“Hurry Up and Meditate”: Exploring the Restless Mind
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Investigating how to work with a mind filled with restlessness and worry, part of a core Buddhist teaching called the “Five Hindrances.”
The other day I was doing the dishes before an evening meditation sit. I noticed a recurring loop of thoughts in my mind. I was anxiously ready to be done with the task and to find the potential peace and calm in meditation practice. I found this to be a pretty ironic state; I was seeking contentment in a future meditation sit, while clearly being being unsatisfied in the meantime. I eventually named this phenomenon the “hurry up and meditate” mind.
This “hurry up and meditate” mind is a form of restlessness. One core Buddhist meditation teaching is the “Five Hindrances,” which Gil Fronsdal describes as “workings of the mind that hinder our ability to see clearly and our capacity to develop a stable, concentrated mind… Even with the best intention to stay focused, they can propel us into preoccupation and distracted thought.” These hindrances are the key obstacles we universally face in our meditation practice; they appear regularly in our daily lives as well. One of these five hindrances is called restlessness and worry. These are two separate patterns that are roped together as one hindrance due to their overlap. Here is how Joseph Goldstein described these dual mind states in his book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening:
“[R]estlessness… means agitation, excitement, or distraction. It is sometimes translated as ‘shaking above,’ where the mind is not settled into the object but hovering around it. ‘Restlessness’ — literally, without rest — expresses all these aspects.. [W]orry … is the mind state of regret or anxiety. This refers to how we feel about not having done things that we should have done and about having done things that we shouldn’t have. Although restlessness almost always accompanies worry, it is possible to have restlessness present without worry or regret.” (Goldstein, 2013, p. 153)
I’ve heard before that for Western minds, this is the most common hindrance we face. My suspicion is this mind state of restlessness and worry is more prevalent these days than ever. As we’ve slowed down and limited our social and other engagements, while this would hypothetically leave us more calm and at ease with less we must do, generally it seems the opposite is the case. We can strangely get more restless when things slow down, and of course there’s plenty to be worried and anxious about. It reminds me of the common vacation pattern where someone is anxiously awaiting an upcoming vacation, and then when they finally arrive on the beach they feel unsettled and restless.
Lucky for us, we know two things. One, this state is completely common, so we’re not alone in it. And two, for a myriad of reasons, we have the good fortune of access to proven teachings spanning over 2.5 millennia that help us navigate this pattern skillfully.
The general theme in confronting a difficult mind state is to investigate it with curiosity and attempt to maintain continuity of mindfulness. In order to maintain continuity, it’s helpful to emphasize balance in our practice. In restlessness our mind tends to feel like it’s a step behind at all times; it often feels like we’re leaning into the next experience, or even being dragged into it, not being sustained or satisfied by the current moment. In this setting, balance might be noticing this leaning in, and intentionally relaxing into a broader awareness. The practice of wise intention, the second path factor of the Eightfold Path, is relevant here; noticing our imbalance and releasing it is an act of relinquishment, one emphasis of wise intention.
Mindfulness is an active practice. We actively pay attention to our present consciousness and when it becomes imbalanced we respond wisely to the scenario. If we can do this, we can practice for infinite periods of time. There are specific techniques (see below) for how to respond to something like restlessness, but the general theme is continuity of mindfulness and meeting the experience with a curious, embodied presence. With practice, we learn to meet the “hurry up and meditate” mind with wisdom and compassion, and over time, this hindrance loses its sway over us. This is a great relief, both on and off the cushion, and one worth savoring.
Below is a 30-minute guided meditation exploring this theme in detail.
Benjamin Hohl is a Minneapolis-based meditation practioner, practice leader, and mentor. His passion is sharing mind and heart trainings, and he is happy to meet freely with anyone to discuss meditation practice. You can find him online at benjaminhohl.org.
