frustrated attempting to focus

[IronGega]

I don't really understand this, there are times when I can focus just fine and other times (mostly) when I try to focus and I suddenly get all these rushes of emotions and negative thoughts.

I know it's normal to have this happen, and the the key is to let them pass by without getting involved but I gett involved often and when I start to refocus I can feel stress and frustration swelling up.

I'm trying to concnetrate to relax but it's like the more I do it the more I get tense and angery.

this isn't the complete problem atm I really dont know how to put this into words

[CFTraveler]

I'm trying to concnetrate to relax but it's like the more I do it the more I get tense and angery.

Relaxation is not something you do, making an effort to relax is the opposite of what you want to do.
Focusing on something is good to maintain one-pointedness, but relaxation is not an object of meditation, is what you do before you meditate.
Try something like progressive muscle stimulation for physical relaxation, breathwork, for mental relaxation, and observing yourself is an excellent method to eliminate mind chatter. But if you can't stop it, don't try it- just observe your thoughts.

[IronGega]

I was too out of it to put my thoughts out properly.

I was focusing on my breath as part of my meditation, but I kept getting bombarded by thoughts and past conflicts. I did my best to not get caught up in them but my body seemed to get tense and tense.

this has been happening alot since I was attempting to focus on my breath to allow myself to relax, I try not to worry about being calm or what not.

I just don't know whats going on, I was reading about deep breathing exercises, how they help you focus better and relax more. but once I started doing them it's like my body was trying to fight me. like it wouldn't allow me to get a full breath

I was putting my attention on my breath to allow myself to relax, I wasn't forcing myself to relax. but as I practice focusing im hit with all of these emotions and thoughts

[IronGega]

I realized something.

I was reading Astral dynamics the section about taming the mind. Rob does mention about how thought coming back in can cause frustration as thought will want to pop back in, He also mentions how mental effot (attempting to focus) can cause physical tension, something I've been experiencing latly.

I've also noticed that once I "drop my guard" so to speak, when the thoughts and emotions pop back up and I get caught up in them, this is the time when I have to start all over.

seems it's a process of quieting my mind and keeping it that way

[heliac]

Hi IronGega,

A couple things that i have found that have worked a little with this.
When thoughts keep popping up it may help to acknowledge and allow them to occur then gradually introduce counting your breath. When you start counting your breath thoughts will pop back in but you may start to notice moments of quiet between thoughts, if you can gently focus on allowing the duration of the moments between thoughts to increase that may help a little.

[BDeye]

Hi IronGega.

I'm seeming to have difficulty with everything lately whether it be meditation, physical relaxation or projection. I've notice that a lot of the thoughts and impressions I'm bombarded with are real world issues I'm dealing with, some are just run of the mill thought babble though. What I've started practicing is to identify the difference between the two. If it's a real world problem I try to deal with it as best I can and if it is something I can't change, I try make my peace with it(sometimes very hard to do). The thought babble I find easier to deal with, mind taming exercises work for me. I have also found exercising before a session really helps the overall effect (yoga, swimming, a quick jog). I'm giving this advice from a position of sympathy seeing that I'm having to relearn everything.

Hope this helps, Keep well.
B.

[CFTraveler]

Here is something that I have found helps- it may be a little weird and different but what the heck so am I.
If you have all these real-world thoughts (and lately, so have I, it's been a challenging week), do a mental note of them- visualize that you are making a list, and writing out the items in order of importance- or do two lists, the 'important' ones and the 'mundane' ones. Then imagine you are burning the unimportant one, and take the important one, fold it, put it in an imaginary envelope marked 'for later', and set it aside, and promise yourself you will deal with them later. Then go back to your desired practice.
If this doesn't work, instead of focusing on the breath, observe yourself as you focus on the breath, without judgement. Something like, "look at IG, focusing on his breath"; "look at IG having stray thoughts". Simple observation, no judgement or comment. This helps me, immensely.

[ButterflyWoman]

Just a comment. Frustration is an emotion, too.

[IronGega]

Hi IronGega.

I'm seeming to have difficulty with everything lately whether it be meditation, physical relaxation or projection. I've notice that a lot of the thoughts and impressions I'm bombarded with are real world issues I'm dealing with, some are just run of the mill thought babble though. What I've started practicing is to identify the difference between the two. If it's a real world problem I try to deal with it as best I can and if it is something I can't change, I try make my peace with it(sometimes very hard to do). The thought babble I find easier to deal with, mind taming exercises work for me. I have also found exercising before a session really helps the overall effect (yoga, swimming, a quick jog). I'm giving this advice from a position of sympathy seeing that I'm having to relearn everything.

Hope this helps, Keep well.
B.

acually I have noticed that myself, after I do abit of a workout, nothing major just enough to get the blood pumping, it's easier for me to focus

[BDeye]

What I enjoy about the yoga is that it feels like a moving meditation and sets me up quite nicely for my sitting session. I'm still a novice with the practice of yoga and still find my mind wandering a bit (highly active imagination). The last exit I managed came from after a comfortable yoga session though.

Another thing I've found that may help is stopping a session when I feel an interruption (internal or external), I then get up, have a wander around and go straight back in. The sessions seem to build up progressively until I am able to sit for a few hours. I still find the interruptions occur, although I deal with them in a calmer fashion. This technique might not be the best for building up the will power necessary to sit through a session come hell or high water, it can help when I'm feeling less than focused though. Often when I force myself to sit through an uncomfortable session I just come away feeling tired and aggravated. That ten or fifteen minute break can sometimes give me the second wind I needed. I sometimes do this two or three times before I find my footing.

This may or may not be for everyone, it's only something I'm experimenting with, if it helps cool.