Meditation has been widely accepted as a means of dealing with inner conflict and building mental and emotional stability. Meditation is an activity that requires a basic degree of concentration to be effective. It is no doubt that on certain days, trying to concentrate can be extremely difficult. What do you do on such days when you struggle with concentrating during meditation?
Here are six things that you can do to boost and support your concentration when you meditate.
- Meditate in a serene environment.
When it comes to meditation, choosing the right environment is key. A noisy surrounding will make it more difficult for you to concentrate no matter how hard you try. Hence, you should strive to meditate in serene, quiet environments. If you can meditate in nature-filled environments, then that’s great too. The most important thing is that the place should be quiet enough to gather your thoughts together.
- Use slow music or sounds.
Listening to music during a meditation session works too. Melodious songs with slow tempos work just fine in helping you concentrate while you meditate. Another method that can be very effective is listening to specific natural sounds. Sounds like birdsong, rainfall, or the sound of running water can produce a calming, soothing effect on your mind and make it easy to collect your thoughts. There are certain apps with tons of appealing sounds that you can easily access for meditation.
- Use guided meditation materials.
Sometimes, all you need to stop struggling with distractions is to allow someone else to help you. This is where guided meditation comes into play. Guided meditation works by listening and following the instructions of a virtual guide. This works through the use of helpful apps or downloadable audio materials.
The essence of guided meditation is to boost your concentration by walking you through a series of mental imagery, breathing exercises, and mantra. Using guided meditation as a new approach can end your struggles with concentration.
- Take a comfortable position.
A very important part of meditation involves the right posture. Sitting in an uncomfortable or painful position will give you trouble while meditating. Hence, it is best that you settle for a simple posture that makes it easy for you to concentrate without worrying about pain in the legs or back. Whether it’s in a criss-cross position or with your knees tucked under your body, on a mat, or bare floor, it all doesn’t really matter except you are comfortable.
- Use earplugs.
Sometimes having access to the quiet, serene environment you need for meditation can be almost impossible. In cases like that where you are forced to work with what you have, you might need to improvise and earplugs could come prove helpful. With earplugs, you can completely shut off all the noise from your environment and channel your thoughts in the direction you want them to go. That way, you get to maintain your concentration and cut off distraction completely.
- Meditate in the early hours of the morning.
A simple yet helpful tip that works for meditation is choosing to practice it in the early hours of the morning. Apart from the fact that the mornings are usually quiet, your mind is still fresh and empty without the hustle-bustle of the day’s activities. So before you get into the full swing of your day, it’s best you have your meditation session as early as possible.
Understanding and deciding to build the habit of meditation is a great step that could be really helpful for your mental health. And the cool part is that you don’t have to speak with a health specialist or visit a health center or primary care clinic to harness the benefits of meditation.
