3 replies to this topic

[looneytune]

As I finish the day I go to bed and do some breathing, and as most of us know, night time usually brings some relief to the anxiety that is prevalent during the early part of the day so getting into the breathing is usually no problem as I quite calm to begin with  (A Cortisol thing they say)

 

HOWEVER! When I am somewhat stressed and anxious or low mood I find it really hard, or more like impossible, to get the breathing and calm feeling going....there is a block of sorts, like a mind game Firewall that does not allow the meditation and breathing patterns to start

 

Is there Anyway around this Firewall folks.....what works for you to calm this storm and permit the Yoga breathing ?

 

Like I say, normally I am feeling fine most late nights and the breathing exercises are very helpful and reassuring but when I have what I call, The Electric Feeling (anxiety) surges, it's next to impossible to engage the breathing as an aid to some peace of mind due to this mind block/firewall

 

Hope you are all doing well in your own personal fight backs

 

John

 

[fishinghat]

Can't help with this one. The cortisol pattern is one thing but there is also a serotonin pattern. In the later part of the day two things often happen. One, serotonin levels drop as much is converted to melatonin and two the stress of daytime activity has had an opportunity to contribute to evening/nighttime anxiety. This serotonin pattern is very common and is definitely the one I experienced. I never had problems with my being able to perform my breathing exercises but they sure were not very effective in controlling my anxiety. Some members who experienced one of these two cycles had success by "splitting" their dose. For example, if you take your antidepressant in the morning then switch to taking it in the evening. It has been my observation that those who "split" their dose had the best success. Take half your dose in the morning and half in the evening. This provides a more uniform and stable blood serum level and minimizes the daily extremes that many members experience.

[looneytune]

Thanks man

[invalidusername]

Hey John,

 

The whole purpose of breathing, meditation and letting go is not to expect something to happen. It will never be the same every time. The more you force it, the worse it will become, but even so, you need to be at a place where you balance out as best as possible.

 

It is worth trying which Hat has said in splitting the doses. This can bring no harm and may in fact help you out in the long run, but more importantly is to learn to let go when things do not pan out quite how you might be expecting them to go. 

 

Breathing and meditating is a great way to go, but there are so many apps and sites out there now that do not explain quite how it is meant to work. One should not expect anything from this time from the off - doing so will only inhibit the benefits. 

 

It is such a big fad these days with all the apps that are available, such that the true meaning of meditation becomes diluted and therefore its benefits are often reduced...

 

IUN