DO YOU MEDITATE?

Nancy

Nancy

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Or use mindfulness techniques?

I am a big fan and use them daily to help control my anxious and fast moving mind. I found it a great comfort when I was recovering from Bell’s Palsy. I still practice at least twice daily.

I also find it really beneficial to help me drift off to sleep. I went through a period of extreme pain caused by the nerves in my head repairing themselves, which left me utterly sleep deprived for while. My ability to fall asleep naturally has never really recovered, but putting on a guided meditation really helps me to drift off.
 
Your experience sounds horrific love!

I do some mindfulness techniques from time to time. I like that if you ask Alexa to do a guided meditation it just does a 5-10 minute one which is perfect for me. I find myself getting quite anxious when I lie still though - my limbs get a bit twitchy as I become aware of them and I am not a big fan of being aware of my own breathing either, but I also find it quite relaxing. What a paradox
 
Yes, I do use mindfulness techniques though. I find meditating really quite difficult, and mindfulness a lot more forgiving of feeling you're just not quite getting it right.
 
I've used focusing on my breathing to help me sleep when stressed etc for years before I realised it was a thing. I remember doing it as a kid and so I've always used it.

Recently I've been using Headspace in the mornings before starting my day. I don't do it every day and I don't find I'm very good at clearing my head completely, but it does help me focus on particular issues and find some clarity before starting off, for example I've needed to get a bit shirty with a tech supplier and so I did 20 minutes this morning before sending out some aggressive emails.
 
Alex said:
Gosh no, i’ll just think about the fact I need to unload the dishwasher or something
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Thats kind of the point of mindfulness though, its fine for your thoughts to wander. I've found that in my increasingly noisy head it helps surface certain issues/tasks/problems that need to take priority. Its a better solution than getting off my tits and trying to ignore it all (which to be honest works just as well)
 
Iguana said:
I find myself getting quite anxious when I lie still though - my limbs get a bit twitchy as I become aware of them and I am not a big fan of being aware of my own breathing either, but I also find it quite relaxing. What a paradox
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I went deep into mindfulness with quite a few courses about 2 or 3 years ago. I struggled with it then, but I do find the basic exercises useful.

If I do a full 30 minute body scan or do much in the way of mindful movement exercises though, it's like I suddenly become aware of a lot of pain in my joints - particularly my shoulders and elbows. And frankly being told to be curious about the pain and relax into it by a yoghurt weaver in a kaftan isn't going to cut it.
 
big ron said:
Thats kind of the point of mindfulness though, its fine for your thoughts to wander. I've found that in my increasingly noisy head it helps surface certain issues/tasks/problems that need to take priority. Its a better solution than getting off my tits and trying to ignore it all (which to be honest works just as well)
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Exactly - and that's where I thought I always felt as if I was failing with more straightforward meditation. Learning to acknowledge that your mind has wandered and bringing it back is quite an odd thing to learn to do, though.
 
I get so deep into it sometimes that I forget where I am. As I come out of my meditation, it can be an odd sensation to open my eyes and find myself sat in my apartment.
 
big ron said:
Thats kind of the point of mindfulness though, its fine for your thoughts to wander. I've found that in my increasingly noisy head it helps surface certain issues/tasks/problems that need to take priority. Its a better solution than getting off my tits and trying to ignore it all (which to be honest works just as well)
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Yes but then I’ll just go and do it anyway. :D
 
When I have other thoughts, I often treat them as voices in another room. So I am aware that they are there but I don’t make an effort to hear or pay attention to them.
 
I started Headspace yesterday, mainly to see if it can help me sleep better because I have been struggling pretty much since March maintaining a good sleep schedule. But I am also doing the basics course as well during the day to see if it makes a difference.
 
lolly said:
Exactly - and that's where I thought I always felt as if I was failing with more straightforward meditation. Learning to acknowledge that your mind has wandered and bringing it back is quite an odd thing to learn to do, though.
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Yeah I'm the same with meditation. I met some people in Ibiza who were full on hippies and could sit still in a state of nothingness for hours on end, so whenever I tried it and my mind wandered I felt it wasn't really working. I like that mindfulness is more a tool for clearing and sorting thoughts, and I feel that's helped me focus more than anything. I'll sell my nana to the person who can ever teach me to cease the constant fucking noise in my head though.
 
Focussing on my breathing STRESSES ME OUT. I think I'm doing it wrong.
 
i've always had trouble "meditating", as i have an overactive brain that just won't quit.

gotten better with time but it's still a struggle to get my head to shut up over the last couple of years i've been going to a yoga class that puts more emphasis on breathing and meditation and that has been a big help. we don't talk enough about breathing.
 
Gangsta Nancy Lam said:
Focussing on my breathing STRESSES ME OUT. I think I'm doing it wrong.
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I found this in the beginning of doing guided sessions, my breathing would feel jittery and erratic. It soon went away though, and I'm much better at it. I agree with am - its mad how little we focus on something that is so important.
 
Tried it once or twice, and also tried the thing where the Apple watch tells you to "breathe". Couldn't tell a difference to be honest.
 
I started doing it this year since my sleep has basically gone to pot. Due to various anxieties coming to a head since January, I've had to figure my way through not sleeping properly for sometimes days, or weeks on end. Meditation helps; I've used a lot of guided meditations before bed. I've done a lot of breathing exercises too. Unless I'm doing specific meditations that direct you to do/say certain things, I let my mind wander if it needs to. The purpose is to relax, ground myself. They're not silver bullets, though. They don't guarantee sleep. But they do often help bring my anxiety down.
 
jivafox said:
I do yoga and want to get into CHANTING.
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we chant quite a bit at my class. i can't really get into it (i feel a bit silly/fake) but i really like doing the om's. there are times when the vibration is just right and it does wonders for my throbbing head.
 
I’ll have you know I did a past life regression mediation on Youtube once and discovered I was a single mum pushing a pram in World War 2!
 
I was actually getting quite good at it during lockdown, although I haven’t done it for a while.

I remember I had an incredibly stressful afternoon a few months ago and put a 10 minute head space on. It sent me to sleep. :D I’m sure not for long, but it was just what I needed.
 
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