Distraction is the biggest problem most people have when it comes to meditation. You can only be in the meditative state if you have focused on your object of meditation.
However, distractions are unavoidable. It can certainly be quite a challenge to meditate if you live with your family, especially when you have your children.
Distractions may be external, meaning they come from your environment. However, they can be internal, too, and they come in the form of worries and stray thoughts.
Ways to Deal with External Distractions
External distractions are actually easier to deal with than internal distractions. All you need to do is make your environment conducive to meditation. Here are ways of dealing with external distractions:
- Create a sacred space. It is always good to have a place in your home or elsewhere reserved for meditation because that place will serve as an anchor for meditation. Once you sit down to meditate, your mind will automatically get into meditation mode. Make sure that place is clean and uncluttered. Clutter can be a distraction so make sure that only the things that you need for meditation are there in your sacred space.
- Your sacred space should be in the part of your house where you are least likely going to be distracted. You should also tell your family to respect this sacred space by not bringing any clutter there and by keeping it clean.
- Talk to Your Family. You do not want anybody barging in while you are meditating. You also do not want anybody to knock on the door. If you do not talk to your family about what you are doing, they would have no way of knowing that you are not to be disturbed at a specific time of the day.
- You also have to make them understand that while what you are doing might seem weird to them, it is important for your health and well-being. Some of your family members may resent not being able to reach out to you at a particular time. Some might think you are being selfish. Let them know that you are taking care of yourself so that you can better take care of them.
- Meditate at a specific time of the day or night. If you have a set schedule for meditation, you know exactly what you need to do at that specific time. You do not need to think about other things like household chores or any other tasks. Plus, it will be easier to tell your family not to disturb you while meditating. For instance, if you meditate at six o’clock every morning, they will know when not to bother you.
- Unhook your phone and turn off your cell phone. The time you invest on guided meditation is your gift to yourself. Do not let anyone rob you of that gift, albeit unknowingly, by calling you on the phone at the time you should not be disturbed. Your meditation session should not also be interrupted by text messages. There is no place for rings and/or beeps in your inner universe.
What About Stray Thoughts?
Guided meditation is easier than meditating all by yourself. When your ears are involved and you are following instructions from a guide, you are less likely to get distracted. However, stray thoughts do come and sometimes they can be annoying. Here are some good ways to deal with internal distractions:
- Before you meditate, write a to-do list. Some of the distractions that occur during meditation have something to do with thinking about the tasks that you need do during the day. If this often happens to you, grab a notepad and a pen and list down all the things you need to do during the day. Then, toss the note where you are unlikely to see it to make sure that you forget about your to-do list while meditating.
- When intruding thoughts come, just calm down. Acknowledge those thoughts, gently nudge them, and simply return to the audio. Do not allow yourself to get upset or else you will find it difficult to get into a meditative state.
- Try to be aware of all the sounds that are in your guided meditation recording. This will help you to focus and be more present while you are having your guided meditation session. When you focus wholly on the present, there will be no room for worry because worry is of the future.
While you are meditating, you will always be distracted. Again, distractions are inevitable, but they can be minimized and managed. Sometimes, there are distractions that you cannot get rid of, but you can always change your attitudes toward them.
For instance, if your kids are often rambunctious and you can hear them while you are meditating, there is no point in getting upset and yelling at them. Instead, you can simply accept them as part of your environment and go on with your guided meditation session.
When distraction comes, relax. Do not struggle. It will just go away or your mind will simply adjust to it.
