ADHD Meditation. HELP!

LittleMighty

I have been studying Buddhism for about a year now and for the past 6 months or so have TRIED to meditate. However I find it Impossiable to FOCUS! I've tried different times of the day and various locations and so on and so forth but my Meditations always go something like this:
"Breath in..Breath-I wonder if the car insurance payment it coming out of the account this week. I better check and see how much is in there....Focus. Breath in-Jingle Bells Jingles Bells. FOCUS!! Breath in...Breath out...Man, my pulse rate is really high! FOCUS! Breath in-My blood pressure must be going up. I don't think Meditation is supposed to ELEVATE my blood pressure and pulse. My knee hurts. Maybe Yoga wasn't such a great idea. FOCUS! Breath in...Breath-Did I feed the cat?"
Yea, Just like that. It's actually giving me MORE anxiety! I'm at the point now where I'm actually, physically losing sleep over it because I have myself so worked up that I can't get myself to calm down. What am I doing wrong? How do I clear my mind out so I can actually ENJOY the experience? As far as I can tell, Meditation is supposed to help you achieve enlightenment, not an anxiety induced CVA or stoke. Please Help!! Thanks.

federica

Believe it or not - that's progress.
the fact that you are so much aware of your chattering mind, means that you are being mindful.
you're observing how un-still your mind always is - and it always has been - but now, you are really aware of it.

Try meditating while sitting on a park bench, and watching the world go by, but merely think, car....pushchair....pigeon....tree.....

don't think of how the car looks, or what's in the pushchair, or what the pigeon is doing, or what the tree looks like. just observe them.

The moment you feel a thought coming in, shift your gaze to a new object....
bike....... fence.......path........bench......
keep looking at the object without thinking anything else about it.

and go easy on yourself.
no perfection is expected. The fact you practice is really great.

Telly03

I found it helpful to remind myself that my meditation was all about experiencing the moment... when a thought of the past came in, like "did I feed the cat" it helped to bring me back with the reminder. Once your able to successfully focus on the moment, your breaths, then it is easier to stay there, or quickly come back.

It's a brain train, and you'll get it.

LittleMighty

Thank you so much for your input. I will def give it a try. I couldn't help but laugh at the "shift your gaze' when a thought comes. I just pictured myself sitting on a park bench with my head whipping from one direction to the next and everyone in the park taking notice and running the other way. Lol. See, even now my mind is in full gear! But anyway, Maybe I'm on the wrong track. Maybe instead of trying to EMPTY my mind I need to....'take more in' so to speak? I usually try to meditate with my eyes closed, maybe this is the wrong approach. You've given me something (else) to ponder. Thanks

Telly03

I think there was a thread not too long ago on eyes open vs closed... there are different thoughts. I learned with eyes shut, so it was a transition when I found a local sangha teaching eyes open... even with eyes open though, the teaching I had is to have them partially closed, perhaps 3/4 closed. It may be worth a try... good luck

federica

Like i said, shift your gaze... not your head. And if it helps, wear dark glasses...so who'll know?

ajnast4r

well, first understand you are observing the breath... not focusing on. focusing is tense, observing is relaxed. the 'boiling water mind' effect you're experiencing is likely to be around for a while, so get used to it. even when you get to the point where the mind is fixed on the breath and no complete distractions occur this 'water' will still be boiling. thoughts still arise even while the mind is in basic states of concentration. just relax and try not to be so concerned with how you THINK your meditation is supposed to be going. just follow the practice correctly and it will all work itself out.

a few tips:

start your meditation with 3 deep breaths. inhale quickly and fully (not a gasp), exhale as slowly as possible without getting to the point where you feel a strong urge to breathe again. you can do this 3-10 times.

with your breath try to focus on the physical tactile sensation of the breath hitting the nostrils. you may find using a bodily sensation easier than a mental concept like 'the breath'.

try counting. 1 in 1 out. 2 in 2 out. all the way up to ten. 11-22-33-44-55-66-77-88-99-1010. when you hit ten start over. if you lose track or are distracted to the point where you cant remember where you were, start over. this is a simple and VERY effective technique.

when a thought is strong enough that you lose track counting, note it... turn your awareness towards it and silently note 'distraction'... 'planning'...'worrying'... whatever it is, then return observation to the breath. again note only thoughts that are distracting enough that you lose track of counting, not every thought that arises.

LittleMighty

I tried the counting but wasn't sure if it was causing the distractions or not, or it it was an 'acceptable' way of doing things. I was thinking about trying some back ground music and read the thread on that. I think I'll try all these suggestions and see what works. Thanks so much!

Dakini

This question has come up so many times, they should have a permanent post on how-to-breathe, in the meditation section.

I see Ajnast4r has provided some tips. The breathing technique I learned differs from his mainly on the in-breath. Both in-breath and out-breath should be very slow and controlled. This helps calm the nervous system, which in turn calms the thoughts. To count or not to count, I don't think it matters. The main thing is to follow the breath as it comes in and descends deep, past the lungs, pushing down the diaphragm. Follow it back up and out. Focussing on the physical sensations, as Ajnast4r said, is also helpful, as it forces you to be mindful of the breath, leaving no room for stray thoughts. Notice the breath passing through the nostrils, passing down the larynx, filling up your belly. Visualize it slowly, very slowly rising and passing back out. Give it a color, if that helps. White or golden light coming in, soothing and calming your system. Some prefer lavender light. Whatever works.

Let us know how it goes.

AMH

I am a person who tends to be hypomanic, really. So believe it or not I have been able to meditate for 25 years (okay not consistently at times). So it IS possible, really, and it helps that mind thing going on.

I used traditional meditation and by accident found running meditation. I canNOT walk, my mind is like that monkey on crack. But running and getting to a certain speed and past the first half mile then I can get the focus and my mind actually shuts up. I can also do it swimming.

Do you have something either exercise or a hobby or work you deeply concentrate on where you lose track of time or otherwise have all other things turn off? I would look to those as support for the times you are sitting. This is not anything official, just what I have found.

LittleMighty

Meditation in movement....I like that...Thank you!

Hubris

I have ADD, and I have had some success with chanting because you have to focus on breath while doing it, also I close my eyes to avoid distraction of movement/surroundings.

taiyaki

meditate in short chunks.

1 minute meditations every hour.

then after a week move to 2 minute meditation the next week. if you cannot meditate every hour then connect meditation with something you do everyday like eating or sleeping or showering. the prior to and after those you do quick meditations.

focus on the breath as if it was the sexist thing you have ever seen.

if the breath is a bad object to use then use a kasina object. like a bowl on a wall. stare at it and build your concentration.

if that doesn't work. if you are a male use a picture of a naked women. now lustful thoughts will arise but keep looking at it with concentration. using the natural lust will keep your mind attentive. build concentration and then move to a neutral object such as a breath.

hope this helps.

ZendoLord84

just take it as it comes,
realise nothing is permanent,
so your thoughts are allowed to come and go