Posted by Roo on April 4, 2002, at 9:59:42
In reply to BEARDY: re green tea, rems for anxiety, more:, posted by Janelle on April 3, 2002, at 1:03:12
> As for your suggestion to practice meditation
I have to say "been there, done that" -- my
thoughts are SO d@mn intrusive they override
any ability to relax and get into a meditative
state. Any suggestions for getting around this??
Janelle--I'm gonna butt into this one. I've been practicing
meditation for a year or so...and had these same type
questions and problems when I first started, and still do (and
so do experienced meditators)...it's just part of the process...
the goal isn't to get RID of your thoughts--your not in a battle
to rid yourself of them....You just notice, and come back to the breath....you
just say to yourself "hmmmm....my mind is noisy...how interesting", and come
back to the breath, over and over and over again.>
> I also get *performance anxiety* about being
able to meditate - I go through the "am I doing
it right/properly" kind of thing.This is really common. The truth is there is no right way.
You would just notice that thought "am I doing it right?" and
come back to the breath. No judgements, just noticing. No right
or wrong. It's a really simple thing, but it's hard to do.
One teacher recommended that when you meditate, and you start
noticing your thoughts racing...you simply say to yourself "thinking"
(gently, non judegementally) and come back to the breath. I do that
sometimes, and it's helpful because you start to realized YOU are not
your THOUGHTS. Thoughts are just thoughts...it's just what our mind does...
but it's not who we are. Believe me, if you do it this way, you will find
yourself saying "thinking" every 2 seconds, but that's okay...that's just
how it is, and your job is to just notice it, not to judge it.>
I hope this is helpful. Meditation has changed my
life. I need it as much as I need exercise and it has
become a really important part of my daily life. And it's
helped me not to get freaked out by my negative thoughts b/c
I don't take it personally...it's just the mind doing it's
yackey yack thing, no big deal. It's easy to get drawn into
the drama of our thoughts/emotions...but if you can just notice
your thoughts, and not try and figure them out, and feel your emotions,
without feeling there's something "wrong"....it really helps lead you
to a greater calm and freedom and wisdom.
poster:Roo
thread:101612
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020402/msgs/101782.html