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I am currently on week 5 of an NHS MBSR course which I was keen to undertake . My history is one of long term variable anxiety and depression but I also have a strong interest in psychology / buddhism and meditation , having practised on and off for 25 yrs.
Anyhow .. thought I'd give a bit of feedback if anyone is interested and ask others for their experiences.
Mindfulness is everywhere these days but IME not many people really understand what it's about and the science behind it ...not that it needs verifying . 2500 yrs of buddhist meditation techniques have shown it's efficacy.
The course is rather odd as there's little explanation of why you are doing the certain practices and exercises ..it seems the answers gradually appear as the course progresses.I visit the centre for 2 hrs every week where we talk and run through different exercises as well as meditating etc. I like to ask questions and understand things but have tried to "let go" and it seems to be working . you are however required to put in perhaps an hour of formal practice a day at home ( which can seem boring and unproductive) as well as trying to incorporate it in to your daily living.
I could go on and on but it does seem that I'm starting to live less in the head as I become more aware of other senses and experiences. I am learning not to judge everything so quickly , to let things be rather than categorise into good/bad etc. Also the gap/space between an event and my response is increasing giving me more choice rather than just reacting on autopilot. I am starting to see a glimpse of freedom which is quite exciting and I do hope it continues this way . I actually look forward to the daily body scan or similar exercise followed by meditation . I do however have trouble with mindful eating which requires slowing down . I always eat very fast in order to satisfy the urge to reduce my hunger ,rather than savour the taste, and it's a difficult habit to unravel. In the last couple of weeks I have also noticed I'm becoming less reactive and less irritable/ argumentative ,as well as more helpful and tolerant to others, and everything just seems to be becoming a little easier . Hard to explain really ..maybe I'm just going through a good patch and things will become hard again but I'm going to remain optimistic and if my mood continues to improve it could prove a life changer.
Mindfulness ..it's not what you think.
I haven't been given it by docs or anything like that, but I have been using the headspace app for about 6 weeks now and can def feel a difference in my head.
much more tolerant and oddly has improved my riding too as I seem to be able to focus much better
Glad it's working for you OP.
I was talking to someone who it trained in it and it sounds a very useful tool in managing anxiety etc but she says it takes time and effort to make it work and to be patient with it. She's worked with many people and the feedback has been brilliant so it sounds like it's something to persevere with even if it's seems very hard going to begin with.
A book I found very useful: The Power of Now. Although books find us and not the other way, hence YMMV.
I choose three words to guide me through life: Mindfulness, acceptance and attitude. Choose any two and the third will follow.
Mindfulness is something I've been aware of since I was a child, although it's only been in the past decade I've been able to put a name to it. On and off I've attended the Quakers (yes, founded by the families who make oats, chocolate and sweets) since I was wee and it was there that I learned of meditation and mindfulness through their meetings and shared values and beliefs*, which are very similar to those of Buddhism. <span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> </span>
Keep with it, and enjoy the journey
*God isn't one of them with almost 70% of quakers being agnostic or atheists
I did the course last summer, through the local NHS IAPT team (though oddly, on the premises of the local Quakers). I have to say it never really clicked for me. I certainly get benefit from the exercises, but mostly just the period of avoiding thinking about other stuff, and doing calm quiet breathing. It could be because I grew up in a religious family and have deliberately turned my back on all of that that my mind rejects the spirituality aspect of it.
I haven't given up on it and still meditate a couple of times a week, when I remember, and I'm about to give Yoga a go, starting after Easter. Couple of books which I found useful:
Mindfulness Plain and Simple - oli Doyle
A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled - Ruby Wax
Also watching Youtube of some of Jon Kabat Zinn's talks, I like the one where he's doing a guest lecture to Google staff. It's over an hour long, and he rambles good naturedly, but gives a good overview of what he thinks mindfulness is about and what it might do for you. (He basically invented/distilled/codified/whatever it.)
I'm a big fan but personally found the mindfulness based stress reduction(MBSR)course a little vague for my needs. I'm a long term anxious depressive but can see how it would help someone who wasn't as far down the rabbit hole as me... It certainly opened my eyes to mindfulness but didn't quite click with me. A relapse later I went on a mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course and found this much more in-depth and gave me a better understanding of the practices and my condition. This course eventually then led me to investigate mindful self compassion (MSC) which again greatly added to my understanding.
I haven't relapsed since MBCT. Probably my longest stretch yet at 3years.. I'm in no way cured but handle things so much better now.
All this stuff should be taught at school I think.
All this stuff should be taught at school I think.
Exactly what I was saying the other day I can guarantee if meditation was made part of education from the start and somehow packaged in a way to attract kids I think our society would become a better place. Like everything consistent regular practice yields much better progress IME.Incorporating bringing yourself out of autopilot whenever possible strengthens the mind like weight training.The biggest challenge is to become aware you are already actually in autopilot/ la la land.