My T suggested that I read up on mindfulness, and I know that meditation follows closely (or is) in line with that. I was wondering if anyone here practices meditation? If so, how do you do it? I mean, do you just sit silently with eyes closed, do you focus on a candle flame, do you listen to music, write, what? I'm just curious.

I've tried meditation before (in the traditional sense, legs crossed and eyes closed) but it was a struggle for me to make it even five minutes. I will say that it helped me feel less anxious and I felt I had more clarity. I think I would benefit from it now because I just feel so...cloudy. My mind feels like a knotted ball of string, for lack of a better description (I'll bet I could stand to eat better and exercise, too!)

Anyway, just wondering about other's perspectives on this. Thanks!

[optimize990h]

Hi misskeena, I find that you need a meditation cd to listen to.

In the local library, there are meditation CDs and sometimes comes with a soothing voice that goes through the meditation instructions. Other CDs may be soothing sounds like the ocean, a creek, or the wind through the trees.

Then you can sample the meditation CDs and select the styles which you would like to
purchase, if you wish to.

[estel]

I meditate the way you wrote...sit with legs crossed and eyes closed. It is hard in beginning to concentrate. I try to focus on my breathing and actually hear myself breathe. That helped my mind from getting diverted.

I think a CD would work for me or having something like that to focus on. It's very easy for my mind to wander, and then I'm thinking about other things, and then I'm using that time thinking about things that are distressing to me rather than meditating. My mind is constantly racing and thinking too much; this is why I think meditation would be good for me.

[youwillrise]

i wouldnt say i "practice" it. im definitely not consistent and i find that i have a hard time stilling & quieting my mind. i always use guided meditations. headphones are ideal with those so you can just focus on the mediation and not the noise around you. ive tried quiet meditation and i get distracted so easily and i end up giving up. every little noise gets into me. every little physical feeling i get disturbs me. it just doesnt work for me. im too sensitive to everything that's going on around me. guided meditations work better for me to get me centered and focused.

There's lots and lots of resources online, and I am using them extensively myself at the moment. If you go to audiodharma.com, they have a stack of guided meditations, some only 3 or 4 minutes long. Also, DBT Self Help has a number of really good ones. You can start with some really short ones and build up from there. Good luck.

I just tried something from YouTube tonight. It was really short and helped a lot. I kind of combined it with something I learned in the hospital, so that the outside noise distractions didn't distract too much, they just became part of the awareness. In the hospital, we did an awareness exercise where we would say something like, "I hear the clock on the wall," or "I see the plant in the corner" three times. We'd do it for see, smell, touch, feel, and hear. I don't know if that makes sense. But tonight I would just do it for whatever was distracting me: "I hear the car outside my window," or "I hear the fan on my computer" or "I feel my butt getting sore in this chair" (hahaha) and it just became part of the mindfulness exercise.

I also went through a little bit of emotional affirming (not necessarily positive affirmations) like, "I understand that this friendship is over, I understand my actions caused it to be over, I understand I cannot push or cajole my friend into being my friend again, I understand that I have to let go, and I understand that time will heal my pain, and I understand my life isn't over because this person doesn't want to be my friend, and I understand I still have a full life without this friend," etc, while practicing my breathing. It helped.

I hope that made sense. In any case, it worked. I feel much more relaxed and in control of my emotions. I'm sure that wasn't normal meditating, but it still worked for me. Now I just need to keep being mindful even when I'm not meditating, and keep setting aside time to meditate--maybe more normally next time.

The important thing for the DBT and meditation to work is to practice it everyday regardless of whether you feel you need it or not. After a while, you'll start feeling better and you'll tell yourself that you don't need it anymore and you'll be okay and you'll basically stop. Then, the feelings will come back and all the coping techniques you learned from it are basically down the drain. That's where I am right now. When I was in basically a crisis state, I did them religiously all the time and then it passed and I'm trying to rediscover it because my hyper anxious/constantly thinking state that could easily reach that point is in the process of coming back.

And there isn't such a thing as "normal" meditating...it's whatever works for you. A good one is a walking meditation. You focus on observing everything through sight, then through hearing, then through your movements and you alternate between the three. I've found that helpful when you can't sit still. Those two sites I gave you are very, very good. You can also bring up meditation apps for your phone or tablet.

Originally Posted by Maranara

The important thing for the DBT and meditation to work is to practice it everyday regardless of whether you feel you need it or not. After a while, you'll start feeling better and you'll tell yourself that you don't need it anymore and you'll be okay and you'll basically stop. Then, the feelings will come back and all the coping techniques you learned from it are basically down the drain. That's where I am right now. When I was in basically a crisis state, I did them religiously all the time and then it passed and I'm trying to rediscover it because my hyper anxious/constantly thinking state that could easily reach that point is in the process of coming back.

Thank you for this. I understand. I think that's the way I am with everything. Take food for example. I practice eating well, track my calories and food on Myfitnesspal.com, start feeling good, start losing a little weight then, when I'm depressed I use food to self-soothe and it all goes out the window. This happens every time so that I'm in a constant 5 lb up-and-down weight fluctuation. I'm terrible with food though; it seems to be my best way to self-soothe (but then I feel badly about myself in the long run so I guess not).

Anyway, I hear what you're saying. And I appreciate the resources you gave me. Thanks for that, too.

[Inedible]

Brainwave entrainment CDs and MP3s are the best way to go at first. They do most of the work for you and you will get results faster. There are two types. Binaural beats require headphones and isochronic beats do not. It is best to use headphones either way.

Amazon.com can let you download some for under $10 each. Many of the MP3 downloads go for 99 cents and work really well. Try "theta binaural" or "delta binaural".

[Ultra Darkness]

I can don't meditate much (though I probably should) but when I do, I usually focus on my breathing and let snippets of random music drift through my mind. I suddenly wonder, though, if meditation would help writer's block... Hmm. I'll have to try that!

Originally Posted by Ultra Darkness

I can don't meditate much (though I probably should) but when I do, I usually focus on my breathing and let snippets of random music drift through my mind. I suddenly wonder, though, if meditation would help writer's block... Hmm. I'll have to try that!

It might. What seems to help writer's block for me is trying to get to sleep. Man, when I need to go to bed (because I have to get up for work in the morning), that's when I think of my best ideas. Drives me crazy, because I can't get up and start writing right then, nor can I really waste the time popping up all the time to write them down or I'd never get any sleep!

Originally Posted by Ultra Darkness

I can don't meditate much (though I probably should) but when I do, I usually focus on my breathing and let snippets of random music drift through my mind. I suddenly wonder, though, if meditation would help writer's block... Hmm. I'll have to try that!

Most of the meditation l recommended are guided. They help you stay focused so your mind stays in the present and doesn't wander. It's definitely worth a try.

Originally Posted by misskeena

It might. What seems to help writer's block for me is trying to get to sleep. Man, when I need to go to bed (because I have to get up for work in the morning), that's when I think of my best ideas. Drives me crazy, because I can't get up and start writing right then, nor can I really waste the time popping up all the time to write them down or I'd never get any sleep!

Write down enough notes to remember what you were thinking of after the fact or while you're getting ready in the morning or on the way to work use the voice to text or voice recorder on your phone and take notes that way. You can flush out the details later. Just write enough down that it's not totally forgotten.

[cboxpalace]

I really recommend shakti gawain. She does some really nice guided meditations and visualizations that focus on affirmations and also getting in touch with your inner child. I have tried it in the past and I have to admit it is pretty interesting and can be intense. It does take some practice to get good at it. Take a look at something like this..

Meditations: Creative Visualization And Meditation Exercises To Enrich Your Life | Shakti Gawain