Feel awkward talking about this but...

[Phasmid]

When I listened to this YouTube - Daily Meditation I felt really calm and my mind wasn't distracted. It was very nice... but it wasn't like, "Ooo I like this song" nice it was a, "Ahh I feel really calm..." sort of nice.

I don't really meditate. It just seems weird since I'm... well... not that sort of bloke. But I struggle to shut my mind up. It's constantly on... I mean seriously I lose it sometimes and grab my head and all but scream, "SHUT UP!"

My job is extremely dull and it means spending the entire morning by myself pretty much so I think a lot. Now this may sound stupid, but it's not for me, I basically get songs in my head, usually ones by Weird Al Yankovic because his lyrics are so clear. And my mind will just endlessly repeat a certain part of it over and over and over and over and over and over again! Argh! Just thinking about it makes me angry. It sounds stupid but I really can't get these things out of my head. My mind just repeats stupid or annoying things and I can't shut it up...

So I was wondering, if meditation would help. Does anyone know if there's a method for quieting the mind I can do while walking around that wont mean me losing concentration on what I'm doing completely? I've tried just listening really, really carefully to a sound that I hear and that seems to help. But does anyone have any suggestions?

*Please note I know this sounds stupid... but it really does affect me.

 

[Todros]

I understand exactly how it was with me. I purchased a tape on Yoga Nidra (from most specialist shops). Perservere with these and you will soon be able to walk and talk with a peaceful mind. Good hunting

 

[Magic Man]

Don't worry, you're not alone. I get the same thing where my mind just won't shut up. It's why I lose a lot of sleep. Unfortunately I don't have any advice to help you, but lately I've been thinking I should try meditation of some sort. Basically just wanted to say that I feel your pain, and it doesn't sound stupid.

 

[YmirGF]

So I was wondering, if meditation would help. Does anyone know if there's a method for quieting the mind I can do while walking around that wont mean me losing concentration on what I'm doing completely? I've tried just listening really, really carefully to a sound that I hear and that seems to help. But does anyone have any suggestions?

*Please note I know this sounds stupid... but it really does affect me.

Hiya Phasmid,

You have come to the right place. I have only been a meditator now for (stops to count) 34 years, almost to the day and so am still a beginner. A daily meditations WILL help to lessen the stress you are accumulating.

It is a bit slow going at first, but you will find that you focus much more intensely, have clearer thinking and are not quite so easily distracted after the first few months. I should note, pun intended, that your idea of focusing in on sounds around you is a bit more refined that you might expect. I have developed a meditation a few years ago that utilizes sound as the means of getting past the thought process. Unlike my contemporaries, I do not claim any longer that one stills the thought process, rather, it is my perception that one simply begins to focus on other areas of awareness that are outside of the thought process. This gives the illusion that the thought process itself stops. It doesn't, one simply gazes in another way, in other directions.

Easy, breezy, lemon squeezy!

 

[Quagmire]

Hi Phasmid.

The best way I've ever found to get my mind to stop talking is to stop talking to it.

It's impossible to get your mind to shutup by using it to tell itself to shutup.

See what I'm saying?

 

[Smoke]

So I was wondering, if meditation would help. Does anyone know if there's a method for quieting the mind I can do while walking around that wont mean me losing concentration on what I'm doing completely? I've tried just listening really, really carefully to a sound that I hear and that seems to help. But does anyone have any suggestions?

You can't keep thoughts from arising in your mind, but you don't have to follow them. You can learn to simply observe them and let them go. It might help to start by observing your bodily sensations. Counting your breaths helps, too.

I learned to live with my arthritis pain by simply observing it. Instead of being unhappy about the pain, I learned to calmly observe the pain without getting involved in it, if that makes any sense. You can quiet your thoughts the same way.

If you can spend about ten or twenty minutes a day just meditating, it'll help you to be more mindful the rest of the day, too. It's a good idea to start with just ten minutes or so. Most people, if they decide to meditate an hour every day, will just do it once in a while (and usually hate it) and never really get into the habit. A few minutes every day is better than a long session once in a while. Even if you just meditate for five minutes, or three minutes, take those few minutes every day. It sounds easier than it is. Some days you just don't feel like it, and it seems boring and stupid and pointless. But if you stick with it, even for a few minutes a day, it really does help. Start by just sitting comfortably and observing your breaths. Counting your breaths helps you stay focused on them. If your mind wanders and you lose count, just start over, or start where ever you want. You're not trying to reach a certain number; you're just trying to stay focused. When your mind starts to wander, don't struggle to block out the thoughts that arise, just observe them and let them go.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I feel much like posting the afterthought here, since MidnightBlue and YmirGF gave some outstanding advice and insight, and IMO are spot on.

Practicing your concentration skills will most definitely help when dealing with the "monkey mind." Thoughts go, and go, and go, and go (they, like emotions, often likened to a river flowing).....Trying to make them stop is much like someone telling you not to think of a pink elephant. The harder you try to not think of a pink elephant, the more you actually think of one.

Counting breaths and sounding simple mantras (like OM) are wonderful methods for training the mind.




Peace,
Mystic

 

[Father Heathen]

Grab some headphones and try some ambient music similar to what's in that video and see if that helps. There is also a chant buddhists use "om mani padme hum", which they repeat to clear and focus the mind. Could utter it under your breath at times and while you concentrate on it. Just some ideas.

 

[Super Universe]

If you like meditation music you might also enjoy the music available at these websites:

Welcome to Wingmakers

Event Temples

Lyricus.org

 

[Hema]

Yes meditation is very relaxing and peaceful. You mentioned that you try to listen to the sounds around you. I think that will be beneficial because part of controlling the mind is living in the present moment, being focused on what you're doing and what's happening sround you. That way, your mind will have less chances to stray. Just remember that you are more powerful than your mind. You have the power to control your mind and not let it control you.

Oooh, oooh, by the way, try this guided meditation by Sri Vasudeva. I love the way he conducts a meditation session!

Blue Star Trinidad and Tobago

 

[Phasmid]

Thanks for all the replies and advice, guys. I will certainly try what you've said and let you know if it helps