Concentration | SuccessConsciousness.com Blog on Self Improvement and Spiritual Growth

How to Overcome Disturbing and Distracting Thoughts

By Remez Sasson

Here is a question somebody asked me, which is relevant to a great number of people:

“I cannot concentrate on things, and I get some things in my mind which really come again and again while doing things, and this makes me very sad. Please help.”

What you focus on grows. If you keep focusing on worries, you only encourage those disturbing and distracting thoughts.

Acknowledge, without letting this worry or discourage you, that you have a problem with concentration, and resolve to do your best to solve it.

Tips on how to overcome disturbing and distracting thoughts:

1. Get enough sleep at night. Some say that one needs 8 hours of sleep, but this is an individual matter, as some people require only 5-6 hours of sleep, and wake up energetic and refreshed.

2. Whenever possible, without avoiding your duties and responsibilities, stay away from what stresses and worries you.

3. Believe that you can change the situation. It is just a matter of dedication, desire, inner work and time.

4. Read the article about concentration at:
www.successconsciousness.com/index_000004.htm,
and then start practicing the first concentration exercise at:
www.successconsciousness.com/index_000005.htm

5. When you can perform the first exercise as required, move to the next exercise.

6. When thoughts disturb or distract your mind, try focusing on what you are doing more attentively. Don’t use force or fight the thoughts, just pay more attention to what you are doing at the moment. If these thoughts persist, analyze them, see what they are, and acknowledge that they are just thoughts, and there is no reason in the world to be controlled by them. If you can treat them with disinterest and detachment they will go away.

7. Keep positive, and don’t get discouraged if you fail to practice these instructions or if the disturbing and distracting thoughts persist.

Peace of Mind in Daily Life
A guide to inner peace and freedom from restless thoughts You can find advice, guidance and instructions on making the mind quiet, obedient and focused, and on gaining inner peace and happiness, in the book Peace of Mind in Daily Life.

Peace of Mind in Daily Life

How to Clear the Mind of Thoughts

By Remez Sasson

A visitor to the website has asked the following question:
“So you are saying once our mind is cleared, we start experienceing inner peace, but what is the most important thing to do to clear your mind? I have read a lot at many websites, but still can’t understand the subject.”

Here is the reply:

Concentration, meditation and the development of inner detachment help clear the mind of thoughts, making room for inner peace.

There is no instant inner peace. In order to attain and enjoy inner peace, work and effort are required, but not everyone is willing to invest the necessary time and energy into this project.

Concentration
The practice of special concentration exercise improve the ability to focus the mind on one single thought or subject and reject unrelated thoughts. This ability helps you gain the skill of opening or closing the mind at will to the constant flow of thoughts.
Information on Concentration
Concentration exercises

Meditation
In meditation you use the skills gained through the development of the power of concentration, in order to free your mind of thoughts. There are may forms of meditation, which all help clear the mind of thoughts, and which ultimately lead to the ability to meditate without thoughts.
More on Meditation

Detachment
Without some inner detachment there is no inner peace. You need to learn not to be affected easily by what people say or do, and not let your emotions rule your life. I am not talking about being indifferent and uncaring. It might seem a paradox, but you can be compassionate, helpful and full of love, and at the same time display inner detachment. It is a mental attitude which leads to common sense, better judgement, more understanding and inner peace.
More on Detachment

You can find in-depth information, instructions and exercises for developing the skills leading to inner peace in my book Peace of Mind in Daily Life.

Filed Under: Inner Peace Tagged With: clearing the mind, concentration, detachment, Inner Peace, Meditation

Higher Consciousness Focuses and Silences the Mind

By Remez Sasson

How is it possible to focus the mind when it is so restless?

When you try to stop thinking, do really stop thinking, or do you just hold to the thought that you are not thinking, which is itself a thought?

Who and what it is that orders the mind to concentrate or get silent?

Can the mind concentrate itself, or is there something higher than the mind that focuses or silences it?

Concentration exercises and meditation eventually awaken something inside, some kind of silent consciousness, and it is this consciousness that focuses the mind on any chosen subject or object, and it is this consciousness that is able to cleanse the mind of thoughts and silence the mind.

This Consciousness-Awareness, Higher Consciousness is the Inner Self, and is beyond and above the mind. It is always here, but sort of hidden behind the thinking mind. There is too much focus on thoughts and sense impressions coming through the five senses, so that this Consciousness, “forgets” itself, and tend to “get involved” with the mind and the impressions coming through five senses. This is what makes it so difficult to focus the mind.

In time, as concentration gets stronger, one is able to cleanse the mind of thoughts, but this takes time and a lot of work. At this point you don’t say to yourself, “I am silencing my mind”, because this is itself a thought. You just stop thinking, but something else is there that stops the thinking. At this stage, when you stop thinking, there is no vacuum or the thought that “you are trying to stop thinking”. There is just Pure Consciousness, joy and inner peace.

From this perspective, concentration becomes simple and easy, and you are able to focus your mind easily on anything, a thought, a point on the wall, a flower, an inspiring quote, prayer, or on your work, studies, reading book or any other activity, or just enjoy being conscious, but without thoughts.

Filed Under: Concentration and Mind Power Tagged With: concentration, consciousness, mind, silence

Concentration and Multitasking

By Remez Sasson

Concentration and multitasking, can they go together?

I have been asked whether practicing concentration might interfere with one’s multi-tasking ability, as being able to concentrate on one thing and filtering out other stuff seems to be the opposite of multi-tasking.

The mind can always think on one subject or object at time. When we do several things at the same time, we are actually moving the focus quickly from one subject to another, and it only seems to us that we are focusing on several subjects at the same time. This can sometimes be tiring, and we might not be able to complete tasks successfully, because we do not focus on each task long and intently enough.

After developing some degree of concentration ability, you will able to hold the mind for longer periods exclusively on one subject, and you will be able to study/understand/accomplish everything better and more efficiently. At the same time, your ability to move your mind swiftly from one subject to another at will, while focusing it strongly on each subject, will also grow, which means improvement of your multi-tasking ability.

With a better concentration ability, it will be easier for you to focus your mind on one thing, subject or task, and it will also be easier to handle several tasks at the same time.

This ability goes hand in hand with the growth of the ability to disregard and reject unwanted thoughts, which means greater inner peace. With greater inner peace, the mind and thoughts are more under your control, and it becomes easier to clear your mind from irrelevant thoughts when you need to focus on one task or while multitasking.

The ability to concentrate does not make the mind rigid and inflexible. It strengthens and makes sharper all the 5 senses, enhances the intuition, makes the mind more peaceful, and helps you accomplish anything you wish to do.

How to Focus Your Mind

How many times have you tried to focus on a task, read, study or meditate, only to find that your mind is wandering?

Would you like to change this situation and improve your focus and concentration?

How to Focus Your Mind

Filed Under: Concentration and Mind Power Tagged With: concentration, multitasking

Tips to Improve Concentration

By Remez Sasson

How to improve your concentration and attention? Why it is important?

Paying attention to what you are doing is one of the most important keys to success. If you are not able to hold your attention on one thing for some time, how can you accomplish anything?

Successful people are able to focus their mind on their goals day and night, until they accomplish them, be it money, fame, power, self-improvement or meditation. How can you improve your ability to focus your mind on your goals, when there are so many things that distract your attention?

Napoleon Hill said the following words about attention:

“Controlled attention is the act of coordinating all the faculties of the mind and directing their combined power to a given end. It is an act, which can be achieved only by the strictest sort of self-discipline.”

“Learn to fix your attention on a given subject, at will, for whatever length of time you choose. You will have learned the secret to power and plenty! This is concentration.”

“Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don’t want!”

This is good advice for any person, who wishes to learn how to improve concentration and attention.

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Filed Under: Concentration and Mind Power Tagged With: attention, concentration, mind