6 Tips for Meditation with a Busy Mind

For many of us, meditation doesn’t come naturally. Myself included. 

In fact, I avoided it for years! 

I’d heard about the benefits of meditation – I knew it would be good for me, but my excuse was always… 

“I can’t meditate! My mind’s too busy!” 

Having a busy mind doesn’t disqualify you from meditation. 

But it’s true that it can feel like an uphill struggle, especially when you’re starting out. 

Here’s a few meditation tips and tricks I’ve learnt along the way which might hopefully help you too. 

1 – Use a Focal Point for your Meditation

Meditation isn’t thinking of nothing! 

Offer your mind something to latch onto, in place of your thoughts. 

This could be the breath, a small object like a candle or a repeated mantra – whatever you find easiest to fix your attention on. 

Each time you notice your mind’s gone wandering, gently bring it back to that focal point. 

2 – Guided Meditations 

Sitting down in silence with the vague notion that you should be following the breath can be daunting – especially for those of us with busy minds. 

Try guided meditations – i.e. where someone talks you through a meditation. 

Listening to someone else’s voice can help occupy the space where our thoughts would otherwise arise. 

3 – Choose the Right Time for your Meditation

If you find your mind gets busier as the day goes on, maybe first thing in the morning would be a good time to meditate. 

Or perhaps you enjoy winding down after a long day at work or after putting the kids to bed. If so, maybe an evening meditation would be more enjoyable. 

4 – Be in the Right Place for your Meditation

It can be helpful to have one or two places where you routinely go to meditate. 

Maybe that’s somewhere you go for in-person classes, or it may be a particular area in your home. 

Taking your body, physically, to a quiet place you associate with meditation can help quieten the mind too. 

5 – Be Kind to Yourself during Meditation

If you notice your mind’s gone wandering, don’t beat yourself up over it. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the “Why can’t I just focus?” and “I’m so bad at this!” cycle of thoughts. 

But that only creates frustration… which is bonkers! One of the main benefits of meditation is that it should have a calming effect on the mind. 

Instead, remind yourself (kindly) – “It’s fine, it’s only natural” – and gently bring your attention back to your focal point. 

6 – Begin your Meditation with a Ritual 

Don’t worry – I promise this won’t turn you into a witch! 

Just like footballers have pre-match rituals (funky shoelace ties, lucky underpants!) it can be useful to have a simple pre-meditation ritual to bring you into the zone. 

For me that’s taking a few moments to light a candle and some incense. 

Over time the repeated ritual will send a signal to your brain that you’re about to meditate, which helps settle the mind in preparation. 

Embrace the Chaos! 

One of the main benefits of meditation is that it helps to calm a busy mind.

You might not feel that way instantly, but just like signing up to the gym on New Year’s Day, you’ve got to start somewhere. 

If you keep up the gym, you build muscle… if you keep up meditation, your mind becomes less busy. 

So embrace the chaos! See your busy mind as an opportunity to practice and develop rather than something holding you back.