1. I couldn't stop thinking.
When I first started meditating, I had the misunderstanding that I wasn’t supposed to have any thoughts. I constantly thought I was doing it “wrong” because I could not stop thinking! And the more I judged myself, the less likely I was to meditate.
What worked for me: When I learned that meditation includes observing our thoughts but not attaching to them, I stop judging myself as a bad meditator. To help me disengage from my constant to-do list going through my head, I kept a journal next to my meditation pillow. When I had a thought I wanted to remember or let go of, I would simply open my eyes and write it down. Then I’d close my eyes and come back to my breath. Giving myself permission to design a practice that worked for my very active mind was very helpful. — Christine Hassler, life coach and author of Expectation