I have always struggled with meditation. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to successfully meditate and the advice that people give me does not work.
I have ADHD (Inattentive), autism and OCD/CPTSD and I can’t stop the constant stream of thoughts, it’s like my brain has a problem with authority and is like “oh, you don’t want me to think? I’m just gonna think even harder” so folks advice of “just quiet your mind!” does not work at all.
The other advice I was given was “just let your mind wander” and that’s not an option either. If I let my mind wander, it pivots fast to dark, traumatic, intrusive thoughts and/or replaying every cringe and embarrassing moment of my life, so up to this point, all of my attempts to meditate have never worked out.
If there’s anyone with similar issues to mine that has been able to meditate with success, I’d very much appreciate some advice to help me along.
Doctors and therapists have pushed me to try it my entire life, as I have ADHD-i, ASD, and major depression/anxiety (late 40s). After literal decades of wrestling with the entire topic from one direction or another, I’ve come to the conclusion I do less psychic damage to myself by not even trying at this point. Basically, It would have a relatively large likelihood of increasing anxiety and/or depression each time I practiced, to the point it was almost a guaranteed trigger to spiraling by the time I gave it up. (Which would’ve been sometime in about 2020 or so?)
None of this is to say you shouldn’t keep trying! Just attempt to be aware when it’s having more of a detrimental effect on your mood than beneficial, and be prepared to shift your focus as needed.