Question
Hello -
I have been coming to this obnoxious road block. I crave time where I can do nothing, sit and relax and just be. Once this time comes though, I find myself very agitative and twitchy. I attempt to find some sort meditative process, but I can never seem to focus on just one thing. My mind is racing constantly it seems. Is there a way for me to find some sort of inner peace without dosing myself with some opiate?
Thanks,
Ben
Answer
Hi, Ben.
Hopefully we can come up with something other than an opiate!
I understand what you are talking about and have experienced the same. Interestingly, I usually don't notice the restlessness until I stop or slow down. Then it's obvious that the whole body/mind has been in that state all the time.
Sitting down in a comfortable position that you can maintain for at least 15 or 20 minutes, may hasten the body's adjustment to stillness. The wild activity of the mind may continue for a short or long while. You can notice that any attempt to "fix" the mind, make it stand still, may be futile, exhausting or even result in more mental activity.
Instead, see if you can give the mind enough space to do what it needs to do. I believe that the mind does need to sort of throw off its built up burden by releasing thoughts and other neural junk for a while. It may also need to fall asleep at times.
While all this is going on, you can let awareness move to what is simply present, the feel of the body, the movement of breath, the sounds drifting through the room. I don't mean focusing on any of these but rather allowing an open space in which they can be noticed and come and go. You may not find this space right away or all the time, but you can explore the possibility of it.
You'll probably find that given enough time and space, the mind will begin to slow down a bit on its own, without coercion. You may get some insights into how the mind gets so revved up in the first place. And you may be able to be more in tune to it as it happens during the day.
Sometimes for me going out and getting some physical activity helps quiet things down a bit too, so that the sitting is easier.
I hope that's a start. Please feel free to write back if I haven't quite addressed your concern, if you have more questions or to check in as you try out what I've talked about.
Jay
