of meditation.

As always, please feel free to share your comments. Let me and others know what situations you find yourself in when you’re able to be compassionate with yourself when finding yourself distracted during a compassionate moment. And, as always, please feel free to contact me if you’d like to see additional content or other discussions on this site.