[lifelesstraveled]

My T suggested I try mediation/mindfulness/breathing for relaxation for my anxiety. I just finished and boy do I love how empty my mind feels right now! Peace and tranquilty!

So I thought that maybe listening to some calming nature sounds would help me with this and I checked out itunes and the amazon mp3 shop and I found TONS of nature sounds (I personally like the sound of water and rain) some are quite lengthy for days when I want a nice long meditation session and others are short for when I only have time for a 5 minute meditation session. I carry my ipod with me everywhere so, whenever I feel the need to meditate, maybe for a quick 5 minute break at work, I can whip it out and melt my thoughts and worries away.

[ECHOES]

I have purchased several CD's from www.wholeperson.com that I like. They are relaxation / guided imagery / autogenics but the site also offers some sound / music CD's as well.

Did your T teach you the meditation you do? Would you want to share what you do with us?

[lifelesstraveled]

She covered the basic information about mindfulness and slow deep breathing. Some I just improvised.

Mindfulness: She told me to focus on something in my present place (my room usually) a candle flame, music-without lyrics, a single object or my breath while practicing mindfulness.

Deep Breathing: Slowly inhale and then exhale to a count of 7 or 8(this count will vary from person to person). If you are anxious, slowing the body down will eventually slow your mind down. T said it works every time..it takes while for me to get this to work as I have been sufferinng with anxiety for almost 20 years (I am only 25....go figure!)--so it may take more than mindfulness and deep breathing to elevate my anxiety(I am trying to avoid it)

I like to combine the mindfulness and deep breathing and visualization(i incorporated that myself) together to give me ultimate clarity--it's absolutely wonderful to have an empty mind, even if only for a few minutes. What I do is (I am flying by the seat of my pants) wait until everyone else is sleep, light my room with a single candle and lay on my yoga mat. At first I listened to smooth jazz sans the lyrics, but the tempos were constantly changing and I decided I wanted something that remained at a single tempo (i.e like the sound of heavy rain or a waterfall). Last night I listened to Heavy Rain and practiced my deep breathing and mindfulness all while visualizing myself sitting on a porch of a home in a Lousiana bayou watching the rain pour down across a landscape of cypress trees.

I don't know if this will help anyone. It so far helps me temporarily and the effects last long enough for me to get to sleep, thankfully. But since I have been suffering with anxiety for almost 2 decades, I think it will take more than meditation to alleviate it so I can function better on a daily basis.

[ECHOES]

Thanks!

Another way is to exhale to a bit of a longer count (add 2 or 3 to the inhale count) and to pause before inhaling again.

It is amazing how it works to even just focus on your breathing, isn't it?!

I did some guided imagery with a therapist. I didn't know it but she was heading toward hypnotherapy. Several times when I left there I felt sooo good.

I moved on to another therapist and therapy though. I wanted to talk.