Restlessness and Worry

The Five Hindrances (Pt 3)

Who hasn't felt that draw to buy yet another cashmere sweater (me!), finish the pint of B&J's Cherry Garcia (you?), flip off the errant driver, mull over your last break-up, fret over the tiniest of decisions or zone out in front of the tube?   These are all mental states the Buddhists call the Five Hindrances and they keep us from being our bestest selves.   Usually used to describe those qualities of the mind that keep us from our meditation practice, they apply perfectly to life off the cushion.  In no particular order of importance, they are Sensual Desire, Anger, Sloth, Restlessness (and Worry) and Doubt.  Check out my Archives page link (below) for my previous articles on Doubt and Sloth & Torpor. 

The Fourth Hindrance is Restlessness and Worry.  The Buddhist translation of restlessness is to "shake"-representing a state of agitation and over-excitement.   It's the opposite of the heaviness of sloth and the dullness of torpor.  It has a physical and mental component.  Your first Espresso Macchiato gives you that alert feeling, but the fourth one makes you jittery and unable to sit still. This Fourth Hindrance is this same feeling, but without the contribution to Starbuck's stockholders. Could restlessness actually be masking the ability to be present for discomfort?  Hum.  How about avoiding stillness?  Probably.    Obviously, restlessness is not good for our meditation practice or sitting through a full Catholic mass.  On the mental side, restlessness can manifest as scattered or persistent thinking.  It results in distraction and the inability to focus and settle the mind.  The mind, like a drunken monkey swinging from chandelier to chandelier. 

Worry is the other half of this hindrance.   Classically it represents the agitated feeling of regret over past actions, but nowadays it is expanded to include the broader concept of "worry."  We all worry, but constant thoughts of disasterous future events and  fretting over "what might" happen is like praying for something you don't want to have happen.  The mind can creepily construct worst-case scenario in surprising detail, almost as if you're rehearsing for disaster.  This constant vigilance about the future is the source of much of the stress in our lives.   Worry is also connected our over-protection of our egos, self-image and our perception of "who we think we are." 

Like with the other hindrances, we don't necessarily want to push them away, ignore or avoid them. Simply being mindful is a big step. Having a hindrance is like wandering through a maze staring at the ground. Being mindful is like standing above the maze to get an overview. Without eliminating a hindrance, mindfulness gives us better perspective of what is happening.(1)   It's is helpful to see what's behind these mental states, what drives them, and what fuels them.   Now with a clear view, skillful  action, and a huge sprinkling of compassion for ourselves, we can take the first steps to dismantling these five bad boys. 

 (1)  http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/articles/the-five-hindrances-handouts/the-hindrance-of-restlessness-worry/