Mindfulness and meditating are not cure-all activities. But, these practices can be a great help toward navigating your stressors and mental health differently. There is so much evidence out there that supports mindfulness as helpful for anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, brain injury, etc. Another reason so many people recommend it is because it is something you can often access for free, and in many cases it won’t have harmful side effects. If you struggle with certain chronic health issues, breathing difficulties, and sometimes autism and mood disorders, you may need to approach mindfulness differently. I will post about some alternatives soon. Here is an episode of On Being that explores mindfulness from the perspective of a neurosurgeon.
5 Benefits of Mindfulness
- Can calm you in a moment of stress
- Trains your brain to respond to stress differently
- Reduces cortisol and other stress hormones, which over time can positively impact your health in general
- Creates more capacity for creativity, problem solving, insight.
- Gives you a new “self talk” script you can draw from.
Phone Apps: Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer
Try the free 2 week trial. When the trial is up, you can subscribe, or you can just move on to some of the other freebies out there. I am not here to sell anything!
Headspace is practical, simple, straightforward. It’s my favorite one for people who have never tried meditation, or for those who had negative experiences with meditation being too new agey or abstract. You can choose 3, 5, or 10 minute guided meditations. The ones for the free trial have no background music, which can be nice for some people.
Calm and Insight Timer are similar. They have guided meditations and music, and you can choose what you need based on your mood. They are just as good as Headspace, but have more of that new age spa music thing going for them. I personally LOVE that, but some people hate it, so I like Headspace as the general “everyone” intro better.
Kristen Neff: Self Compassion
Not only do we benefit from learning how to stay in the present moment, but we also benefit from self compassion. Self compassion is Kristen Neff’s jam. I really like her audio book called Self Compassion Step By Step. She also has free resources on her website.
Michael Sealy: Sleep Hypnosis
The idea of hypnosis can sound kind of scary, but actually its just another way to guide someone into that mindful or rested state. Hypnosis often utilizes progressive muscle relaxation, counting backwards from 10, and the hypno-therapist also will speak in kind of non-linear ways, which can lead you into a bit of a trance like state. But, never fear, you maintain control of yourself at all times, it truly is just a relaxation thing. Michael Sealey is my favorite for insomnia but he has zillions of free videos over on his YouTube channel. He also does guided meditations.
It takes lots of practice.
Try not to be discouraged if your mind wanders, you feel like jumping out of your skin, or it all just feels awkward and tense. This is completely normal. If you feel too unsettled to sit still for a guided meditation, try listening to one on headphones while you go on a walk, or even just while you stretch or move about the room. Before you decide “meditation is not for me,” check in with your body and see what is making it difficult. Do you need to exercise first? Do you need water? Should you lie down? Sit up? This is all part of figuring out how to connect with yourself in a new way. It is like making a new friend. It takes time to create a new relationship with yourself.
I will try to blog again when I can, to offer more ideas and real-world tips about mindfulness!