Have you ever been disturbed by a noise when meditating? I for sure have, and it can be really annoying. So how to avoid it?

I long used to think that the secret to getting rid of disturbance while meditating was to find a way to not let it disturb me. Just register the noise, but not let it stir me in any way.

I since have grown wiser (I think..) and learnt more about my own strengths and limitations.

While there are many noises I can shut out while meditating, there are some noises, and certain noisiness treshholds, that I can not shut out so easily.

Not only that, but when extending “noise” to describe all modern distractions and temptations, I am certainly FAR away from being able to shut out all parts of modern life.

This has led me to the realization what there must be a valid reason why most monks and nuns (no matter their religion) tend to willfully eliminate many distractions from their lives, and live a very simple life.

I certainly feel the most at peace when in nature, free from distractions and “to do lists”.

Moving forward, I not only continue to work on how noises affect me – but also choose to eliminate parts of my life that cause distractions.

Habits are a good place to start!

You can for example put your smartphone away when you are at home, tackle the most important things on your to do list first (so that they don’t become big distracting worries) – and eat less of the food that you know your body don’t appreciate.

By the way, Will of Stone is the nickname of a character on the Natural Geographic Channel’s show “The Legend of Mick Dodge”. It’s all about a guy who’s lived off the land and off the grid for over 20 years, in the Washington Hoh Rainforest. Check it out (I sure love this show)!

“We live in a world that’s way noisier than we were ever meant for a world to be.”
– Will of Stone

Do you easily get disturbed when meditating? Comment below…