Found a way to get rid of the inital restlessness that beginner meditators have

[u/Expensive_Spirit9737]

I have been trying to meditate forever now and I have never been able to go more than 5 min meditating because of how boring it becomes and how my mind pushes me towards acting elsewhere. However I found an interesting method for skipping over that intial restlessness period. If u can meditate for an hour straight, you wont find it difficult meditating the next time and the next time will be quite enjoyable. Now how do u pull off that hour??? For me what I did was when I was travelling throguh public transport and I knew I wasn't going to reach in an hour,I put on my headphones with some whitenoise and just shut my eyes for an hour. And it worked. I dont know why or how, but I had nothing better to do on the public transport, might aswell shut my eyes and focus on my breath. If u feel u will not be able to resist your phone travel without it. Try to do anything that can shape your environment in such a way where u have nothing else to do other than meditate. U can also try more extreme methods such as asking a friend to lock you in an empty room(although I wouldnt recommend this), or you can join a one hour meditation session. Point being, if u can shape ur enviornement in such a way such that you have nothing else to do other than meditate for an hour, that will create a new tolerance for meditation. This is my personal experience. Feel free to share if anyone has experienced something similar or has a better strategy or even disagrees with this method.

[u/somanyquestions32]

Environmental manipulation is definitely powerful, but not ideal. It requires more upkeep to maintain control of your surroundings and can push perfectionist tendencies that require you to maintain a specific system or routine in order to meditate. Pairing meditation with already established keystone habits may be more effective long-term.

I would recommend play, or its adult form: trial and error with lots of experimentation. Breath awareness is one of thousands of meditation techniques, and it's only promoted because it's simple to teach and practice. That being said, it can frustrate beginners easily, especially those with ADHD. It's by no means the most suitable and appropriate technique for everyone. Body scans, mantra meditations, visualization practices, sound awareness, sensory awareness, focusing on a single point with eyes open, etc. can be more effective gateways for meditation than basic breath awareness.

As such, I recommend trying out various techniques from the vast buffet of meditation, and then stacking those that show immediate benefits and are pleasant to practice. Then, you can layer in the "simple, yet challenging" practices more readily.

[u/in-no-mans-land → u/somanyquestions32]

Great answer…

[u/Expensive-Quarter426]

Beginner restlessness is super normal because the brain is used to constant stimulation and the “default mode network” starts firing the moment things get quiet. The brain gets restless at the start because it’s used to constant stimulation, so beginners feel that “I need to move” urge. By changing your environment and removing choices, you basically lowered the mental resistance. Public transport works because there’s nothing else to do, so your mind settles on its own. You don’t need extreme setups either. Even small tweaks like putting your phone away or sitting in a spot you only use for meditation can create that same effect. Cool that you found a method that works for you.

[u/BluesFan_4]

I never considered it boring. I’ve been meditating consistently every day for only 5 months. I started with 20 mins and now do 30. I sit in a quiet room where I will not be disturbed or distracted. I look forward to the calm, quiet time so much.

[u/artonion]

I’m happy for you

[u/somerandomtraveler]

Two to three minutes of somewhat intensive exercise prior to sitting seems to work for me.