Trouble meditating

[thyself]

I have meditated before with success but now I am finding it difficult to get into the state I was once able to reach. I can't tune out the background thoughts almost at all. I have a stressful job, (which is a silly thing to say since most jobs are pretty stressful) but I just can't get thoughts of work out of my head. It makes it very difficult to meditate obviously. I have a naturally busy mind, but I used to be able to clear it pretty effectively. Now I can't even meditate anymore and it makes me ten times more stressed since I can't clear my mind at the end of my day. I need help bad.

My techniques I used before are no longer working; I was hoping to get some outside input. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get into the state of meditation?

[chris5389]

I agree on the fact that work can be stressful. I work at a NYC law firm and it can be crazy but a trick that I use to clear my mind is breath awareness. You just focus all of your attention on the act of breathing basically. You actively feel the air entering your lungs, staying there for a moment and then feeling all of your tension and worries leaving. You can practice this anywhere and it is essential. It was very hard for me to clear my head at first but with time it gets very easy. Hope this helps.

[thyself]

I tried your suggestion, and it seems to work pretty well so far. It's at least easier than it was before to focus. Thank you for the help, and I am sure once I practice the technique for a while, it will become nearly second nature to me. Thanks a lot!

[Death the Kid]

Breath awareness is absolutely helpful, the other is learning how to deal with discursive thinking when it arises. The method I was taught is that when a thought arises you eventually recognize that you are thinking - which sounds strange because how can you not be aware that you're thinking? Well, we're usually too caught up in the thought to realize this, but in meditation we have the chance to recognize it - usually after the thought has passed, but that's not the point.

When thoughts arise, don't tune them out. Acknowledge them, and then let them go and return your focus to your breath. This technique also helps you when it comes to meditating amongst noise or other distractions because you learn how to deal with them. You don't get caught up in them, and you don't deny that they exist. You take the middle road by acknowledging them and then letting them go.

The Buddha is attributed with saying that the "one who inclines toward abandonment easily attains concentration."