Mindfulness
The core invitation of mindfulness is for you to befriend yourself...
Just this moment, just this breath, just this sitting here, just this being human.
Brain gym
We understand that physical exercise can benefit our bodies. It is also true that mindfulness thought exercises can benefit your brain. These exercises can also help to reset and support the FND brain. We reckon, even if it doesn't stop your symptoms, it's still one of our best survival tools. It will help you cope with everything and it will help you start enjoying your life again.
There is a huge amount of evidence that regular mindfulness practice has benefits for mental health. Mindfulness has unique potential to help you learn how to control your thoughts and find peace and happiness. It sounds a bit airy-fairy, but they have proved it in the lab. This approach is now being used all around the world in medicine, education, corrections and more - because it works. We think that if everybody built this into their lives, the world would be a much better place.
Much of mindfulness is about learning to accept things just as they are. This means learning to accept your body as it is.
Keep at it
This is not a quick fix. Though grounding type meditations do help to rapidly reduce flight or flight symptoms.
If you are feeling high levels of anxiety or have had PTSD sitting in your bones for years, ten minutes of meditation is not going to fix things. Yes it will turn down the dial a wee bit. You are putting out the fire in your brain bit by bit.
When you keep practicing every day you will feel the benefits gradually creeping through you over weeks and months. Just as you would after joining the gym and heading down there after work for workouts. It's as if your life gradually comes into focus, things become easier, tightness in your chest will ease and you will be able to breathe again.
If you are in a lot of psychological pain, its not over the top to meditate 5 times a day. Do some short ones. Do some longer ones. Keep at it and you will feel it working soon. The person writing this finally understood after several months of feeling no improvement. The light bulb finally went off; "Ahh I get it now".
"I have tried meditating and I can't do it"
Everybody can meditate. They just need to be taught correctly. Strangely, if you think you are failing, you are actually winning. It's noticing and correcting the failure that helps your brain.
You notice you have wandered off your intended train of thought and then you correct your course. Notice and correct. Notice and correct. That is where the benefit comes from. The correction. It's the 'correction muscle' you are strengthening. Once that correction muscle is stronger, you get to choose your own thoughts much more easily. Technically, you cannot win at meditation UNTIL you fail at it many many times, just like patiently training a cute little puppy.
Where to learn?
Most of the following resources are free. If you have access to the internet you can learn this. Most of your learning will involve you taking time out for yourself to listen to recordings of people speaking to you. You just follow their instructions.
We are fans of the Mindfulness guru John Kabat Zinn. If you have a bit of money, buy his resources. He is just lovely to listen to a has a real way with words.
The Smiling Mind and Headspace both offer free apps for your smart phone
If you have Netflix there is a 6 episode series called Headspace Guide to Meditation. This also contains a small selection of interactive meditations.
Mindful is another great website
So it the Free Mindfulness Project.
That should keep you going for a bit.
More advanced meditations
If you are progressing nicely, we also recommend this site. Some of the meditations are a bit more ambitious psychologically. Please take note of the warning at the top of the page. Please stop of you feel any distress. If you want a copy of the book that goes with this website, email us here.
If you need a bit of a giggle (away from the kids) check out the meditation below. A good bit of swearing can really help defuse any congealed anger at the medical system....