Mindfulness and Meditation

If anyone out there has really suffered with mental health, you know that being in a highly agitated state is overwhelming. Have you laid there with your mind catastrophising? Your brain is spewing negative talk. Possibly suicidal ideation and dark thoughts? If you are in this state, sometimes mindfulness may be like shooting a nerf arrow at a suit of armour. This is really how I felt about it in the state I was in two months ago. There were a couple of things in particular that helped.

Often when I called a helpline, a councillor would attempt to calm me first. Does everyone know the 5,4,3,2,1 exercise? This one is a strong go to for people in a panic. Two different people started our conversations with this exercise. I was frightened and anxious and the counsellor would try to ground me first, so we could talk after.

What is grounding? It’s simple. Distract yourself from the chaos in your mind and concentrate on something else. This is a way to do it.

The 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Grounding Technique

Grounding yourself is about redirecting your focus from the chaos in your mind to your immediate surroundings. Here’s how the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique works:

1. Name 5 things you can see: Look around and identify five things. For instance, I saw a wooden dresser, a colourful painting of a rooster, an alarm clock, wrinkled white sheets, and a floor lamp.
2. Name 4 things you can hear: Listen and name four sounds. I heard the person on the phone, my fingernails scratching the sheets, a clock ticking, and my own yawning.
3. Name 3 things you can feel: Focus on touch. I felt the soft bedsheets, the wooden bed frame, and my sweaty skin.
4. Name 2 things you can smell: Identify two scents. I smelled my freshly laundered t-shirt and my pillow.
5. Name 1 thing you can taste: Taste something. In my case, I tasted my t-shirt.

This exercise helps break through the “fight or flight” response, bringing you back to the present moment. It slowed down my thoughts and distracted me to provide a short break from my thoughts. This can be a lot to remember if you are in the middle of a panic. You may go for the “333” instead.

The 333 grounding technique 

• Name 3 things you can see
• Name 3 things you can hear
• Move 3 body parts

This is the exact same premise, but with only 3 categories is easier to remember. Plus, you don’t have to search around to find something to taste!

Meditation

Meditation is something that I am still working on and practicing. It has not come easy and sometimes, I just can’t do it at all. The process of forcing my brain to not have other competing thoughts is major work. I do keep trying, as it is proven for some to have the following benefits.

• Lower heart rate and blood pressure
• Lower cortisol levels affecting stress
• Boost immune function
• Improve airflow to the lungs
• Decrease the aging process
• Decrease anxiety, depression, irritability, and moodiness
• It can also help improve attention and concentration

I am a complete beginner at this, but what how I learned was through an app called, Calm. The specific meditation I do is available free within the app. It’s called, “Anxiety Release” by Elisha Goldstein. There are versions that are 10, 20 and 30 minutes which are totally handy. I kind of chuckle as it starts, as it’s always this very calm and sensitive voice introducing himself. I almost know it by heart from repetitive mornings of struggling through it and trying to find peace.

• Get settled and comfortable in a position with a straight spine to allow optimum breathing
• Take deep breaths through the nose and out the mouth. Release and soften through the out-breath
• Ground your mind with a mindful check-in. What senses do you have? Be aware of them.
• Let them release by breathing in and letting them flow right out with your exhale.
• Now settle in to “just being here.”
• Check-in with how you feel emotionally. Name the emotions.
• Notice how your mind feels in terms of attention.
• Recognise your breathing. Is it short, sharp, shallow?
• If you are distracted, soften your body and focus on your breathing.
• Prepare to finish and be aware of how you are feeling
• Congratulate yourself

I have used this meditation in the middle of panic and anxiety probably over 100 times. It doesn’t always work for me. Sometimes it gives me just a little peace from my racing mind. As I have become clearer and less anxious recently, it becomes slightly easier to use. I have a massive amount of work to do on meditation. It can take some years to get good. My struggle is to keep practicing daily even as I feel better.

If you have similar experiences and ideas you can provide, please share! It’s a community and I don’t know everything. Only what I’ve learned so far.