Below are the 5 most common meditation distractions I continue to hear from students. Unfortunately, the majority of time this keeps aspirants from continuing their practices or even beginning one in the first place. However, it is important to remember that the majority of people experience these initial roadblocks. Given effort and patience, these barriers can be overcome to create a steady practice. 

Read on to find out how to meditate without getting distracted.

1. Mind wandering

We meditate in order to have more control over our minds. Most of the time we attach emotional meaning to our thoughts and allow our actions to be based on these feelings, rather than objectively observing them outside a history. This is why one minute we are happy reminiscing on good times and the next minute we are sad thinking of an upsetting event in our life. We are vulnerable to our thoughts, letting them take over our mood and the way we interact with others. If this is how we operate on a daily basis, then we cannot expect that all of that will go away the instant we sit down to meditate.

Thoughts will drift in and out of your mind. This is absolutely normal. Keep practicing bringing your mind to one point of focus. You will start building the habit of choosing which thoughts you give your energy to and which ones are creating barriers to your progress. Gradually, you will observe yourself letting go of thoughts and your concentration deepen during your meditation.

2. Outside noise

Unless you live in a remote and isolated place, it’s hard to escape outside noise. I live in a place where there are garbage trucks rolling by, landscapers using blowers and mowers, kids playing in the street, dogs barking, and police sirens and fire trucks racing by at any time. And for a while, every time I would sit down to meditate a neighbor chose to use a power tool to fix something in their garage or a group of walkers took an evening stroll stopping under my window for a conversation. However, outside noise isn’t really about outside noise; it’s more about how we allow it to affect us. The real distractions are coming from inside our heads. Despite all of these sounds, I have been able to quiet my mind and not let it disturb my concentration. With a steady practice, you will also be able to tune out any noises. Over time, these sounds will lose their significance. Here are a couple of tips to get you started:

• You have control over when you meditate. Choose a time of day when it is the most quiet, for example, early morning or right before you go to sleep.
• Wear earplugs while meditating to make it quieter.

3. Inability to unplug

There was a time in my life that I went completely without Internet at home. Whenever I would share this with friends, I noticed the panic in their eyes and the shock in their faces. We are so used to our digital devices that even the mention of stepping away from them creates nervousness. That’s a problem, but I get it. Here are some tips to slowly start moving away from our digital dependency during our meditation practice:

• If you are using your phone or computer to support your meditation, for example, as a timer or to play a guided meditation, would another device work as well? Can you use a clock or a watch instead? Can you place your computer away from you during the guided meditation part and set it so that it automatically stops playing once it is done (instead of jumping to the next track or video)?
• Put your phone in another room and place it on vibrate so that if someone calls or texts, you are less likely to hear it. Lay it on something soft, like your bed or on the carpet, so that if it vibrates, it won’t make that much noise. And, most of all, try not to think about whether someone is trying to get a hold of you. Your phone will be there when you are done. You are supposed to be meditating now, but can scroll away later. :)

4. Laziness

Once you start making meditation a regular part of your life, changes will automatically begin to happen. You will naturally start making time for it by saying no to other things, by being more organized, productive, intentional, and finding joy in just sitting and being. Until this happens, you have to be disciplined and prioritize your meditation routine. Schedule it in as you would any other commitment. Do you want to be happy? Of course! We all do! This is the way to find inner happiness, the kind not dependent on anything outside of ourselves. Wouldn’t you move that to the top of your to-do list? [Related: The Most Important Part Of Meditation No One Talks About]

5. Unrealistic expectations.

I feel bad for the way meditation gets introduced to people. Those who meditate are in praise and have nothing but accolades of it, tooting the benefits of the practice. All true and good, helping motivate others to also make it a part of their lives. But, those who are new to it then start meditating with the expectation that they will immediately feel what their friend, brother, and aunt are feeling, and that’s just not going to happen without a consistent and patient practice (see laziness above). Yes, of course you will feel some positive effects of it right away. However, if you want to see real changes in yourself, you have to create a practice that is right for you. I feel so strongly about creating an individual practice that works for you that I’ve made it one of my main missions in teaching meditation. Some things to keep in mind:

• Start where you are, not where you think you should be. If you have never meditated before, even beginning with a 10-minute practice will be tough. Instead, start with a 1-minute practice. Get comfortable with that before increasing your time.
• Schedule meditation into your existing daily routine, so that you do not have to create big changes in order to meditate.
• Find a meditation routine that resonates with you.

Whenever we want to learn something new or continue making time for it in our lives, naturally it will take work. Meditation is no different. Do not let these small obstacles prevent you from realizing long-term peace and happiness.