mindfulness

[PUGLETMUM]

hello all, i am currently working with a book called THE MINDFUL WAY THROUGH DEPRESSION - FREEING YOURSELF FROM CHRONIC UNHAPPINESS BY M WILLIAMS, J TEASDALE, Z SEGAL AND JON KABAT-ZINN

it seems to be helping - although i am having a pretty grim patch at the moment however i have faith in it and im going to continue with it. i know a few peeps were using mindfulness when i was on-line last year, i wondered if anyone is still doing it and whether they feel it works. i think its brilliant, and i would recommend it to anyone who has ever suffered any type of depression, emma - feeling both and

[pooh]

Good luck Emma with working through the book keep us posted how you are doing

Pooh x

[Piglet]

Emmas I love it when you post because I too am a massive fan of mindfulness and yes it has been helping me no end.

What I am finding is by constantly bringing my awareness to what I am doing at any given moment I am making a massive inpact on anticipatory anxiety, which then has the knock on effect of lowering my general anxiety levels because I am not worrying about things coming up.

I've proved this totally to myself this last couple of months - I have had millions (slight exageration) of medical appts to go to recently, like dentist treatment and a smear etc etc but unlike I normally do I haven't actually been dwelling on them at all. I then only begin to worry about them on the day that the appt actually is.

That is a massive step forward because it cuts out days or weeks of worry.

I'm also doing other things, one of which is to listen to a recording of my own voice saying positive affirmations each night before I go to bed. I've geared these especially to mean something to me and they are done in the right way for affirmations ie; I am calm and relaxed - not I am no longer panicky. I don't use any negative words like panicky in an affirmation, it is totally focussed on positive words only and stated in the present tense 'I am'!!!

Oh and I meant to add that I have found the author Cheri Huber's books very helpful indeed!

Love Piglet

[PUGLETMUM]

hi guys, tnx for support pooh and tnx piglet for replying - i knew you were using mindfulness, but to what extent you had felt it helped i didnt know. i am really glad that you have found it helps - i havent heard of your author though, but i didnt look into the sugject in great depth - i sort of looked at stuff that jon kabat-zinn does as he seems to be the mindfulness god???

when i bought this book, i also got a more serious book aimed at ppl in the profession, but because i think im pretty clued up on therapies and actually what these disorders are i decided to get it, and what an eye opener! the statistics about depression were quite worrying, but also motivational - i definately dont want to be depressed again!!!! so i am going to stick with this practice - however i figure if you can beat yourself up on an hourly basis, you can also support yourself on an hourly basis too

i found over the last serious episode i had that actually my panic and general anxiety is rooted in negative thought about myself and my life - my commentary to myself since the age of 14 has been negative if this applys to you (anyone reading) then i would seriously look into mindfulness - it is so supportive and gentle and utterly forgiving - it tells you to treat your thougths and emotions and your inner experience like a small sick child, and this is how i am now treating myself - like someone who matters, and who needs care and love. the beauty of mindfulness is that you dont have to change what you are thinking even if it is bad, you just have to relate to it differently - beleive me anyone who is reading, it works!!!!! iwould say that i have been mainly unhappy all my life and this book i refer to is especially for anyone who has suffered long term, so you dont have to continue your life feeling like this, there is another way

do you get depressed piglet? how is your agoraphobia these days? and again im so happy for you that midfulness has helped you with the dreaded anticipatory anxiety - uuggghhhhhh well done

[Piglet]

it is so supportive and gentle and utterly forgiving - it tells you to treat your thougths and emotions and your inner experience like a small sick child, and this is how i am now treating myself - like someone who matters, and who needs care and love. the beauty of mindfulness is that you dont have to change what you are thinking even if it is bad, you just have to relate to it differently - beleive me anyone who is reading, it works!!!!! iwould say that i have been mainly unhappy all my life and this book i refer to is especially for anyone who has suffered long term, so you dont have to continue your life feeling like this, there is another way

Oh Emmas that is just how I feel too hun!

do you get depressed piglet? how is your agoraphobia these days? and again im so happy for you that midfulness has helped you with the dreaded anticipatory anxiety - uuggghhhhhh well done

Not often love really - I get low from time to time because of the agoraphobia but it's always been anxiety that's the bigger issue for me!

Love Piglet

[Clockwork]

Most of the 'uplifting stuff' around about depression is fine if the sufferer is able-bodied.


If they aint...99% is irrelevant and they might as well just forget it.

[PUGLETMUM]

no mindfulness is for everyone, you dont have to 'do' anything - its all about acceptance of thoughts and emotions, whilst not becomming overly involved with them - so if you feel fear about something, you dont become so identified with that fear that you cant 'see' yourself as anything but the fear.

ppl who get depressed find it very hard to cope with negative emotions - as if they feel them, they will feel them forever, so we develop a resistance reaction, an aversion, but this only makes matters worse. this book helps to empower us to be able to 'handle' any strong emotion and not become so overwhelmed by it that 'we' no longer exist, and we have been taken over once again by the mental and physical torments of depression.

so mindfulness is for everyone not just the able bodied, hope this helps?