The Second Most Essential Exercise for Managing Anxiety and Anxious Thoughts - Anxiety Course 15/30
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- Опубликовано: 29 ноя 2023
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In this enlightening interview with Nick Wignall, the focus was on the challenges of chronic worry and the power of mindfulness in addressing anxiety. Wignall emphasized a counterintuitive yet pivotal concept: resisting worrisome thoughts often amplifies them, akin to the 'white bear experiment' by psychologist Daniel Wagner. He distinguished between thought control and attention control, underscoring that while we can't directly control our thoughts, we can choose where to focus our attention. This focus is crucial, as "what you focus on becomes your reality." Wignall also highlighted the importance of practicing mindfulness not as a coping mechanism during anxious moments but as a regular exercise to strengthen attention control. He proposed a simple, non-judgmental mindfulness practice focusing on breath and attention redirection, advocating for its regular practice to effectively train the brain and alter its response to anxiety. This approach to mindfulness is not just a temporary relief but a long-term strategy to fundamentally change one’s relationship with worry and anxiety.
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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
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I’ve had anxiety for a long time and I finally crumbled and it was happening hourly/ daily to the point I thought about ending my life. This video brought me to tears it felt like I can be saved. Thank you so much.
bless you and keep that resilience. You're wanting to live and the trust, THE KNOWING, you will conquer this will see you through.
You got this❤️
Thank you, I’ve been doing better and today I feel like I’ve had a bit set back but I’ve come back here to just listen. I appreciate and feel blessed to have been message x
You will be fine with God's grace. God bless you.
Be the observer not the participant
“Be gentle with yourself” ❤
This phrase has been key in helping me cope with my large emotions. It’s seriously good advice
Need to constantly remind myself on this….
Gentle like a lamb?
Can't be gentle until the balding man with government toys cools his rockets!
War never changes, how you fight it does. I fully support using military and OSHA grade towing equipment to re-possess war toys from those who use them for war. I don't do it myself, because nuclear war will change a society, playing Fallout taught me a lot of things, me being mentally handicapped, and that's stepping up to an actual next level of going full out nuclear without radiation.
I REALLY appreciate the point made that mindfulness is an exercise and NOT a coping mechanism!
That explanation makes all the difference, right!?! I agree! 😊
100%
So did I. The study explaining the mechanisms of focus regulation, which people was told to not think about bears, awesome insight. To be aware of a problem is not so useful as I would think it was. Can be very harmful instead. Cause trying to prevent your mind to feel anxious, for example, cause rumination.. cause more u try to prevent, more your mind get trapped on it
My Buddhist teacher says: remembering is not real, noticing remembering is real. Same with thinking. It really helped me stop giving most of my attention to thinking and remembering.
The thing about mindfulness and meditation is it's always there for you whenever you need it. If you don't do it for a few days you can always come back. Mindfulness and meditation don't hold anything against you for not visiting for a while. Meditation and minfulness are just there waiting ready to support you any time. That's a pretty amazing gift!
What a lovely way to put it ❤
Thank my higher power for this
I've set an alarm on my phone to remind me every day
Of course... but it seems people have been conditioned to take a pill to solve their problem (thanks a lot big pharma). Mindfulness has gotten a bad rap cuz it actually requires participating in the process as opposed to just waiting for the drugs to take effect
This video was MADE for my husband! So I just shared it with him. Many therapists say what you should do, but don't tell you how.
Absolutely. Tell, show, practice. There is a lot of value in practicing it together. Once we experience it we are much more likely to continue it.
How? You say! We will show you how! 30 sessions at only 200.00 each. With some remissions we should shorten the cycle down to about 5 years.Or further. 😅 I hear they're providing loans for healthcare now. Talk about mental.
The how is everybody's work in progress.
I've been practicing mindfulness for a few months now, and I feel like he did a great job explaining it. For me, I struggled at first, but it "clicked" when I finally realized that getting distracted is not a sign of failure, it's actually a good and normal part of the exercise. It's great that this was stressed out here. I'm not always good at doing it everyday, but when i do, I actually enjoy it most of the time. It's been good overall for me
Totally! Your brain is meant to think, if you get distracted its your brain doing its thang!
I have struggled with mental illness and my mental health since I was a kid. Before I even knew what those terms were. After years of depression, anxiety, and even an attempt to take my life, I never thought I would be able to live without SSRIs medications. I clung to them because it was the only thing that made my mind quiet, but it also made me a zombie. Microdosing has given me control of my mental health for the first time, and they essentially gave me my life back.
I’ve been researching on psychedelics and it’s benefits to individuals dealing with Anxiety, Depression, ADHD and from my findings, they really work and I’ve been eager to get some for a while but its been difficult to get my hands on them.
The Trips I've been having really helped me a lot. I’m now able to meditate and I finally feel in control of my emotions and my future and things that used to be mundane to me now seem incredible and full of nuance on top of that I'm way less driven by my ego and I have alot more empathy as well
I was having this constant, unbearable anxiety due to work stress. Not until I came across a very intelligent mycologist. He saved my life honestly
His name is *DR Adolf Petter*
@ohmakure4716
I feel the same way too. I put too much on my plate and it definitely affects my stress and anxiety levels. I am also glad to be a part of this community.
Mindfulness to me is a way of life - it requires a paradigm shift and it relates to all areas of your life. Once you learn how to be more mindful in your everyday activities - a big part of which is slowing down - you'll automatically start having fewer encounters with anxiety.
Emma, I would really appreciate a video on hormone-induced anxiety. I'm perimenopausal in my early 50's and this hormonal roller coaster is ridiculous. I can't control them and I'm not sure if your techniques you teach will even help us middle-aged ladies. I'm tired of medical doctors just tells us to "deal with it".
black cohosh
I'm right there with you! The medical doctors tell us to "deal with it" and that it's our "new normal." What?? Why can't we live an enjoyable life that isn't riddled with anxiety?
Oh my god. I'm pretty sure this is what I've been going through over the past year, despite only being 42, and I feel like I'm going freaking crazy. My PMS has alllllways been bad, both physically and mentally, but this just feels like some little gremlin is at the controls all the time instead of 2-3 weeks before my period...which means my PMS has stepped up and I just basically hate EVERYONE for a few days. The worst of it is that I know it's not me, I know I don't ACTUALLY hate anyone, yet my brain is just like "You're talking to me, I'm pissed for no reason now." Everything just feels magnified, but also totally erratic, and I don't know how to stop it. I can't even do hormone therapy, because my few attempts at birth control had me feeling suicidal at times. It's just a mess!
Yes me too! Doctors and NP’s I’ve seen just dgaf and tell me to see a counselor even though I’ve already done that and I’m coming to them for a biological medical problem
Same! It’s so frustrating 😢
NOBODY has ever told me that getting back from the distraction is the point of the training. If they had, I wouldn't have stayed far away from mindfulness. What they always did is emphasize to be non-judgmental....which paradoxically gives the signal that getting distracted is a bad thing! Because, why would anyone be judgmental if there isn't some unwanted behavior to judge yourself about?! I always became so insecure doing it and so worried that I did it wrong. I once had to run from a group because I couldn't stop sobbing, it made me feel so bad.
I'm shaking my head here at those people who tried to get me to do this and never explained this. Jeez.
Another of my problem is that I start to anxiously worry about my breath if they tell me to concentrate on it. I thought i needed to concentrate on a slow and steady breathing rhythm. If anyone would've ever explained to me, as you do here, that I could've just concentrated on noticing the feeling of the air, not the rhythm, I would've also been spared a lot of anxiety.
It's interesting how everyone perceives words differently. I took a class on "relaxation skills" back in college, and learned the whole "if you find your thoughts wandering, don't judge them, just bring yourself back to your breathing" thing. But to me, they say "don't judge the wandering" because it's human nature TO put judgments to your own feelings. We're alllllllways making judgment calls on things we do (like when someone gets out to the car and realizes they forgot their keys, so they spit out "Stupid!").
So in my mind, it's not someone implying we SHOULD be ashamed, it's them comforting us and saying "you might be tempted to think poorly of yourself for 'not doing it right,' but there's nothing wrong with your thoughts wandering, so there's no need to judge." Something like that, anyway.
I'm glad you were finally able to hear someone put it in a way that resonates with you! Hopefully it'll help you out if you decide to start again.
You said everything, this video is really helpful for that reason, it explains perfectly what is mindfulness.
A great way to add to the chanel would be to have shorts that specifically focus on the practice for those in crisis. No long winded explanation, no introduction, just right away into " do this thing "
ADHD MUCH? haha, ignore me and ma autism.
Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!
Yes, dr.sporessss. I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.
I wish they were readily available in my place.
Microdosing was my next plan of care for my husband. He is 59 & has so many mental health issues plus probable CTE & a TBI that left him in a coma 8 days. It's too late now I had to get a TPO as he's 6'6 300+ pound homicidal maniac.
He's constantly talking about killing someone.
He's violent. Anyone reading this Familiar w/ BPD know if it is common for an obsession with violence.
Is he on instagram?
Yes he is. dr.sporessss
As a sports psychologist I'm big on positive mental imaging as a major part of mindfulness but I find it transfers to non-athletes as well. Visualization of each step of conquering what you have anxiety about is a good start to actually doing each step, just as visualizing hitting a baseball before stepping into the batter's box
I really resonate with her joyful resistance. She's grinning through it.
Methinks she likes him.....❤
I have anxiety for a year and 3 months now, I can say I’m so grateful I’m so much much better almost off med. I did everything to help myself like a lot of counselling, meditation,exercise. I said thank you to my anxiety and my panic and I’m grateful that I ever experience that. It’s really makes me a different person and change the way I thought about a lot of stuff and about manage emotion. I’m practicing meditation as well. One things I know anxiety it’s normal it’s not smtg we scare of, it’s to keep us safe. Hope you all feel better and be nice to our self. ❤
I'm an active mindfulness practitioner and the more I practice the better I get. Like he said, you're building a new muscle and the more you practice, the stronger it gets.
This confirmed so much that I already tell my clients. But I really needed to hear that part about going 20-30 minutes!
This video made me think about mindfulness differently and gave it a new meaning and purpose. Thank you so much for this. I previously had thought mindfulness was not for me, because I am AuDHD (ADHD / Autistic) and I simply could not stay focused or stay still. But the idea that it is a "workout" just blew my mind and flipped the script for me. Thank you!
This was incredibly helpful. Thank you, Emma, for continually summarizing--everything Nick said was so illuminating, I kept getting caught in it and then losing track of action items to do. You guys make a great team :)
I have to remind myself that the goal of mindfulness meditation is to not have a goal....in the end, we can practice mindfulness doing many different things. A cool little mindfulness book I like using is called 30 Days to Reduce Anxiety by Harper Daniels. Has simple exercises.
Yes I Love this! Sometimes mindfulness is vacuuming or dishes. Doesn't have to be still!
This was an especially helpful video in the anxiety series, that really resonated with me. I have a fierce anxiety disorder that feels like a gremlin is gnawing on my chest. After decades of therapy and every drug on the market, my symptoms finally abated when I started practicing guided meditation in two half hour sessions a day. If you're having difficulty with this particular exercise, try guided meditation with visualization; it provides something to focus on while still getting the physical benefit of mindfulness. Also, if you try it during the day, see if lying down helps instead of sitting. Thanks again for this series and both Emma and Nick have provided invaluable advice to the legions of anxiety sufferers!
gremlin gnawing is such a perfect explanation of that sensation! I can certainly relate to that story. I rely so much on visualization meditations and energy work to manage my inner gremlin now as well!
Can you recommend what you started with?
I actually have a meditation I use and can share with you if you want. But sometimes just visualizing myself putting my thoughts in a box and burning the box or imagine Im breathing my thoughts out of my body, Whatever resonates! What visual do you think about when you think of releasing?? @@labemolmineur
I like this a lot better than the standard "breathe in and notice how your body is feeling" stuff. I asked a RUclipsr for a guided meditation after my mother died, and she came up with the most beautiful visualization, about walking through a forest and finding this safe spot. I actually can't remember anymore what were her words and what was my own imagining, but I've wanted more meditations like that ever since and have no idea where I'd look for them. No idea if it's as helpful as actual "feel what's happening to your body" meditations, but as someone who's always had a strong link with her imagination, the other kind certainly FELT better!
I can absolutely relate to that. For a long especially when I started it was really hard to notice how my body was feeling because I was so disconnected I couldn't comprehend what that even meant. That guided visualization sounds lovely. Its wonderful that you have a tool that helped you @@veryberry39
What?!? My favorite two RUclipsrs are on the show together?!?! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
A few weeks back my therapist suggested I start mindfulness meditation for 4 minutes 4 times a day. Thanks for the video! I feel much better about getting distracted while practicing this now.
Emma, you’re an absolute Blessing 😊❤️🙏
ADHD people can benefit massively (speaking from experience!)
Before starting acknowledge and be ok with the FACT that getting distracted is OK and litteraly apart of the process.
Try not to have any negative feelings when you realize your mind was wandering. You're also practicing resetting your mind.
Getting distracted is an important part of life.
If you're so focused on a video game or writing an assignment that you can't be distracted then you won't realize that your house is on fire.
Get distracted but reset your mind if it's not important.
Reset! Reset! Reset! Also rest!
Now you'll much more likely to get in "the zone".
HA Ha ha, reminds me that I live in an apartment where it only takes one simple mistake to accidentally blow up a house while cleaning and cooking, was spraying Lysol while in ma camp and forgot the pilot was on! I normally cook high, I don't normally cook and disinfect the air at the same time and it OPENED MY EYES!
IT TAKES ONE MISSED CONNECTION TO BLOW UP A FACILITY. WE HAVE OSHA FOR A REASON!
HIS SMILE IS SO GENUINE AND CHARMING I LOVE IT ❤
I started doing mindfulness meditation years ago and discovered so much more about myself than I ever ‘thought’ possible. Mindfulness doesn’t just help with attention, it slows down thought - the monkey mind - which then exposes us to the one that’s been here all along. Our True Self….our true nature, which is naturally at rest. Peace itself.
i luv this woman. i have from second one!
as for the dude, EXCELLENT teaching! what resonated most for me was the point he made about an exercise versus a coping mechanism. whoa!!!!
as for me: i had LIETERALLY just ended ANOTHER battle with myself about a recurring thought that i don't want to keep dealing with! i told myself out loud that i'm tired of dealing with the thought; that i had given a solid...opposing thought that made sense; and that i wanted to be left alone. i concluded saying, yes, out loud to myself: you can either continue stressing yourself out making a negative conclusion or you can choose to believe the alternate ending i made up based on actual facts.
yes, the various techniques used to self-soothe/regulate emotions...are meant to be/should be looked at as exercises, NOT coping mechanisms!
This by far has been most practical and easy to understand explanation of practicing mindfulness!! Thank you
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for guiding me through 2023.
I follow my breath and a mantra to exercise my brain. I find this really relaxing if I do it for 30 minutes or more a day. Glad you had this gentleman on your video teaching breath meditation. I learned about breath and mantra meditation from reading Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodian 20 years ago. I think everyone should be taught how to do these meditations to calm their mind.
Thank you for this information. I struggle with intrusive thoughts so I think this will help. I appreciate the work you do and putting it on this platform for people to access for free. Thank you again.
Agree! Amazing this kind of help is offered free. Incredible resource!
Hey Emma and everyone else, give this a shot:
Since it's natural for your mind to wander, it's a good idea to plan ahead. When your thoughts try to pull you away from focusing on your breath, redirect your attention to specific, predefined anchors. These can be external cues like a spot on the wall, a particular sound, the movement of your belly, a blink, a scent, or anything you choose in advance. You can have as many anchors as you want, but it's essential to have them predefined. And, of course, the key is always to bounce back, redirecting your focus to your breath.
Ideally, these anchors should be external stimuli, but in my case, I've found it helpful to include a single predefined word as well. Give it a try, and I hope it proves beneficial for you too!
I have meditated for years. What he's describing is a form of meditation. I also do Wim Hof breathing.
I studied Psychology through the 500 levels. But I also studied spirituality. I believe everyone has a certain level of mental dysfunction. It's the ability to cope that is the issue that needs to be addressed. If you work on your spiritual self slowly you become better at coping with life.
I think a lot of people mistake mindfulness for meditation.
I love everything about this!
I'm having a really hard time with my anxiety and dealing with panic attacks so I'm watching Emmas Videos about anxiety and this popped up.
I tried mediation for a few weeks and was super frustrated with it because my brain is so damn busy but this analogy of quicky approaching 20-30 minutes of mindfulness makes so much sense! I maybe got to 15 minutes once a week when I tried the first time.
I love the way Nick explains this and I'm so thankful for you guys!!
This kind of mindfulness is yoga nidra. I ve been doing it for like 5 months now and is really helping me a lot. You have many guided yoga nidras different lenghts on you tube. I do it with Ally Boothroyd and with Kristyn Rose and they are both wonderful.
Thank you for this video. I have completed two mindfulness courses and while I learned a lot I never felt I quite understood how mindfulness really works. I understood how to do it. I learned to redirect my attention away from distracted thoughts and that that was important. What I didn’t understand was that the redirecting was what was important. The way Mr. Wignall explained it resonated with me. I think it makes sense now.
I think he was correct in that I thought of the practice as a band-aid that would help me feel better when I suffered from anxiety or flashbacks rather than as a practice to help me control what I give my attention to. It helps me to think of mindfulness as a “lifestyle” rather than a “tool” that I pull out when I need it. Your discussion with him also helps me to understand how I can acknowledge painful memories but not let them control my life. That always perplexed me but I think I can see how it can work now. Again, thank you.
My son was diagnosed with adhd. We chose not to go on the medicine route, against doctor's advice to take stimulants.
He started mindfulness practice about 5 years ago when he was like 7 years old. The first couple of months were hard. But we managed to commit to the mindfulness practice daily. We did one minute then two minutes and so on. My son would complain that that one or two minutes made him itch all over. He would sit fidgeting throughout that one minute of mindfulness
But a couple of months passed by, he started noticing that he had fewer and fewer fidgets. He asked to go up to five minutes. Now about 5-6 years into mindfulness practice, he can do 15 minutes without fidgets.
His academic performance slowly improved. He can focus to his classes much better. He is now an avid reader.
I would like to recommend mindfulness to help with anyone struggling with adhd and other mental illnesses. Just give it a try and commit with it for a couple of months.
you actually have NOOOO IDEAAA how much you have helped me. i have had anxiety for so long and i never knew how to deal with that. your videos have helped me in life because it felt like my anxiety was too much to handle. you have taught me so many lessons in life i really do appreciate you. again, im so glad to have found ur channel, i can see myself in a better light and i can process my emotions better. you and your colleagues and channel, i appreciate you SOOOOO MUUUUXH YOY HAVE NO IDEAAA ILY HAVE A GOOD DAY
Emma I jus loved this video.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤.
Nobody has explained this so well ever. Gonna share this with everyone I know.
Your content is superhelpful. Keep up the great work. You are helping so many people out there.
God bless
Emma, I am looking forward to your personal mindfulness journey documentation 😊! It is so heartwarming to see a therapist struggle with mindfulness.
Anyway, this video is super helpful. I always thought, five minutes is enough...
Also, for AD/HD people, he's TOTALLY correct about the rapid jump in training/benefits! 🙏
Your explanation about distraction is really awesome.
Thank you, Nick! He always eases my worrying every time I watch his video. And thank you, Emma. I love you, keep doing this is very helpful for all of us
Brilliant thank you. Mindfulness has put a huge dent in my anxiety and ptsd , but yeah you have to be disciplined and do it daily - I do 40 Mins. Over time it helps.
When I'm trying to motivate myself for longer breath meditation sessions, I always think about this English prof I had who always said 'It takes about 20 minutes of reading for your mind to catch up to the fact that it's reading and really get absorbed.' I've found that very true with my mindfulness practice as well -- 20-30m is enough time for my brain to tell me what it needs to, and for me to pay attention to those thoughts before *deciding* to let them go. In a 5-10m session I am much more likely to have a hostile attitude when my mind interrupts me, cause it can feel like "Bro I only have 10m you're wasting my time," and when I hung around that time frame too long, I'd often just use my time trying to control my mind or fixating on some physical sensation I don't like. More time is really, really vital for me to get past the point of accepting how I'm thinking and feeling.
the redirection or attention shifting exercise is actually pretty helpful. ty
I need to sit down and watch all of your videos. I'm 57 and was diagnosed with autism, anxiety, ADHD, and clinical depression about 3 months ago. I have never had any therapy and just started that. It's been rough my whole life and now I know why, I just need to fix my brain and that will be hard to do.
Having all of these mental health issues makes it very hard to rework the brain since it's been going on for 57 years. I need a lot of help.
Really sorry to hear your issues. I don't have the same issues but I have mental health problems with anxiety, ocd and intrusive thoughts. Some agoraphobia too can barely make it out around my local area at the moment. I might go for a walk in my local woods tomorrow but let's see!
There might not be ways to completely rid ourselves of these issues but there are ways to make things better if not much better.
I've been watching hypnosis breathing videos everyday recently that deals with depression/anxiety ocd etc. It does definitely help calm me down. They say to keep listening to these everyday for a while until it slowly starts to make a difference. So about a week or 2.
I don't know for sure if these will sort me out or maybe help you but it does bring calm everytime I do listen to them, so will keep going. I recommend a channel by Andrew Major his videos are good.
You can do it 😊
So sorry to hear this, something I have tried that has worked for me is a brisk walk daily, healthy diet and neurofeedback once a week to calm my brain. It has worked well for the last year. Good luck and bless you.
Maintain hope! You have survived 57 years so far, even with these issues. Also, sometimes using a label makes things sound worse than they really are. I would focus on one thing at a time, have your therapist help you determine which of the problems is effecting all of the others, and start with that one. You can get through this as you have been 100% successful in getting through even your worst days for 57 years.
I am grateful for your channel. I have been in and out of therapy for 20 years. This is so helpful. Thank you.
It is great to listen to Emma and Nick together again!
Simply watching the two of you talk about this makes me feel better. You guys have such a positive energy and genuine smile :) it definitely made my day. Thank you for all of this amazing information🙏 Happy holidays :)
4:28: Nick Wignall: You cannot control what thoughts come into your head, but you can choose to not engage with them. You can choose what you focus on.
8:31: Mindfulness is not to be used as a coping mechanism when you feel anxious; it is to be used every day as an exercise.
9:56: Mindfulness exercise; when you get distracted, shift your focus back to your breathing; being distracted is good - the act of shifting your focus back is what makes the exercise useful.
14:56: Learning to shift your attention from something unhelpful (e.g. a worry) to something productive is helpful in two ways: (1) it offers immediate relief and (2) it trains your brain to stop producing worries on the long term
17:28: To reap maximum benefits from mindfulness, you should start with 5 minutes and move up to 20-30 minutes; this is summarized at 20:47 and 22:34
So incredibly helpful. I have purchased the Breaking the Anxiety Cycle Course - and every session is so helpful. Particularly love this one. Thanks so much!
I actually do this exercise for years . That's how I solved my insomnia . I just try to focus, fail, repeat until that in a fail my unconsciousness wins and I fall sleep
Great explanation. I've struggled with the self discipline to exercise my mind every day and have always taken baby steps. I need to dive right in - be more immersive- like learning a new language. Awesome 😊
Best video I’ve seen on this. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.
You’re very helpful for me better than anybody has even tried to explain anything to me! Keep up the great work you do
I agree 🙏❤️🙏 We have to be kind and gentle to ourselves 🙏 WE CAN DO THIS ❤️💪❤️THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE VIDEO ❤️
Emma, I can't believe I didn't discover your channel sooner, but setting aside any regrets, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for your incredible videos. They've truly been life-changing. Sending blessings from India for all the amazing work you do. Thank you so much.
When I sit in meditation, and when my attention shifts, I gaze with gentle eyes, side to side back to center. That brings me into the here and now. 😊
I love this. You always provide concise, practical ,and down to earth suggestions on mental health maintenance. Thank you!❤
Thank you for this entire course! I finished listening to this episode this morning, so I am not done the full course yet, and will be completing it. However, I had a major breakthrough this evening in this, my personal mental health journey. As such, I needed to reach out to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation. There is much work for me still to do - I know this, accept this, have been doing the work, and will continue to build on the skills learned - but today was a positive turning point, in my life. So please know how thankful I am.
Thank you, Emma, for this incredibly important work❤
Looove this course so far 😊 Thank you so much Emma and Nick!!!
Thank you, this is really helpful, i am starting the one week challenges not as a coping mechanism, but as a Mind Exercise wooooo love you🤞🏼
Hello everyone
I fell a little bit better but I still fighting with demon's and still have problem to go sleep after leyback (1-2 hour overthinking). Mornings is also better than before, so I hope this is going in right way. I will be still trying beacuse I don't want any more experiencing this in my live.
Best wishes for everyone ✌️
If you haven’t tried, can I suggest L theanine 200 mg about 45 minutes before bed time. It’s natural amino acid and just enough calm in your brain you may be able to sleep - best wishes …. It’s helping me and I hope it helps you
Thanks for answer If don,t pass I will try.
Have nice weekend@@Renae6
Have you tried 4-7-8 breathing before bedtime? There are several good videos on RUclips about how to do this very simple breathing exercise. I no longer have a problem falling asleep, but it still crops up sometimes, like last night, just could not get comfortable, mind racing. Did 4 rounds of 4-7-8 breathing, pulled up the covers and the next thing I knew it was morning. Counting in any form brings your brains attention from your amygdala (the stress factory) to your prefrontal cortex. There are a lot of different calming breathing techniques but the 4-7-8 is the simplest and is effective quickly. Your brain cannot count and worry at the same time. I hope this helps! I often use it when I feel a panic attack coming on also.
thank you for the answer, I will definitely
Regards
This was so helpful. Thank you for what you do. You have helped me so much in the last year to come back from the darkest time in my life.
So happy you are back!
Well this was certainly timely. Thank you both for this very helpful video.
I watched this video 3 times already. I love the colors, the leaves, masking and gold sentiments.
That was great.. glad he built on the exercise analogy and having "difficult mindfulness session" is actually good, means it worked.. and the analogy of the bear is pretty good too.. anxiety affects me so much, with insomnia,that obviously I am worried of worrying.. lets give it one more try with a different mindset
Thank you Emma and Nick for this very informative and very helpful video!
This video is EXCELLENT! 😊 I have done courses in intense meditation, but have always struggled with it. This video is better than all the previous instruction I have had. THANK YOU so much! 💞
Thank you so much for your help and advice,
I really appreciate your job. I wish you happiness and peace under the sky of prosperity. All the best.
Take care and have a good time
The idea that getting distracted during a mindfulness session is actually helpful, really makes me see this in a new light.
Finally I understand the explanation of mindfulness. But still need to learn it. Thanks 😊
So grateful for this lesson on mindfulness training.
Thank you so much!!
Nik is a great teacher, easy to listen too and his explanations are full but straight forward.
I need to challenge myself too do this. Im going to add it on too my physio exercises, alarm set!! 😊
Emma, realmente ver tus videos se siente como una caricia al corazón y un sentimiento de esperanza ❤ gracias, por los videos, los amo
I have been doing mindful meditation for about 9 months now and unfortunately i cant say it has really helped with my overwhelming rumination and worry. I would say the hardest thing to do is to REMEMBER to be aware of our thoughts and to use these skills to help us. I wjll say, when i can do these skills it really helps, but i am not at a level where i can do this everyday consistently. I have a theory that people who have poor working memory may struggle to REMEMBER to be mindful and to choose to not pay attention yo the worries
That's always been my conundrum. I'm building up this toolbox of things to help with anxiety, but what good is it if I can't remember to use any of them when I need them? Putting notes on the wall only helps if I happen to be in that room when the worrying happens. I can't put notes everywhere I go. This isn't me saying the teachings are wrong, in case anyone wonders. It's just hard to know how I'm supposed to do things if I don't remember them when I need them. XP
Hi Richard! I have alarms set on my cell phone for daily activities, and my memory is pretty good but so much is going on here that it is hard to keep track of if I took my medication or if I gave the dogs their medications. I accidentally turned of my "Clean the bird cage and put in fresh food and water" alarm last week and didn't realize until after 5 pm that I hadn't done it. If you have a cellphone that you carry around all of the time, set up alarms in the Clock function, and name them instead of the automatic "Alarm" message that is displayed on the screen. So set an alarm that says "Mindfulness practice time" so when the alarm sounds and you look at the phone, there is your reminder!
Probably the most useful advice I’ve ever received. Thank you!
I find this video very helpful. I would like to add, that from my experience an important factor for success is to come back to a healthy balance of work, prayer or spiritual topics, recreation/rest and love/relationship. If you neglect this, you will damage your system and will get less and less efficient at your work, and THIS will also create MUCH additional anxiety.
Ellen Langer is the Queen of mindfulness…this video was sooo helpful!! Thank you!!! ❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
I’m so excited to try. Thank you for sharing
The Coping Skill vs. Exercise paradigm shift is VERY powerful, thanks NK! 👍🙏😎
A key aspect to enjoy meditation, for me, was that i had to allow myself to take 15 min off my day to do "nothing" and see it as a vital part of my health, the same way I allow myself to eat/take a shower/sleep,,...
God bless you you're doing amazing job your videos actually helped me change my life
I wish all of her content was also in a podcast as well as video. Great stuff.
Absolute love your videos ! So helpful! X
Wow God spoke to me through you guys THANK YOU 😍, you 2 are a blessing !
Thank you, Nick and Emma! I’ve done two ten minute sessions, at the beginning and end of each day and it helps a lot! So maybe that’s an introductory way to get up to the 20-30 Nick suggested
Fantastic, nice straight forward explanation, thank you
Mindfulness and meditation have always felt elusive to me. This video made it so approachable, and helped put it into a psychological context rather than having to just see it from a spiritual context. I appreciate the video!
Did you ever end up having to buy him lunch?
Thank you so much! So helpful.
I’m going to try it, thank you both!!
This has been so helpful, I'm going to start tomorrow!
Great info! Thank you!
Thanks for another great video. ❤
I’m gonna try this 😊 thank u to u both ❤
What about subconscious anxiety? When your body is anxious but your conscious brain is totally chill and happy?
Hi! I've had this really bad and this is my personal experience, hope it helps. I did 10 minutes of just sitting down and doing the mindfulness every day for a few months (like they describe in the video). What happened, is that after 2-4 weeks or so, I started to find patterns in what distracted me and it helped me identify what was causing the subconscious anxiety, because doing this exercise made me conscious about it. So now I ask myself after a session, was there a theme in the distraction ? Sometimes it's stupid stuff,sometimes it's pretty deep, but it has helped me a lot in bringing the anxiety in the "conscious" part, where I can use other tools to deal with it. For For instance, I am expecting a package delivery, nothing major or scary. While doing meditation I realised that my "distraction" thoughts were naturally going towards things like "what if it doesn't get here on time, what if I get the day mixed up and am not home, what if they put the wrong thing and I have to return it, ,..." Once I realised that this seemingly normal thing was keeping my worry so active, I took 5 minutes to correct my thoughts/fears. It's not magic, but over time it has decreased my anxiety sooooo much and now I know pretty fast while I feel anxious, which helps to address it properly. On top of that, physical exercise really helped too. A bit long but I really hope it helps !
I'm curious what you mean by this. I wonder if you mean you experience physical sensations that you interpret as anxiety but don't know the cause. A while back I found I was waking to feelings of anxiety and would try to identify the thoughts causing it. Then I realised I was thirsty...waking to a dry mouth. Reducing sugar and salt intake reduced my morning thirst and the experience of waking to 'anxiety' went away.