4 ms·

I had a sudden "wake up call" about a year ago, and since then things have been getting much better. Partly because I have become more independent, but also bec

I had a sudden "wake up call" about a year ago, and since then things have been getting much better. Partly because I have become more independent, but also because I have perfected the art of simply not thinking about things that I want to ignore. I'm not sure if that's healthy or not, but it seems to work.

M_Grey 10y ago
I think it's healthy, especially if those things are truly and deeply beyond your influence or control.
ajmurmann 10y ago
Do you have any advise on how you accomplished that? Meditation?
- Retr0spectrum 10y ago
  I'm not sure really, it seemed to come naturally. Perhaps even as a symptom of depression. It might have helped that I stopped carrying a smartphone. I guess things like sitting on a train without any entertainment counts as meditation, although I never really think of it as such.
- pmyjavec 10y ago
  Disclaimer: I've had an anxiety disorder most of my life and I already have had some professional CBT training to help with difficult times. I think if anyone reading this is really down / troubled, then seeing a professional would be wise. There are really good caring people out there that can help. I've recently experienced something very similar, I would like to share with you my story on getting (mostly) through it in hope that it may help others. First step for me, just getting out in the wilderness helped me immensely, even just a nice park and some sun/rain helps. It sounds really alternate but getting out and touching trees, just sitting under them has been a kind of medicine, watching animals in as wild of a setting as possible is nice too. Walking, or "wandering" for a long period of time has also been a great way to settle the mind, you could call it the most primitive form of meditation, but if you get the chance to walk for 1-2 hours along a quiet beach, consider yourself blessed. Just not having a set place to walk but just exploring is what I mean. More formal meditation practice is very, very good for me; however, it has to be taught / practiced properly. Getting the wrong idea about something like Buddhism can be quite destructive, especially for those in a vulnerable place. I found socializing to be critical, if you can talk to someone about the problems specifically it's even better. We are social beings. My episode I now consider a little bit of a gift, it has made me realize the value of our natural surroundings and how important their conservation, protection and our return to them is for us humans. Maybe more than some of us ever realize. I read the ancient Greeks would treat people with mental distress by giving them a nice quiet place to stay near the sea, maybe they were onto something?
- Broken_Hippo 10y ago
  Meditation has been a weird journey for me. Took a few tries to find something I'd stick with, and so far, it has made it easier to stop thinking about some things. Basically, meditation for me is a time to detach from my thoughts. Give myself something to concentrate on (drums for me), and do that for 20 minutes daily, and when the mind wanders, just go back to the sounds. And after a while, it is like your mind gets more used to doing that - I don't dwell nearly as much. It isn't perfect, but better. Some folks find mediation makes them feel worse, depending on the technique and what is going on inside the person's head. Some of the repeated thoughts can happen in depression and anxiety. Meditation combined with either illness can be weird - some folks get a lot out of it, especially if they have comparatively mild symptoms, and some find it makes it go awry, for lack of a better description. Also, for females, hormones can cause sticky thoughts sometimes. This sort of thing might make medication a better first helping choice than meditation.
- kordless 10y ago
  I accomplished it by squelching the conversations in my head about random shit - most of which was speculating future scenarios. These conversations of the past or future events are primary for me because I don't visualize - i.e. I don't have spontaneous visual memories or willful recall of visual detail of a memory. The conversations begin slowing when I began working on solving dissonant thoughts that lead to additional future telling of events. Now my mind is quiet, although full of questions about reality. It's a double edged sword!
- pmorici 10y ago
  Stop reading the news.

M_Grey 10y ago

I think it's healthy, especially if those things are truly and deeply beyond your influence or control.

ajmurmann 10y ago

Do you have any advise on how you accomplished that? Meditation?

Retr0spectrum 10y ago
I'm not sure really, it seemed to come naturally. Perhaps even as a symptom of depression. It might have helped that I stopped carrying a smartphone. I guess things like sitting on a train without any entertainment counts as meditation, although I never really think of it as such.
pmyjavec 10y ago
Disclaimer: I've had an anxiety disorder most of my life and I already have had some professional CBT training to help with difficult times. I think if anyone reading this is really down / troubled, then seeing a professional would be wise. There are really good caring people out there that can help. I've recently experienced something very similar, I would like to share with you my story on getting (mostly) through it in hope that it may help others. First step for me, just getting out in the wilderness helped me immensely, even just a nice park and some sun/rain helps. It sounds really alternate but getting out and touching trees, just sitting under them has been a kind of medicine, watching animals in as wild of a setting as possible is nice too. Walking, or "wandering" for a long period of time has also been a great way to settle the mind, you could call it the most primitive form of meditation, but if you get the chance to walk for 1-2 hours along a quiet beach, consider yourself blessed. Just not having a set place to walk but just exploring is what I mean. More formal meditation practice is very, very good for me; however, it has to be taught / practiced properly. Getting the wrong idea about something like Buddhism can be quite destructive, especially for those in a vulnerable place. I found socializing to be critical, if you can talk to someone about the problems specifically it's even better. We are social beings. My episode I now consider a little bit of a gift, it has made me realize the value of our natural surroundings and how important their conservation, protection and our return to them is for us humans. Maybe more than some of us ever realize. I read the ancient Greeks would treat people with mental distress by giving them a nice quiet place to stay near the sea, maybe they were onto something?
Broken_Hippo 10y ago
Meditation has been a weird journey for me. Took a few tries to find something I'd stick with, and so far, it has made it easier to stop thinking about some things. Basically, meditation for me is a time to detach from my thoughts. Give myself something to concentrate on (drums for me), and do that for 20 minutes daily, and when the mind wanders, just go back to the sounds. And after a while, it is like your mind gets more used to doing that - I don't dwell nearly as much. It isn't perfect, but better. Some folks find mediation makes them feel worse, depending on the technique and what is going on inside the person's head. Some of the repeated thoughts can happen in depression and anxiety. Meditation combined with either illness can be weird - some folks get a lot out of it, especially if they have comparatively mild symptoms, and some find it makes it go awry, for lack of a better description. Also, for females, hormones can cause sticky thoughts sometimes. This sort of thing might make medication a better first helping choice than meditation.
kordless 10y ago
I accomplished it by squelching the conversations in my head about random shit - most of which was speculating future scenarios. These conversations of the past or future events are primary for me because I don't visualize - i.e. I don't have spontaneous visual memories or willful recall of visual detail of a memory. The conversations begin slowing when I began working on solving dissonant thoughts that lead to additional future telling of events. Now my mind is quiet, although full of questions about reality. It's a double edged sword!
pmorici 10y ago
Stop reading the news.