What To Think About When Meditating? 9 Best Meditation Prompts

We are constantly connected to technology. We check our phones almost 60 times a day and spend an average of two hours a day on social media. It’s not surprising that more people are looking for ways to unplug from the digital world so they can reconnect with themselves.

Meditation is an effective way to slow down your thoughts and leave behind all the noise of everyday life. 

Many people think meditation is about thinking nothing or emptying your mind. But that’s not exactly right. There are different types of meditation with different goals. Still, the idea is to control your mind and thoughts better.

You can also try a guided meditation to help you meditate without letting your mind wander.

Thinking about nothing isn’t exactly possible

You either have thoughts or don’t. And even in trying to empty your mind, you will still be thinking about emptiness, which means it’s not empty.

Even if a thought seems meaningless or absurd, it has some meaning to you as an individual!

Thoughts are one of the biggest challenges of meditators.

You can be a beginner, or you can be a meditator for a while. There are always going to be days when it’s harder to focus. Contrary to popular belief, forcing yourself to stop thinking is not necessary. 

Let your thoughts be there as you meditate. In fact, we are here to give you 9 prompts to meditate and directions for thoughts to amplify the effectiveness of meditation. For short meditation practice as well as long 20-30 minutes or more.

You will also learn how thoughts during your meditative sessions can enhance their effectiveness.

Like journaling, it can also be an outlet for thoughts, feelings, and ideas. You only need to remember not to get attached or flow away with those thoughts. Thoughts during meditation can also help you utilize the power of formal meditation even more. 

Arianna Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post, says, “Remind yourself: you are not your thoughts or feelings.”

What To Think About When Meditating For Short Time?

If you are going for a short meditation practice, start reflecting on your day and thinking about how things went! What you could have done better, it all will take more time than you’d want the meditation session to take. These meditation tips can give your thoughts a direction if your mind wanders often.

Think about the good words people have said to you

A few words of affirmation from the people we love or respect significantly impact us. You can think about them during your meditation practice. This will not only uplift you within minutes but also shift your perception. You will be able to see more good in those around you.

We tend to see and hold on to negative things and words more, but it can change after meditating on the positive words. It will train your mind to automatically catch and hold on to the positive things people have said to you. This is why it’s a great option to think about people’s positive words during meditation.

Now the question is, how do you do it?

Take a deep breath, and it will help calm your busy mind. Try to stay in the present moment, paying attention to your breath for some more time. Then begin meditating with thoughts.

You don’t need to spend hours meditating and thinking about everything your loved ones have said. Just relax and get into the meditation state. Recall an incident when people have said positive, affirming things to you.

Try to connect with yourself in that moment and how it felt. Keep your focus on those words and feelings for a few minutes. Focusing on these thoughts will also promote a healthier relationship with others.

Related: Best Direction For Meditation: Effects, Benefits, And Alternatives

Loving confidence-boosting self-talk 

Negative self-talk can do more harm than you think. We don’t always consider how badly it can affect us. Especially when you are in a state of meditation, it’s not always easy to stop the mind from wandering and thinking. So, why not change the direction of the thoughts a little?

You can consciously try to engage your mind with loving, positive self-talk, and it’s okay if it still wanders sometimes. All you have to do is gently remind yourself to be kind and talk lovingly whenever you catch yourself saying negative things about “You”. 

You can also habitually meditate for a few minutes with the intention of positive self-talk whenever you catch yourself doing negative self-talk.

Here are some benefits of positive self-talk:

• It can help you stay focused and motivated 
• It can increase your confidence 
• It can help you overcome obstacles 
• It can improve your performance

Suppose you’re constantly putting yourself down or negatively speaking to yourself. In that case, it can hold you back from reaching your real potential. But if you fill your head with positive self-talk, it can be an excellent tool to achieve your goals. Researchers suggest that positive self-talk can be beneficial for performance. Meditation practice is one such tool that can intensify its effects.

Visualize having a positive conversation about your near-future goals

Next time when you sit down for your short meditation practices, use this opportunity to visualize and manifest your goals. This is a great alternative to other meditation types where you need to focus on something. 

The visualization can be brief or extended, depending on your time for meditating. If you have a meeting to attend or anything important that makes you nervous, this will help you calm down quickly. You can always practice meditation like this before any important event.

Think about the moments and people that inspired you

Meditation is also one of the best ways to open yourself to ideas and inspiration after journaling. If you are still asking yourself what should I think about when meditating? Then think about everything that inspires you. 

This doesn’t mean just thinking about that book or the person that inspired it but also contemplating the “Why” And “What” of that inspiration. If any thoughts don’t come naturally, then you can also ask the following questions to yourself:

Questions to ask yourself during meditation practice:

• What was so special about that person, thing, or moment inspired you?
• Why you felt so inspired by it at that moment?
• What can you do to contain and keep that inspiration within you?
• What that person, thing, or moment inspired you to do or accomplish?

These don’t require much time and can easily become part of your daily routine. Now let’s get to what you can think about when you plan longer meditation sessions.

What To Think About When Meditating For Longer Meditation Sessions?

If you wish to meditate for longer periods, for example, 20-30 minutes or even longer. Here are a few meditation thought prompts that can amplify positivity and be healing for you.

Go back to the memories when you felt loved & happiest

Let’s start by saying that if you want to fill your cup with love and happiness, then this is the way to go about it. 

Center yourself and start meditating. After a few deep breaths, gently bring your awareness to the moments when you felt extreme joy and love. Experience how that love and happiness feel. Be in that moment for as long as you can, forgetting everything else.

This can help you in two ways:

• Improve Understanding Of Your Feelings: You will become better at recognizing the sources of love and joy in your day-to-day life. It will strengthen you and help you create boundaries based on these feelings.
• Help Increase Self-love: If you are trying to cultivate the loving energy within you and increase self-love. It will help draw energy from visualizing those moments.

Reflect on your day or week

Don’t dwell on your day or the past; reflect on them. You can use meditation to reflect on your days or weeks. Think about all the good you did or the lessons in the bad that happened. 

The key to reflecting on your day or past is not to get caught up in blaming yourself or anyone else for anything. Focus on letting go of grudges or anything that you have been holding on to. The idea is to leave every negative feeling behind before entering a new day, week, month, or future with a fresh mind.

It’s good to keep all the lessons with yourself from the bitter moments but without the bitterness. It helps to keep negative emotions at bay as well.

If you make it a habit to reflect on your day, it can also positively impact your work or study performance. Because according to research, it improves the ability to learn. 

Create the best life story for yourself

Visualize all the key details of the things you wish to accomplish in your life. It doesn’t matter how clear the vision is in your mind’s eye. You can always focus on your thought and feelings related to that vision.

This is especially great for those who need help to stick to their goals. You can start by listing all the things you want to achieve. For example, your fitness goals, the salary hike you’ve been waiting for, your home, your ideal family, or your love life.

You can keep the visualization as broad or as specific as you want. This is not about following the rules of a manifestation technique. It’s about practicing meditation. Even though because of the effect of the law of attraction, you will certainly be manifesting a lot of your visions. But that’s a positive side effect of meditating with positive future ideas.

Show love and talk to your inner child, aka your child self

Many of us are not even aware of how our childhood experiences have affected us. Our minds were not as developed and understanding as it is today. So, next time you meditate, you can focus on showing love and talking lovingly to your inner child.

Inner child work helps us heal in deeper layers and levels of our existence. Now you have more experience of life, an understanding of different perspectives. By showing much-needed love and support to your inner child, you can heal a lot and forgive others in the process who’ve wronged you. 

Release your hurt with kind prayers during your meditation

If you are hurting and there’s no other way to let that hurt out, then there’s nothing better than meditation and prayers. You can direct your thoughts in two steps:

• In the first step, let out everything, and talk about everything that’s been bothering you to any power you idolize and believe in. If you are an atheist, you can pray to your higher self. The energy being form of yourself that is connected to your subconscious. Pour all your heart out to that higher energy. Move to the next step when you feel ready
• In the second step, you can ask for guidance and pray for anything you need. While praying, keep faith in your heart that you will receive guidance and all the support.

You don’t need to follow any faith or religion to meditate or pray. Spiritual experiences are not bound to any religion. Prayers and faith are powerful regardless of idolization. 

Make guided meditations your best friend

Some days you might not feel like doing any of it, but small steps can make a big difference. So if you want to make mindfulness and awareness a habit, you can always turn to guided meditations.

It’s okay if thoughts arise; sometimes, you might still find your mind wandering now and then. It can feel a little difficult to be in the present moment on your own. Guided meditations act as meditation teachers who are there for you whenever you need them. It’s best to gently return your thoughts with a gentle reminder. So make use of them on days you want to just sit and relax without consciously directing your thoughts.

How Can Thoughts During Meditation Have A Positive Effect?

In recent years, science has begun to study the effect of meditation on the body and brain, and the results are very promising. Mindfulness meditation practices can help calm the nervous system, lower blood pressure, and reduce intrusive thoughts.

It has also been shown that meditation helps to reduce stress, improve sleep, and boost immunity. It can also improve focus, memory, and mental clarity. And some studies even suggest that meditation can slow down the aging process.

So how can thoughts during meditation have a positive effect? 

If you’re thinking about love and compassion, you may feel more loving and compassionate towards yourself and others. If you’re thinking about anger and hatred, you may feel more angry and resentful. 

So what does this all mean? It means that your thoughts during meditation can influence your emotions and physical state. Suppose you want to feel more positive emotions and have a better physical state. In that case, you should focus on thinking more positive and uplifting thoughts.

Final Thoughts

We hope that the list of meditation prompts have given you some ideas. But if you are still thinking about what to think, then you can think about anything positive. You can think about the things that you are grateful for. Think about the changes you can bring to this world. All the good you can do for others. You can also focus your thought energy on affirmations and mantras. 

Meditation is an individual experience; how you do it depends greatly on your goals. If you wish to direct your attention away from negative thoughts, try the Enhanced meditation app. We have guided meditation and affirmations to enhance your meditation experience based on your goals.