'washing out to dry'
7 Obstacles to
Mindfulness and How to Overcome Them
Henri Junttila
“Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life,
but the ability to cope with it.” ~Unknown
Mindfulness has allowed me to become more aware of my
thoughts
and reach a sense of inner peace.
As my awareness has increased, so has the peace and joy
in my life. The more familiar
I have become with the inner workings of my mind, the
better I have started to feel.
I came onto the path of mindfulness, meditation,
and spirituality when I was 16 years old.
I saw the TV-series Ed where the main character started
experimenting with lucid dreaming.
That got me interested, and that is where my journey
started. It hasn’t been an easy journey
by any means, but I’m nearing a decade on this path, and
I don’t regret it for a moment.
I’ve been through a lot of challenges, such as going
through brief spurts of depression.
I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough, and that life
wouldn’t work out the way I wanted it to.
In every one of these cases I let my thoughts run wild. I
started focusing on the negative
instead of on the positive, and I think many people have
the same tendency.
So there have been both ups and downs, but in the end
they have all been there for a reason.
And with each “bad period,” I’ve learned more and more
about myself.
I’ve learned more about what works and what doesn’t, and
they have all been blessings in disguise.
I have wanted to give up many times, but I’m glad that I
kept going.
Truly living in the present moment isn’t easy, but it is
highly rewarding.
The best way to move forward on your own path to “here
and now”
is to understand the potential obstacles and plan in
advance how you’ll deal with them.
1. Mindfulness
takes ongoing effort.
Mindfulness takes a lot of work, but the good news is
that the longer you practice,
the easier it gets, and the more joyful your life
becomes.
At first, your thoughts will be in chaos, and everything
will seem out of control.
Your situation will feel helpless, but the more you focus
on being fully where you are,
the easier it will be to find peace of mind in the
moment.
Mindfulness is best practiced throughout your day. It’s
not just for when you sit down and meditate. Focus on being mindful of
your thoughts when you’re doing everyday tasks
and it will be easier to remain mindful when things get
tough.
2. There will
always be distractions.
When you’re on your journey to becoming more mindful,
it seems as if the universe starts throwing stuff at you
just to give you challenges.
The distractions could be problems in your
life, drama in your relationships,
or old negative beliefs popping up from your past.
These are great opportunities to practice present moment
awareness.
They will help you become stronger, better, and more in
tune with yourself.
The problems and challenges we face are teachers in
disguise.
They are there to help you grow and to realize who you
truly are.
3. Progress
doesn’t always come quickly.
Progress may seem excruciatingly slow. There will be
times when you attach to things
and situations that you want, which will make it
difficult to be fully in the present moment.
It’s impossible to be mindful when you’re dwelling on the
past or obsessing about the future.
We all do those things sometimes. I’ve experienced it
countless times in my own life.
The more I want something, the more I fixate on not
having it and wanting to get it.
Once I release the attachment and focus on being grateful
for what I have in the moment,
my life seems to shift, and progress seems to happen
naturally.
4. You may want to
give up.
Like with any worthwhile journey,
you will feel like giving up and throwing in the towel
multiple times.
But it is during the times when you feel most frustrated
that you are often on the verge of a breakthrough.
Our lives are very similar to the seasons. We go through
cold, dark winters,
and joyful, expanding summers. It all comes and goes.
It’s the ebb and flow of life.
When you realize that the challenging times are there to
help you grow,
you will automatically feel more peaceful and relaxed.
5. Your goals may
challenge your mindfulness.
Having goals is fantastic, essential even, but when you
become overly attached to them,
something bad happens, just like we talked about above.
You know that you’re too attached to something when you
start feeling frustrated,
angry, and negative.
Attachment muddles our clarity. You’re likely pursuing
your goals because you believe
they will make you happy. Remember that when you start
letting your goals pull you
into a stressful state of mind. If you focus on the good
things around you,
you’ll feel that happiness that you think you need to
chase.
This will make you much happier in the long term, and, of
course, right now.
6. You might forget
that the journey is the destination.
Most people miss the fact that the reward is in the
journey.
Have you ever noticed that when you reach a goal, it’s
not as exciting as you thought it would be?
Sure, it feels great to hit a milestone, but if you do not
replace that goal with another one,
you will soon find yourself feeling unfulfilled.
That’s because we are goal-seeking mechanisms.
Humans need goals so they can have a sense of
purpose and fulfillment.
It is in the journey that we learn, grow, and become
better.
When you’re practicing mindfulness, remember that there
is nowhere to arrive at.
If you focus on what is going on right now, the rest take
care of itself.
7. Sometimes
you’ll want to be anywhere but in the now.
Even the most enlightened masters on earth have to deal
with difficult situations
and chaotic thoughts. The difference is they have learned
to accept the moment for what it is.
When you do this, you become the guardian of your inner
space,
which is the only way to feel good inside and find peace
of mind, right now.
http://tinybuddha.com/blog/7-obstacles-to-mindfulness-and-how-to-overcome-them/
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