Can you give me your experiences of meditation, mindfulness, successful "time out" strategies?

[lborgia]

There is an inordinate amount of shit happening at the moment Chez Borgia, and I'm expecting to find the final straw at any moment.

Of course this can only make me feel bad if I let it , but truly am wondering whether I can change my own perspective to make it easier.

I'm sure there isn't a mindfulness app called "do this for 30 seconds and you'll stop giving a fuck", but I'd really like to hear if any of this type of effort has helped you with the rest of your life.

Oh, and when do you do it/ find the best time?

Thank you!

So either the mindful people are busy meditating, or tucked up in bed, or none of it works so no-one has anything positive to say.

I might have to keep on with my usual remedy and

Get some sleep and when you first wake up in the morning and you have your first thoughts of the day...hold onto those. When you first wake up your brain is operating in the theta wave state. It's like meditation that just happens naturally. The insight you get in the theta state is the best and most creative you're going to have all day.

I've started listening to sleep meditation on YouTube while I fall asleep, I doubt it's an instant fix though.
Hopefully someone with more expertise will be along soon

Thanks both, I’ll have a look at those....

Yes mindfulness works but you have to do it regularly even if only 10 minutes a day. Get a mindfulness app and get in the habit.
I went on a mindfulness course for stress and anxiety. Really helped.
If you're interested these courses are being run all over the country.
mbct.co.uk/the-mbct-programme/

Do you have time to attend a yoga or meditation class? I go late in the evening, just before bed, to fit it in.

There’s a head space app that’s good.

A thing I find works for me is to walk for at least 40 minutes and try and concentrate on the nature or the green and breathe. Everything always felt better afterwards, or I was better able to deal with the huge amounts of awfulness. Some people do the same with music...or exercise.

Basically make some time for yourself doing something you enjoy and find relaxing.

Oh and if yo7 are thinkin* you might need to see the GP do it sooner rather than later.

Thanks for all that - I like all those approaches. It makes sense that a course of some sort would get me motivated and doing it the right way.

I'm all sorted on the GP front... there's a plan and I'm in good shape in a lot of ways. This really is the sensory overload issue and just feeling as if one more problem and I'll explode

I can honestly say meditating has changed my life. It has made me calmer, more content, less anxious, I can think more clearly, less just judgemental and more open minded.
I really recommend a book by Sarah McClean called Soul Centred.

For me the optimum amount of meditation time is 30 minutes per day. I do this when DD2 naps. I don’t always stick to 30 minutes but notice a massive difference in myself when I do.

I will never go back to not meditating.

It’s about finding a method of meditating that suits you best and sticking with it, even if you don’t always feel like doing it.

So much good advice here!