Recurring Problematic Situations

[Ibnezubair]

I have been practising mindfulness for more than 2 years. These days I am following “The Turning Point” by Jon Wilde & Gerard Evans. It is the beginning of my 7th week. Previously, I was enjoying mindfulness (as well as the book). Suddenly I started facing much difficulty or a sort of mild crisis. In the following I am describing about it, not in a very coherent way (as these are my short notes that I wrote during past few days, produced in chronological order):

* I know I do not have to fight with my present moment, but even then, I am fighting. I am fighting with my thoughts, with my feelings, with sensations and with obstacles in my environment.

*Whenever I start a mindfulness course, I achieve a state pf peace. But then at a juncture, all shatters down. I am again engulfed by misery.

*On average, how many times it is recommended to do informal meditations: body scans, short body & breath meditation, sounds meditation, thoughts meditation, 3-minute breathing space etc.?

*Nowadays, when I do an informal or formal meditation, negative thoughts and very uncomfortable feelings overcome me. It becomes very difficult to notice thoughts and feelings. Whole situation becomes negative. And I cannot help judging it.

*During past weeks, while I was feeling well, I could not give the margin of my natural shortcomings to me. As a result, I had to finally face situations, for which I did not have ability to cope with. It was very late when I came to this realisation. So, the situation was very difficult for me and my anxiety and psychological pressure abnormally heightened. To summarise, as I did not avoid situations, I made myself exposed to the I feel emotionally burnt up with mindfulness. Even if I want to notice mindfully the feeling of being burnt up, it does not work. Should I give a temporary pause to my practice, so that I could make myself afresh?

Ibnezubair

[Gareth]

It is important to understand that the path is not linear, and will include many ups and downs. Depending on your mind, it is likely to always be thus.

Personally, I have found mindfulness to become a way of life, transcending any division between formal and informal meditation. Life itself has become the meditation: constantly getting lost in thought, and constantly returning. This is not to say that I don't sit to meditate regularly;I do. I cannot tell you that it should be the same way for you. You have a different mind to me, and are at a different point on your journey.

Negative thoughts and uncomfortable feelings are not going to stop; they are part of life. What you are trying to change is the way that you relate to them, and how you process them when they do come along.