(8) Right Concentration
Right Concentration refers to the practice of meditation. I'm not saying that meditating won't do you any good, the odds are it will. But I'm also speaking from a place of realism here. Not everyone has time to meditate, some people don't find it helpful. It can be particularly difficult if you're like me and deal with anxiety.
So, if you want to incorporate meditation into your life, good for you, kudos. But if not, I have some alternatives for you.
You might be doing a form of meditation already and not even realize it. Right Concentration can come from any activity that takes all or almost all of your attention. For me this includes quilting, writing, and playing video games. I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing that my mind forgets to worry, it's totally absorbed in the activity before it.
Can you think of anything you do like that? It might be something that you can lose yourself in, like reading a good book, or watching your favorite show. It could be gardening, for some people it's cleaning. Whatever works the best for you is the right thing. That's the beautiful thing about Buddhism (at least in my interpretation) is that there is no one size fits all.
Maybe meditation or yoga works for you, and that's great. Or maybe it's cleaning, running, or reading.
The second aspect of this step is the Concentration part. Too often people split their attention between multiple things at once. Who hasn't scrolled through social media while watching TV or having a meal with a friend? Dividing your concentration like this not the best thing for your mental health and happiness. Pay attention to the way you do things, how often is your phone in your hand? How often are you on your computer? How many minutes in the day do you spend completely present in the moment? You may notice that it's not as much as you would like.
Again, this is not too hard to improve. Work on putting your phone down when you're talking to people. Take in your surroundings. When you're on the computer, just be on the computer. And when you're watching a show? Try just watching the show. When you first start implementing this concentration on the present you might feel bored or under stimulated, that demonstrates the way your mind has become accustomed to over stimulation. Reversing that effect will make you happier, and better able to appreciate every moment.