Headspace is a brilliant app. I also use the Endel app for sleep sounds.
Mindfulness has been a lifesaver for me, especially at work, where my stress levels were reaching critical and my health was taking a hit.
Iād also recommend the book āThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***ā by Mark Manson. Silly title aside, itās actually a good book that will help you to change how you see the world for the better.
Iāve always loved the idea of these things in theory. Iām pretty big into wellness these days.
The only app Iāve ever used though is the one that comes baked into Apple Watch, and in all honesty, I find it counter intuitive. If Iām agitated, I find it agitates me more than helps with calm and inner peace.
I like the breathing exercise, when Iām already chill, but not when Iām stressed. Trying to focus on my breathing just makes me more stressed!
I find self-affirming reflections frustrating too. Theyāre meant to make you ponder and feel good, but I get irritated by the often open ended nature of them. I think where I fail is that Iām rubbish at guiding myself and so self-guided mindfulness winds up having the opposite of the intended effect for me.
What has worked quite well for me though (but only sometimes!) are guided meditations via Apple Fitness+. When someone is guiding me through it, it does seem to have a positive effect. Jonelle on Fitness+ is the best at this for me. I always end a workout session with one of her cooldowns.
Iām interested and eager to see what Gentler Streak comes out with for stress, because that is by far my favourite wellness app.
Itās called āpracticeā because thatās what you need to do. Practice it when youāre OK so you can do it when youāre not, and really need it. A bit like a footballer taking hundreds of penalties on the empty training ground so itās second nature to them when itās the World Cup Final and millions are watching.
When it works for me I love it, but my brain is and always has been like speaking spaghetti. So I really need to practice more butā¦
I have found group medication/mindfulness the best. Something about not being able to go āsod this!ā and stop is really helpful. I have often been to my local Buddhist temple for the beginnerās night for this, but there are lots of non-religious groups around. Again, this helps with your practice when youāre on your own and in need. (Although I have Buddhist tendencies Iām not into organised religion at all, and my local group are not preachy at all, you donāt even need to stay for the cuppa afterwards if you donāt want to!)
As for apps. I found the manās voice in Headspace to Jamie Oliver for me. I donāt need the guide to be my mate! Calm is good but they seem to explain why itās useful before every mediation and I donāt need that - Iām convinced! Balance is really good and itās free for a year, or at least was until recently.
There are also a load of simple timer and/or Buddhist-based apps that are good. Plum Village is free and Buddhist, but there are loads of meditations on there which are about love and kindness and not about how great Buddhism is. If youāre not totally anti itās worth a look.
Practice. It really does work at making life calmer. And it doesnāt have to be a big thing. From practicing using the apps I find that I can switch into it for 30 seconds here, 5 minutes there when Iām sat in a queue, waiting for an appointment, stood outside a shop waiting for my family, and especially when Iām out for a walk - I love dividing on each step, and consciously noticing my surrounding. Youāre not in a trance, youāre mindful of your situation in the here and now, so you can prescribe anywhere.
Iām a better person in myself for persevering with this practice.
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Anarchist
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In a pretty massive way today, yes. Particularly when looking back in retrospect, it was glaringly obvious, and I missed it. 4 months ago, I wouldnāt have.
Is there any particular mindfulness exercise youād recommend? Iām gonna try to get back into my nightly Mindful Cooldowns (I havenāt done one for a few months) with a guided meditation before bed. Simple breathing exercises on their own have never worked for me.
Breathing exercises donāt really help me either.
Leaves on a Stream helps me to offload and reduce stress. It originates from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is used alongside CBT by psychologists.
As for intuition, Iām not sure, Iād imagine having a clear mind helps, so any mindfulness will.
Wrong about a person or something else? Weāve all been there, humans can be quite disappointing.
The bigger question is whether these techniques and methods will even work for you. Youāve said that youāve done some mindfulness, so maybe it will. Some people just canāt do it, you need a very visual mind - some people just canāt visualise.
In fact, I know at least one person who literally canāt visualise anything in their mind. You could describe an object to them and ask them to imagine it, and they just canāt. Apparently, millions of people canāt visualise in their mind, itās a thing.
For me it depends on the guided meditation. Some I just donāt connect with at all, but others can be very powerful. Casting back to memories or places where youāve felt certain emotions are ones I revisit a lot, because I find that easy, to reimagine and relive those experiences and capture those feelings, and it certainly does something for me.