Mindfulness

[dulaney0330]

How do you practice mindfulness?

I am having trouble with anxiety and I have tried to think in the moment, but my thoughts of the past/present are obsessive/persistent.

Any tips?

[reflections]

I had a time in my life when I used to suffer from anxiety and I'd practice mindfulness of sound, just listening to everything objectively and I'd find when I'd finished my anxiety would be gone or at least much less. Mindfulness on the body is also good but sometimes that would increase the anxiety in the immediate short term(long term I think it helped).

[Coffeesmurf]

Try searching for "Jon Kabat-Zinn" on YouTube - there's a lot of material from him on mindfulness - as well as some guided meditations. He's the main reason mindfulness is now also being used in Western treatment of depression, anxiety and stress.

By the way - having constant thoughts of the future/past while trying to do mindfulness meditation doesn't in any way defeat the purpose. In fact, bringing your attention back to whatever you're mindful of - like your breathing - after a distracting thought is what mindfulness is all about. Just gently note whatever distracted you and return your attention to the object of your mindfulness. You can do the same with feelings or sensations in your body. If my thoughts starts to wander to worrying about the past, I'll just gently note "ah - remembering" and return to observe my breathing. If I get the thought that the meditation session is boring, I'll just note "ah - judging" and return.. etc. etc. etc.

If you're looking for a mindfulness based "treatment" in handling your anxiety that's not associated with religion, you might want to read The Happiness Trap. Jon Kabat-Zinn has authored some good books on the subject. Thich Nhat Hanh has, as well.

This is a bit offtopic, but I've done cognitive therapy in the past for social anxiety as well as affirmations and a lot of other ways of trying to think more positively - never tried NLP though. I don't really think those things work in the long term for something like social anxiety. Once you develop a different relationship with your thoughts (like not looking at them as facts) - there's no reason to try and constantly force positive thinking. You can do constant affirmations like "I'm an interesting person and people enjoy my company" to convince yourself that you're not uninteresting. But when you have the thought "I'm soooo boring to be around", why not just thank your mind for that (very subjective) opinion instead?

[brendannz]

Read Echart Tolle's the Power Of Now

[Gene]

Originally Posted by brendannz

Read Echart Tolle's the Power Of Now

I also recommend the Power of Now. It is a superb book and written in an way that is easily understood.

[ZHereford]

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

How do you practice mindfulness?

I am having trouble with anxiety and I have tried to think in the moment, but my thoughts of the past/present are obsessive/persistent. Any tips?

Practicing mindfulness is a great way to deal with anxiety and stress. Here's an article I wrote on how practice it: The Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness.

It's not as difficult or complicated as one might think, however, the key is definitely "practice".

[Merrick1]

Coffeesmurf wrote it very nicely:

"...having constant thoughts of the future/past while trying to do mindfulness meditation doesn't in any way defeat the purpose. In fact, bringing your attention back to whatever you're mindful of - like your breathing - after a distracting thought is what mindfulness is all about. Just gently note whatever distracted you and return your attention to the object of your mindfulness. You can do the same with feelings or sensations in your body. If my thoughts starts to wander to worrying about the past, I'll just gently note "ah - remembering" and return to observe my breathing. If I get the thought that the meditation session is boring, I'll just note "ah - judging" and return.. etc. etc. etc."

I'm sure, there must be many Buddhist groups in the US. Why don't you attend some of their meditation retreats? As to me, this is the best way to get much deeper into mindfulness fairly fast.

E. Tolle can talk and write about it very nicely and eloquently, similarly as J. Krishnamurti in his time. But is just a theory. Buddhists would teach you, how to put these wonderful ideas into practice.

Merrick

[dulaney0330]

thanks for all the tips! I appreciate it.

[blossom]

I just stumbled on this by accident and thought of you...it might help? I don't know how to transfer the link from there to here so I will just type it out:

The neuroscience of mindfulness | Psychology Today

[dulaney0330]

thanks for the article, blossom. It also reminded me to visit psychology today's website more often.

[PerDev]

Take a walk

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

How do you practice mindfulness?

I am having trouble with anxiety and I have tried to think in the moment, but my thoughts of the past/present are obsessive/persistent.

Any tips?

[blossom]

staring at a candle flame whilst focusing on breathing may help you to take a step back and be in the Witness, where you watch all your thoughts but don't react to them or have any sort of resistance to them...and when you notice that you are drifting off with those thoughts, simply re-focus on the flame and breathe some more...this will bring you back into the present.

Most peoples minds are so overflowing with thoughts that tend to be circular, that is, they are the same thoughts you thought yesterday and the day before...they just churn around and around in the monkey mind...let them churn, instead of getting frustrated that you are obsessing, try just taking a step back, and if you are able to hold that space for a while you may enter a sort of silence. It's not the easiest thing to do mind you, if it were I'm sure people wouldn't have difficulties with meditation as some do.

Let us know how you go if you decide to give this a try

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by brendannz

Read Echart Tolle's the Power Of Now

I found a good quote by him:

Eckhart Tolle says in The Power of Now (page 50): "Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry-- all forms of fear-- are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."

[Cochonette]

I don't like The Power of Now. Thich Nhat Hanh is better and more Buddhist.

Just get a book you like and read a little in it before and/or after you meditate each day. Doing sitting meditation for at least 20 min. per day. It takes up to 15 minutes to settle into any activity, as Steve says, so that's why it's important to do at least 20 minutes. Any time you feel mindless, you can sit down and meditate.

[ar81]

Laughter is the best remedy for anxiety.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by ar81

Laughter is the best remedy for anxiety.

Well, I've been trying to use more humor.

Humor does not come naturally to me and my family. When things went wrong, we either cried or became angry. We didn't laugh a whole lot growing up so it is a challenge to do the opposite.

A work in progress.