Why the Mind Struggles to Meditate
Going against the very thing the mind enjoys doing.
I believe in the power of meditation to better my emotional health yet I continue to struggle with applying the practice routinely. Meditation is scientifically proven to have many health benefits from reducing anxiety, promoting self-awareness, and increasing focus.
I’ve been reflecting on why I resist meditation so much knowing that it’s good for me. Although it takes effort and time to adopt new habits, there’s an even bigger element at play that doesn’t like meditation —in fact, it really doesn’t like it at all.
That thing is the mind.
I suspect experienced meditators won’t have too much trouble meditating whenever they want, because the wise part of their thinking mind has become dominant (more to come on what is a wise mind). However, the average person, myself included, often experiences a mind that’s overly active.
My mind is endlessly eager to solve puzzles, analyze past events and calculate future possibilities. Buddhists call such a mind a monkey mind because it tends to jump from branch to branch.
A mind is a precious tool. But when it gets out of our control, it can be destructive too, leading us down negative spirals and limiting beliefs. The quality of our thoughts is so important because emotions are the consequence of it.
As Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius puts it:
“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.”
I’d like to cultivate a warm and colorful soul. The practice of meditation can help calm the restless mind and bring awareness to our thoughts. Why do I think this way? Is it true?
The most common form of meditation uses the breath. And the concept is really simple. You sit or lay down in a comfortable position, and watch the breath. You can focus on how the breath enters your nose, fills up the lungs and belly, and all the moments in between inhalation and exhalation.
The mind will do anything and everything to divert your attention to the thoughts it produces. And when that happens, you focus your attention back on the breath. Again and again.
The essence of this practice is that you don’t engage with your thinking mind, but simply let it be. It’s like watching thoughts come and go like clouds in the sky. By focusing your attention on the breath, you anchor yourself to something that is not your thinking.
Even though the practice is simple, it’s incredibly difficult for many overthinkers (like myself) to actually do it. The more active my mind is, the less I want to meditate.
I’ve come to understand the mind that knows meditation is good for me is the same mind that doesn’t want to stop thinking. Meditation subdues its very purpose: thinking.
There is a form of mindfulness-based therapy called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) used to treat mood disorders, which distinguishes 3 mental states we have:
- The emotional mind is non-logical dominated by emotions to create a subjective view of reality.
- The reasonable mind operates based on facts and therefore, great at planning and analyses.
- The wise mind is a healthy balance between the two.
In a state of chaos and uncertainty, the wise mind is the little voice that tells us the mind needs a break. It’s a part of our intuition.
So the emotional mind wants to be fully immersed in feelings, no matter if it’s positive or negative. And the reasonable mind never exhausts itself to solve past, present, and future problems. The stronger the two minds are, the harder it is to actually listen to the wise mind.
Meditation is a method to tame the emotional and reasonable parts of your mind, even though it doesn’t want to be tamed. That’s why it’s so difficult to meditate on a regular basis. It’s going against the very thing the mind enjoys doing.
Luckily, there is a part of us that knows what’s best is to take a pause in stillness. The key is listening to it.
