Do you dread meditating due to fear of being still with your thoughts or fear of boredom? I do. Seems common in this time of constant stimulation. Any advice appreciated!

I actually did. I even tried meditation few times in last 5 years. Suggestion is to try and start with 5 minutes per day, and just focus on your breath (i constantly think of breath in, breath out, at least at the start) 5 mins is easy and you can progress from there. Whenever you get any thoughts, just go back to breathing.

Fear is the devils oldest trick. Don’t let fear take away an enjoyable experience. If thoughts come, let them, it’s ok, but also, let them go. Release all negativity and meditation becomes easier! ❤️ hope this helps!

I don’t fear it. I look forward to it but I do find myself finding it difficult to begin sometimes. Like I don’t want to slow down. But you just have to because the after effects are glorious.

I used to experience the same. You might want to try a mantra or guided meditation. Once I found these, I was able to experience the peace and inner expansion of meditation. This then helped me exercise my discipline of mind to be in that meditative state where fears, have to's and distractions don't exist. Hope this helps…

No, I only struggle with quieting my mind. Or, i fall asleep. I just keep trying. I need this practice as I always struggle to keep focused. 😊

Recommend finding a good guided meditation. I personally enjoy Sam Harris’ “Waking Up” app. This input helps frame and orient the meditative experience, I find.

I don’t fear it because the point of it is to see the thoughts. Thoughts of boredom and over stimulation are just thoughts – seeing them and seeing the attachment to them is the purpose. Not need to fear it’s what being human is all about.

I have bipolar disorder and so I absolutely understand the struggle with trying to contain racing thoughts. It’s also exactly why meditation is crucial to my health and well-being. Keep practicing! At first use a log of guided meditation and then move to short periods of solo meditation. If you have a rough day and those to-dos keep popping in or, even worse, a flood of negative thoughts, then I try to combat those by thinking of only positive thoughts or memories, things that make or have made me happy and then try to find my breath. I hope this helps!

This is a really awesome question! It’s made me consider why I have started and stalled my meditation goal so many times! I think for me, meditation means needing to slow down and stop. That’s a part of it at least. Slowing down or stopping, even for a few minutes to meditate, feels not-so-doable in a world that is constantly rushing to the next thing. When every day feels like it isn’t long enough to get everything finished at work and with my son, and I don’t always feel nearly as productive as I need to be, the prospect of taking even just a few minutes to deliberately *not do anything*, feels somehow wrong. I also think there is absolutely an aspect of it that is about not wanting to be with my own inner thoughts. I’ve got a lot of baggage so-to-speak, (hey, who doesn’t?) so “quiet inner-thought time” makes me anxious. I worry about not being able to empty the thoughts the way one is “supposed to”, and what I’ll be confronted with. I guess not doing it right? If there’s a right and wrong way to meditate, which I’m unclear about. It seems like there’s a kinda “right way”, or at least a focus for it that seems generally accepted- but at the same time there is a message that you can’t meditate “wrong” and that it takes practice. So yeah, the whole thing is a bit mystifying. But I do think that there is a fear of being confronted with my inner self. Loneliness not-so-much because I’m content with being alone and prefer it actually- just not with my inner self ;-). Anyway- my advice would be to just start small- a minute a day for three days in a row. And to start, just breathe. Don’t focus on “meditating”- just breathing. Your thinking and whatever is going on in your mind doesn’t so much matter to start, it’s just taking literally a minute to take some deep breathes. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Practice breathing in slowly and exhaling slowly and as fully as you can. Do this for a minute each day for 3 days and then slowly increase it gradually- by 1 minute a day as you’re comfortable. Remember that initially it’s not about the meditating part, just the breathing. Once you have a solid routine of spending about 10-15 minutes breathing, you can start to notice your thoughts. To start, just notice them. Don’t try to stop them, just notice them. Notice what you’re thinking about, how fast they’re coming and what you’re feeling. Make sure you’re still breathing as you notice. You’ll notice right away that you’ve automatically been quieting your mind a little bit as you’ve worked on your breathing. As you notice your thoughts, you can start to take inventory of them. You’ll be surprised at how easy it will be to ask your thoughts to leave your headspace (figuratively of course). Sorry this was such a long answer! This is the process I’m using to build my own meditation routine. I do believe it’s a skill and that it will take practice. I hope this helps a little! Be well and be gentle with yourself!

Seated/ breath meditation is only one type. You could try a quiet walking mediation, coloring, art journaling, praying, (regular) journaling, and others I'm sure I'm still unaware of myself.

It takes time to learn to meditate just as it
Takes time to learn anything. Often being alone in our mind is th hardest part of getting started. Maybe just try it for a few minutes each time,to get used to it. Maybe try different meditation apps to
Find one
That works. Need to practice, learn to calm
The mind and not be afraid.

I never had that fears. When I don't meditate is because I don't prioritize meditation. Try Deepak Chopra' s series of meditations. I started with them and he has a beautiful intro to each meditation that is preparing and calming for your mind so you can go more easily in a meditative state. I love them!

I actually just started my meditation session and stopped it instantly. Then restarted and stop it again. I dont think when I closed my eyes it was the right time to meditate because of the loud neighbouring music. Meditation can be boring but focus on your breath and your inner halos of energy meditation can be used to imagine clearing what heavies your chest. But make sure your environment supports u to continue the session. Without distractions

I do too, but you can’t make any mistakes though. A short and imperfect meditation you’ve done is better than a flawless one you didn’t do! And if you train and push yourself everyday, your body will love it so much that your mind won’t feel bored again ;)!