Mindfulness doesn't work for me
Hi everyone
I'm going to be uploading some stuff about Zakynthos very soon, then getting onto my 'education' theme soon and put my all (well, some of my all) into blogging soon. I want to help people through their education, share my experiences and video some of my life, too. So please stand by for that!
This post is about my experience with mindfulness, and isn't really what I had planned. My thoughts on mindfulness came about during my Stage Two university induction for one of my subjects, where we were introduced to a Student Well-being officer who was also a yoga instructor, and she took us through twenty-minutes of mindfulness.
My thoughts on mindfulness? I'm sorry to say it, but for me it's a waste of time. I have not had a positive relationship with mindfulness and have really, really had a go at it. In theory, it sounds absolutely great and so relaxing. My previous CAMHS counsellor dedicated eight hour-long sessions trying to get me into it and to use it when I'm feeling anxious. Then my private counsellor did something similar, and I just felt under so much pressure. And that sort of defeats the point, doesn't it? You shouldn't have to put yourself under pressure to relax and unwind. Especially if you're on the brink of an anxiety attack.
Just imagine...
You've been triggered by something and it's shaken you to the point of having an anxiety attack and now you've got this additional pressure to rein yourself in and focus on your breathing, which is currently all over the place! For me, it's as bad as someone telling me to just 'chill out'. Well, yeah I'm trying but I currently feel like I'm being chased by Pennywise so please just bare with, I will remember how to breathe in a minute.
Of course, I understand it works wonders for some people but I just don't get why people push it on you so much. Come on, there's even apps for it now. Can I not choose how to look after myself, now? After this twenty minutes had passed by this woman had obviously noticed I didn't really get into it and asked why so I told her and she was the first person to just accept I have a different way of coping. I did feel better afterwards though, purely because the person sat next to me had opened her eyes and I could finally sneak out to the toilet without disrupting her.
As an anxiety sufferer, my preferred method to calm myself down is to just get on with something and keep myself really busy. Listening to my own voice and the sound of my own breathing stresses me out enough. I'd much rather colour, do some uni work and be pro-active. But again, I'm not trying to sh*t on the people who enjoy and feel the benefits of mindfulness. Maybe there's different methods I need to try. Maybe I need to give it another chance.
Let me know what you think of mindfulness in the comments below. Does it work for you? What method do you use and recommend?
I'm going to be uploading some stuff about Zakynthos very soon, then getting onto my 'education' theme soon and put my all (well, some of my all) into blogging soon. I want to help people through their education, share my experiences and video some of my life, too. So please stand by for that!
This post is about my experience with mindfulness, and isn't really what I had planned. My thoughts on mindfulness came about during my Stage Two university induction for one of my subjects, where we were introduced to a Student Well-being officer who was also a yoga instructor, and she took us through twenty-minutes of mindfulness.
My thoughts on mindfulness? I'm sorry to say it, but for me it's a waste of time. I have not had a positive relationship with mindfulness and have really, really had a go at it. In theory, it sounds absolutely great and so relaxing. My previous CAMHS counsellor dedicated eight hour-long sessions trying to get me into it and to use it when I'm feeling anxious. Then my private counsellor did something similar, and I just felt under so much pressure. And that sort of defeats the point, doesn't it? You shouldn't have to put yourself under pressure to relax and unwind. Especially if you're on the brink of an anxiety attack.
Just imagine...
You've been triggered by something and it's shaken you to the point of having an anxiety attack and now you've got this additional pressure to rein yourself in and focus on your breathing, which is currently all over the place! For me, it's as bad as someone telling me to just 'chill out'. Well, yeah I'm trying but I currently feel like I'm being chased by Pennywise so please just bare with, I will remember how to breathe in a minute.
Of course, I understand it works wonders for some people but I just don't get why people push it on you so much. Come on, there's even apps for it now. Can I not choose how to look after myself, now? After this twenty minutes had passed by this woman had obviously noticed I didn't really get into it and asked why so I told her and she was the first person to just accept I have a different way of coping. I did feel better afterwards though, purely because the person sat next to me had opened her eyes and I could finally sneak out to the toilet without disrupting her.
As an anxiety sufferer, my preferred method to calm myself down is to just get on with something and keep myself really busy. Listening to my own voice and the sound of my own breathing stresses me out enough. I'd much rather colour, do some uni work and be pro-active. But again, I'm not trying to sh*t on the people who enjoy and feel the benefits of mindfulness. Maybe there's different methods I need to try. Maybe I need to give it another chance.
Let me know what you think of mindfulness in the comments below. Does it work for you? What method do you use and recommend?
Comments
Post a Comment