Started off well. Now struggling.

[not_neo]

It's been a few good months since I've been practicing. I'd kept my routine pretty simple so far. Normally a mix between a guided meditation with my teacher, focusing on my breath and focusing on day-to-day activities like walking, eating, etc.

To be honest, I started meditation because of my anxiety issues. And focusing on breath seemed to do wonders for me. I had even started to distinguish between my thoughts and myself. I could recognize anxious thoughts as thoughts and they'd lose their power.

Lately though, when I focus on my breath, I can also still get lost in thoughts. It's not that I'm not paying attention on my breath. Every time I used to have a straying thought, I'd bring my attention back to my breathing. But now, I know I'm aware of my breathing and still having other thoughts too. While I still look at them in the same non-judgmental fashion, I really miss the sort of clarity I'd get when I could focus purely on my breath.

I know meditation isn't about the absence of thought. But the breath would help me sort of center and then start off you know. It's kinda throwing my off track to be honest. Is this normal?