nuimage Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 Thanks for all your replies, it sounds like it's been a very positive experience for you all. I've actually had the book and CD for a few weeks but only reached the 1st chapter and exercise. I will now make time to really give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Thanks for all your replies, it sounds like it's been a very positive experience for you all. I've actually had the book and CD for a few weeks but only reached the 1st chapter and exercise. I will now make time to really give it a go. I'd say this regarding Mindfulness, tai chi, meditation etc, what have you got to lose? I'd rather take alternative therapy than drugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickiethecat Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I saw an advert for a mindfulness course at Heeley last week and made a note of the website. Unfortunately at £180 for an 8 week course it seems way overpriced. http://everydaymindfulness.org.uk/courses.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 No doubt you can get self-help books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickiethecat Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 No doubt you can get self-help books Perhaps you should try "living in the moment" rather than harping on on here about what Margaret Thatcher did 30 years ago! On a serious note though, isn't mindfulness just meditiation rebranded? From what I've read it doesn't seem to be anything new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janie48 Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Mindfulness - Mindfulness is about being awake and aware and living in the present, rather than dwelling in the past or anticipating the future. I'm a straight forward type of girl, I'm neither religious nor superstitious, but please don't tell anybody ... I am a worrier. I go over & over things that have happened in the past and I fret over what may happen in the future. To the point were I get anxious, feel miserable and I honestly think it's giving me headaches. Anyway a doctor has suggested mindfulness. From what I can gather it's breathing exercises, some kind of meditation maybe? I wondered if anybody had any experience of this, good or bad? I've heard so much about the benefits of meditation not just for those with your problems, but for all of us, because most of us are go through bouts of stress when under pressure in varying degrees. Meditation is thought to be of great benefit for the health of both mind and body, that's why so many doctors recommend it, and why some NHS pain clinics hold simple meditation classes as part of treatment. The best advice for beginners practicing simple meditation, is to start off with five minutes a day increased up to twenty over time. Some people find it difficult ( I tried it when I read posts on the meditation thread that was on the forum a couple of years back) but the problem I had was disciplining myself to keep doing it daily. It has to become a regular habit to achieve results, and it doesn't appeal to everyone. Here's a simple meditation technique with emphasis on breathing and relaxation. http://www.summum.us/meditation/simple.shtml. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amberleaf808 Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Mindfulness - Mindfulness is about being awake and aware and living in the present, rather than dwelling in the past or anticipating the future. I'm a straight forward type of girl, I'm neither religious nor superstitious, but please don't tell anybody ... I am a worrier. I go over & over things that have happened in the past and I fret over what may happen in the future. To the point were I get anxious, feel miserable and I honestly think it's giving me headaches. Anyway a doctor has suggested mindfulness. From what I can gather it's breathing exercises, some kind of meditation maybe? I wondered if anybody had any experience of this, good or bad? That's for them NOT YOU. "Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that training doctors in mindfulness meditation helped them to listen better and not be as judgmental both at home and at work." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 if you look on youtube there are mindfulness exercises on there. personally i wouldn't start with doing 30 minutes or try to do it all the time. try for a minute or use the exercises on youtube and build it up. the ideas of mindfulness come from buddhism originally. it can help reduce feelings of anxiety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuimage Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 The thing I cant' understand though. How will doing 20 mins of meditation in a morning benefit me if I get anxious later on in the day whilst i'm at work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 There's lots of evidence from research that stress hormones are not as short term as we think they are, so by reducing them at any stage of the day we can affect their overall levels all of the time. The full stress hormone waterfall effect (one causes the release of others, which in turn cause the release of others) can take up to 48 hours, which is why you still feel a bit wobbly the day after a panic attack. Mindfulness or meditation engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which releases calm and happy hormones which both delays the production of sympathetic nervous system fight or flight panic hormones and counteracts those which have already been released, lowering blood pressure, helping your digestion work better (stress hormones can play havoc with digestion) and reducing the feelings of panic. The effects of the happy and calm hormones can last a lot longer than we think too, so taking the time to top them up twice a day can produce a measurable effect on wellbeing for the whole day. I practice 3 different sorts of mindfulness as a way of treating my own depression. Straight up mindfulness to aid my calm is about what is happening right now, being in the moment and looking in very minute detail at something (a pretty shell, a waterfall, your cat, your mind's eye picture of a person etc) and feeling the appreciation of its beauty, the warmth you feel about it/them, how much they enhance your life by being there. There's loads of evidence that feeling thankful is incredibly good for your wellbeing, so being thankful to have experienced whatever you're considering is really important. I use meditation to consider a specific thought, concept or pattern, using that to take myself 'away' from my current situation, which makes coping with immediately difficult situations easier as well as reducing stress levels generally. Lying in an MRI scanner and feeling calm whilst meditating on the patterns happening in the noise of the scanner rather than freaking out about being shut in a big metal machine that I can't get out of. Critical thinking is something I use specifically to deal with thoughts and challenges which are likely to upset my emotional apple cart. It's not quite like meditation because it doesn't allow the free flow of the thoughts, but it does involve me managing my emotional reactions to the issue using mindfulness and meditation techniques. Once you've practised meditation techniques you find yourself applying them in all sorts of ways throughout the days too, so your 20 minutes in the morning will have a good effect and so will the application of the techniques with small challenges at other times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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