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Somewhat off topic, but if you are having anxiety issues, I strongly recommend the Headspace mobile app. While a lot of mindfulness apps have a lot of fluffy n

Somewhat off topic, but if you are having anxiety issues, I strongly recommend the Headspace mobile app. While a lot of mindfulness apps have a lot of fluffy new-age tone to them, this one did not, and it also tends to introduce concepts at a very good pace (a little bit of things to try each day) which makes things memorable. By contrast, you may talk to someone and hear 100 things to do, and you'll explode trying to do them all. Anyway, for me, it strikes the right balance. The trick here is more about learning to focus but also learning to completely percieve the feeling and know what it is, and then it's less strong than trying to always think about it - rather than identifying with it.

300bps 10y ago
On Headspace, I did the 30 day foundation program followed by the 30 day anxiety pack. It gives you some good methods but as the program says over and over it is not a panacea and requires a lot of work. I think I've benefited from it but not as much as I'd hoped.
- the_watcher 10y ago
  I've had a similar experience, although not entirely unexpected. From everything I've gathered, meditation and guided breathing are tools to use to fight anxiety, but are by no means sufficient on their own for many. I've found that daily meditation and guided breathing can sometimes have the opposite effect for me when I'm not struggling as much by bringing me back to an anxious state. At the same time, working through their intro programs has definitely given me some tools and coping strategies that help me when I find my anxiety rising. Also off-topic a bit, but for me, the single most impactful thing I have found for coping with anxiety is regular strenuous exercise. I'd been told this for years, but it's only recently that I've taken it seriously, and can now feel my anxieties begin to bubble up when I get out of my exercise routine. It's been so impactful that I just always want to make sure I highlight it when discussing anxiety, since it took so much time for it to really sink in for me.
  - mpdehaan2 10y ago
    Exercise++ My take-away from exercises was more of that it builds awareness that makes it easier to stay in flow states for longer over time, which in turn allows (like he says) kind of not making thoughts go away but getting less attached to them, also over time. It's definitely not an immediate gain, but I think the "noticing you are being distracted" and being able to stop is a good part.
andreyk 10y ago
I would also recommend trying Calm - personally I preferred it to Headspace. Both teach a non-new agey version of Mindfulness Meditation, and there is plenty of science that shows it to have a lot of health benefits.

300bps 10y ago

On Headspace, I did the 30 day foundation program followed by the 30 day anxiety pack. It gives you some good methods but as the program says over and over it is not a panacea and requires a lot of work. I think I've benefited from it but not as much as I'd hoped.

the_watcher 10y ago
I've had a similar experience, although not entirely unexpected. From everything I've gathered, meditation and guided breathing are tools to use to fight anxiety, but are by no means sufficient on their own for many. I've found that daily meditation and guided breathing can sometimes have the opposite effect for me when I'm not struggling as much by bringing me back to an anxious state. At the same time, working through their intro programs has definitely given me some tools and coping strategies that help me when I find my anxiety rising. Also off-topic a bit, but for me, the single most impactful thing I have found for coping with anxiety is regular strenuous exercise. I'd been told this for years, but it's only recently that I've taken it seriously, and can now feel my anxieties begin to bubble up when I get out of my exercise routine. It's been so impactful that I just always want to make sure I highlight it when discussing anxiety, since it took so much time for it to really sink in for me.
- mpdehaan2 10y ago
  Exercise++ My take-away from exercises was more of that it builds awareness that makes it easier to stay in flow states for longer over time, which in turn allows (like he says) kind of not making thoughts go away but getting less attached to them, also over time. It's definitely not an immediate gain, but I think the "noticing you are being distracted" and being able to stop is a good part.

andreyk 10y ago

I would also recommend trying Calm - personally I preferred it to Headspace. Both teach a non-new agey version of Mindfulness Meditation, and there is plenty of science that shows it to have a lot of health benefits.