How to maintain concentration?

[The AlphaOmega]

Suprisingly enough I have this same problem.  In my opinion a song getting stuck in your head is one of the most difficult subconcious acts to overcome.  Here's what I do.  If a song comes into my head I start singing a different song, a stupid song.  One that has no sentimental meaning at all, like I'm a little tea pot, or something.  After a few times of singing that song you will no longer pay attention to the other.  The latter song hopefully won't get stuck in your brain because it's not a song that you like or can relate to.  Hope that helps in some way!

[WalkerInTheWoods]

You need to practice stilling your mind throughout the day, not just when you are going to meditate. It will help you a lot if it is something you always do instead of just sometimes. Also, I strongly suggest you don't listen to music just for background noise. If you are not listening to music for the purpose of listening to the music then do not have it on. Get use to silence when you are doing something else. If you always have music playing and are use to hearing music, then your mind will start playing music when things are quiet because you are just not use to things being so quiet. This has really helped me.

[Meedan]

I fully agree with fallnangel, even though I do sometimes find myself playing music for background noise. Thanks for reminding me falln.

Not only is it bad for meditation and concentration, it can make you more, umm... 'mentally-lazy'. So wynn, if you currently listen to music for background noise, it will help your concentration if you stop.

[ralphm]

I would have to say that i listen to music a good bit(rock and blues) and don't have much of a problem. I think the best cure is to use 2 meditation techniques at once-i was doing a buddhist meditation with a mantra and a visualization. By giving the mind two things to do, which takes a lot of effort, you limit the ability of garbage to enter your mind.So maybe you could try the breathing with the visualization.

[wynn]

Thank you for the suggestions  
I do listen to all sorts of music for background noise, and so I'll stop that for a while and see if it helps  
I will also clear my mind through-out the day and see how that works  
[|)]

[Meedan]

Ralphm, that's good that you can listen to background music with no problem. I think you have meditation mixed up though - I think there may be more people who make this same mistake (it's a common misconception).

Meditation is the silencing and clearing of the mind, with no thoughts whatsoever.

Concentration is the opposite, focusing on something, like visualisation for example. This is what you were doing.

Both are equally effective for spiritual development (its best to use both).

[jilola]

The problem is something that is easily, well farily easily, remedied.
LIke Fallen said, you need to practise it all thheh time, not only during specific times for meditation.
What you neeed to do is just do what you're doing at any given moment and not think about anything else and nothing at all if possible.
If you're eating, eat, if you're walking, walk. Don't think about stuff to make time go by, just do what you're doing.
There's no other way really.

Quiet the mind at all times for no desired goal and you'll get it sooner or later.

2cents & L&L
jouni

[aleshah]

To prevent unwanted song looping, you need just to be yourself.
That means *you* are important and nothing else.
You must be tricky.
You can also *fight* mentally just by repeating the dumb song consciously.Diving deeper and deeper in the each sounds, untill every sound particle is absorbed.

[PyroPsion69]

I get this problem a lot its very annoying! I use a few tactics depending on what works at the time. Sometimes I can just visualize the noise coming from a radio in my head, and turning the volume down until it fades out, though sometimes when I lose concentration for a second it pops back on. If you have a white noise generator or something like that, that usually helps. Often I find that directly fighting it or trying to make your mind shut up makes it worse. Reminds me of a T Shirt - "Shut up brain or I'll stab you with a Q-tip!" [] So you just have to figure out what works, turning it off, or blocking it out, or just ignoring it.

[aleshah]

White noize generator is the opposite.just turn the radio on and search for some 'void' space, where you ca hear the noize.Your ears will be formed on this high frequencies so you are able to perceive high frequencies around you.Stil high frequencies loud can damage the ears.Don't wonder if you can hear a mouse 2 kms far away from you.

[Jonas K strand]

hello wynn!

i have this problem to quite often. i dont pay much attention to it though. i dont think its good to get stuck on a thing like that. keep focusing on the task. your brain will probably sing the song all the time and when you realise your singing you just have to tell yourself. i can now see that im singing a song, dont get into the song but watch it objectively, thats important. and also to not get upset, and to see it as a failure, cause something good has happened! you realised that you sang a song! after noticing you should go back to the focus for concentration and try your best focusing on that. whatever happends, just watch it. even if you get upset, just watch it, knowing that it will go away, maby not this day or week or even year, but that it will go away just like you and me is a fact, and if you get upset its because you dont understand that fact fully, and not many do, but just watch it, cause the not understanding is any minute changed into understanding. thats exiting and thats why we should keep our attention all the time. trying to hard is good but trying in the wrong way is bad.  

regards

/jonas

[wynn]

I'm just full of questions tonight  
In meditation I have this silly problem in no matter how relaxed I am, not matter how focused I am, I cannot prevent songs from running through my head. [] Not all the time, but enough to seriously wonder about my concentration problem, lol
I know it's silly, and I know that complete concentration doesn't call for a running soundtrack. Trying things such as visulaization, or breathing techniques simply do not work sometimes, sometimes I just give up in frustration.
I guess I'm trying too hard.
hehe
Suggestions?