Mindfulness

Mindfulness is not new to me.

When I was in 6th form and was suffering huge family upheaval (3 house moves in years, new baby, new step dad, new siblings, contact issues with birth father, mother with severe postnatal depression and step dad going (successfully) back to rehab) the school nurse was asked to help me with my anxiety levels.

She talked me through what I later learned (10 years later) was a mindfulness body scan. I was reminded of this whenever I met an anxious mother and would talk them through this meditation. One day, whilst myself working as a school nurse I came across the nurse who taught me this technique. She didn't remember me, and was now working in mental health. A mother praised how I had helped her with relaxation techniques in a meeting we were both attending. I admitted after the meeting that it was this lady who had taught me when I was 17 and anxious.

I revisited relaxation during my first pregnancy. Hideous hyperemesis     consumed me. My mood low and exhausted I found a hypnotherapy CD. It reminded me of the school nurse. It didn't cure the sickness but it did make me feel more rested. And wanting lemons.

I made an attempt at hypnobirthing first time, made more effort and found it very effective second time. Then it was another 3 years before I knew the name of this wonderful new mental health cure all Mindfulness. In reality it was the meditation and hypnosis that I had regularly used throughout early adulthood.

So here I am again. I still practice mindfulness and have picked up more cbt techniques regarding thought diffusion to use along the way. I have struggled to find a podcast I liked so tended to do the body scan myself.

I downloaded a few apps to try again. One, smiling mind, is an Australian app, originally designed for use in schools. I have listened a bit to the adult ones, but last night, my son was upset and couldn't sleep. We tried the 7-9 years program (bubbles and sleep) and both of us listened and he fell calmly asleep as did I (for a short while).

He's asked to listen again. I'm looking forward to doing the compassion and empathy ones with him over the next few weeks.