Learn How To Deal With Distractions
It can be extremely difficult to even consider meditation, when your mind is careening from one thought to the next. In fact, when your mind is very distracted, you may even find that you are more prone to accidents, and making silly mistakes. These secret strategies can help you to prevent distractions, or even to begin working with them, so that you can improve your concentration.
Minimizing Inner Distractions
- Get more sleep. Research shows that most people function best on eight to nine hours of sleep per night. That’s 8 to 9 hours! This is a good rule to follow. Your brain requires time to rest, recover, and process information, so that you can go out and give your best the next day too. What for warning signs, that you may be sleep deprived. A distracted mind is one of them.
- Nutrition and Exercise. When your body is healthy, so is your mind, fit body, fit mind. 30 minutes of exercise per day is optimal. Make sure that you eat a balanced, healthy nutritious diet. Drink plenty of water.
- Sit up straight. The position of your spine, plays a big role in the state of your mind. Maintain a straight back, neck and head, will keep your mind from distraction. Tighten your core, and relax your shoulders. Draw your shoulders back so your neck and head become aligned.
- Pay attention to your body. Do not remain in a very uncomfortable position, be mindful of your circulation, and listen to your body.
- Relax your Breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is very helpful to refresh the mind, and keep you from falling asleep. Very often we will begin a meditation with a few deep breaths. There is reason behind it.
Minimizing Outer Distractions
- Limit your time online. Research has shown that checking emails and social media are the biggest waste of time, and distraction from a focused mind. Don’t log on until you have finished the most important things of the day.
- Less TV and Radio. Leave the TV and Radio turned off, unless there is something specific you want to watch or hear. Rather have quiet time, and only watch or listen to something specific, and when it’s done, switch it off again. While not as bad a distraction as being online, it is still a distraction.
- Mobile phones. Consider turning your phone onto silent, or even off. This way you can limit your reactiveness to incoming information. Unless you are a doctor on emergency call. Rather make intermittent checks, and respond to messages you need to. And leaves the ones you don’t need to respond to.
- Set up Quiet Time. Developing systems for your children and co-workers to know when not to interrupt you, goes a long way to helping you really focus when you need to. Unless there is an emergency, you must be allowed to really concentrate on work, or whatever you choose.
- Creating a peaceful environment. A clear desk is a clear mind. Keep the top three most important things in sight, and in mind. And if you have an overview of a project, but make sure that you are not overwhelmed by too many details of every step of all the things that you will eventually do. This will only slow down your productivity, and effectiveness.
Working With Distractions
- Refocus your mind. There will always be something to distract you. By being mindful and disciplined, you will be better at returning to the task at hand. Whether that be meditation, or a task at home, or at the office.
- Remain neutral. Non-judgement is a form of learning to remain non-attachment, which is one of the keys to mastering meditation. And mastering the flow of your daily life. You will notice that there will be times that you are extremely focused, and other times when you aren’t. Relax, don’t judge, just observe.
- Just chill. You may still hear your surroundings when you’re deep in meditation. Being aware of your surroundings is okay. Just chill and let them go.
- Recurring thoughts. While you are learning to let thoughts go, recurring thoughts could indicate and underlying issue that needs addressing. See if you can identify, what is the root of the recurring thought.
Life is full of distractions. And at the same time those very distractions are there to help you become more focused. They will help you train your mind to be one-pointed. They will increase your level and ability to concentrate, if you know how to utilize them. Learn to still your mind, and you will unlock the secret power that lies within.