I Can't Stop Thinking When I Meditate!

When people find out that I meditate, the first thing I often hear is, "Oh good for you. I can't meditate, I think way too much. I can't turn my thoughts off."

And you want to know what I'm thinking when I hear that? I'm thinking, "I feel you. I can't stop thinking either."

Yes that's right. I also find myself getting hijacked by my thoughts when I meditate. 

So does that mean I'm failing in my practice just because I haven't been able to turn my mind off?

Definitely not! There's this erroneous assumption that when you meditate, your mind should be blank but it is actually very normal that thoughts arise when you meditate. 

There's an area of the brain called the Default Mode Network that is primarily responsible for self-referential functioning. This network is reduced when we are doing something that is non-self referential and or engaging in tasks that are goal-oriented. You can read more about it here: https://www.pnas.org/content/106/6/1942/

As explained by Kristin Neff & Chris Germer in page 45 of their book, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, the DMN is responsible in three ways. 

1. A sense of ourselves.This may also include our perceived sensations of our bodies and how we relate to it.
2. The DMN can also project into the past or future. For example, it can help remember things in the past but can also plan into the future. Think goal-directed tasks.
3. Problem solving - this makes sense when you connect it to reason #2. It is important to know past mistakes in order to solve an existing and similar problem.  

When I learned about the DMN, it gave me a clearer perspective of why my mind wanders during meditation. And just because the mind wanders over and over again, does not mean that we aren't benefiting from a meditation practice.


Studies from this article https://www.pnas.org/content/108/50/20254.full demonstrate that there is decreased activity in the DMN in experienced meditators compared to the control group. 

So the point I'm trying to make is this, keep practicing. Keep doing the work and also be compassionate with yourself. The human brain has evolved to be this way primarily as a means of survival and it is absolutely normal that thoughts arise when we meditate. 

Relating to those thoughts in a non-judgmental way can really help. For me, when my mind wanders, I silently and kindly say to myself, "thinking, thinking, thinking" to remind myself to come back to my breath, body sensations etc.

Another way of guiding yourself back to the moment in a gentle and curious way is to imagine that your DMN is a crazy and cute little puppy that loses attention all the time. Getting mad at the puppy won't help but being curious and patient can certainly make the experience more relatable.

Till next time!