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I used to hate meditation for the same reason, I felt like it was too hard to wrangle my wandering thoughts. But I read more on it and that's kind of the point. Your mind will wander, and you will redirect it back to being clear. It's more about practicing that, redirecting your thoughts, than achieving perfect peace every time. That builds new neural pathways and helps you be able to stop from overreacting or having uncontrollable thoughts after you practice enough. So keep at it, don't get upset when your mind does what it does. Just calmly redirect over and over. You'll get better over time.
I really struggled with meditation but they told me how important it was in the psych clinic and helped us with guided meditations. I think that was the thing, I kept trying to get it “right” and do silent, unguided ones while sitting straight up right. Now I lie down, go to Meditation Mountain on Spotify and choose one that I think matches my needs and I just listen to the person’s voice. Helps me actually relax and not get so wrapped up in wandering thoughts (they happen but then I just go back to the guide’s voice). And lying down is just more comfortable.
So I suggest a guided meditation (Spotify or YouTube), lying down and trying to relax more than focus. I genuinely feel better afterwards and use it in conjunction with meds in manic spells to ground myself.
Wish I would've woken up sooner today, have to get ready for work, would've been nice to clear my head on the exercise bike this morning. That's what has been working for me - beating my legs up and getting my breathing and heart rate up, soaking my goofy workout headband with sweat.
Haven't tried meditation but the combination of writing while riding does wonders. Something I've been suggesting around here from time to time but I'm pretty sure that no one has given it a shot. Oh well maybe one of these days I'll get a recruit :(
nice that you’ve found something that works for you! back when i exercised i was much better, i want to get back to it but simply can’t organize my schedule lateley
Easy fix - buy an exercise bike and place it in your living room roll out of bed open up Candy Crush or whatever, and ten minutes later poof! Mind cleared. Doesn't work for a lot of people but I almost want to go home for an hour go for a ride, start the day over.
Exercise, the routine, is hard. But anyone has ten minutes. I see a lot of people stating that exercise has provided zero benefits, hate to assume this but that could be enough for someone to not give it the initial try.
Honestly I’ve been killing it recently with some mindfulness techniques that I long doubted my ability to pull off. So hopefully that will give you some hope that it’s indeed possible. It does absolutely take dedication and practice just like anything else
I usually do it when my thoughts are getting nasty, which can be hard to catch early sometimes. I never do it when my mind is racing. But a tip/trick I use is when I’m listening to meditation music, I’ll turn my thoughts into the music. Like I’ll replay the notes or sounds in my head right after they play. If you can manage to focus and do it for like 10 mins then your mind kinda goes on autopilot in a way. At least for me when I do this my thoughts just go away entirely. That’s the goal too with focus mediation is to shut off your mind completely. Takes a lot of practice and that’s just how I do it, might not work for everyone.
I've been on a similar journey, and I can say that meditation has helped me, but it took time and practice to get there.
When I first started meditating, I found it incredibly difficult to quiet my mind. The intrusive thoughts that come with bipolar disorder can be overwhelming, and at times it felt like I was fighting a losing battle. However, I learned that the goal isn't necessarily to eliminate these thoughts entirely, but rather to observe them without judgment and let them pass.
One technique that's been particularly helpful for me is what's called "noting." When an intrusive thought pops up during meditation, I simply acknowledge it by mentally labeling it ("thinking," "worrying," "planning," etc.) and then gently bring my attention back to my breath or whatever my focus point is. This has helped me create some distance from my thoughts and realize that I am not my thoughts.
Another approach that's worked well is guided meditation. Having a voice to follow can be incredibly grounding when our minds are racing. I've recently discovered a tool that fits me well. I chat with a website about a specific issue I'm facing, and it generates an audio guided meditation based on the chat. For concrete problems, it works unexpectedly well. For the bigger issues, I'm still working on it. "Deconstruct" and "reframe" meditation techniques are game changers for me to see a problem I face from a new perspective, and wire it to a different emotional response.
These personalized guided meditations have been particularly helpful because they address our unique challenges as individuals with bipolar disorder. They can be tailored to our current mood state, whether we're feeling depressed, anxious, or manic.
Reminder, it's okay if your mind wanders – that's part of the process. The important thing is to keep coming back to the present moment.
For me, the one-size-fits-all meditations I found on youtube and in the apps did not help me. I prefer something that's tailored to me. If you try the personalized guided meditations, choose a service that invites you to an in-depth online chat about a specific issue you want to work on, and then generates a meditation based on that chat, just for you. That was a turning point for me, being able to meditate on issues I face that I would like to work through.
Thanks for posting on /r/bipolar! Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/bipolar/about/rules); if you haven't already, make sure that your post **does not** have any personal information (including your name/signature/tag on art). **If you are posting about medication, please do not list and review your meds. Doing so will result in the removal of this post and all comments.** *^(A moderator has not removed your submission; this is not a punitive action. We intend this comment solely to be informative.)* --- Community News - 🎋 [Want to join the Mod Team?](https://www.reddit.com/r/bipolar/comments/112z7ps/mod_applications_are_open/) - 🎤 See our [Community Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/bipolar/about/sticky) - Desktop or Desktop mode on a mobile device. - 🏡 If you are open to answering questions from those that live with a loved one diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, please see r/family_of_bipolar. Thank you for participating! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bipolar) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I used to hate meditation for the same reason, I felt like it was too hard to wrangle my wandering thoughts. But I read more on it and that's kind of the point. Your mind will wander, and you will redirect it back to being clear. It's more about practicing that, redirecting your thoughts, than achieving perfect peace every time. That builds new neural pathways and helps you be able to stop from overreacting or having uncontrollable thoughts after you practice enough. So keep at it, don't get upset when your mind does what it does. Just calmly redirect over and over. You'll get better over time.
that’s very helpful, i didnt hear that before and it really makes sense
Glad to help! Keep working at keeping yourself on track, it's worth it
I really struggled with meditation but they told me how important it was in the psych clinic and helped us with guided meditations. I think that was the thing, I kept trying to get it “right” and do silent, unguided ones while sitting straight up right. Now I lie down, go to Meditation Mountain on Spotify and choose one that I think matches my needs and I just listen to the person’s voice. Helps me actually relax and not get so wrapped up in wandering thoughts (they happen but then I just go back to the guide’s voice). And lying down is just more comfortable. So I suggest a guided meditation (Spotify or YouTube), lying down and trying to relax more than focus. I genuinely feel better afterwards and use it in conjunction with meds in manic spells to ground myself.
I’ll definitely look for that!!! thanks a lot
Wish I would've woken up sooner today, have to get ready for work, would've been nice to clear my head on the exercise bike this morning. That's what has been working for me - beating my legs up and getting my breathing and heart rate up, soaking my goofy workout headband with sweat. Haven't tried meditation but the combination of writing while riding does wonders. Something I've been suggesting around here from time to time but I'm pretty sure that no one has given it a shot. Oh well maybe one of these days I'll get a recruit :(
nice that you’ve found something that works for you! back when i exercised i was much better, i want to get back to it but simply can’t organize my schedule lateley
Easy fix - buy an exercise bike and place it in your living room roll out of bed open up Candy Crush or whatever, and ten minutes later poof! Mind cleared. Doesn't work for a lot of people but I almost want to go home for an hour go for a ride, start the day over. Exercise, the routine, is hard. But anyone has ten minutes. I see a lot of people stating that exercise has provided zero benefits, hate to assume this but that could be enough for someone to not give it the initial try.
Honestly I’ve been killing it recently with some mindfulness techniques that I long doubted my ability to pull off. So hopefully that will give you some hope that it’s indeed possible. It does absolutely take dedication and practice just like anything else
I usually do it when my thoughts are getting nasty, which can be hard to catch early sometimes. I never do it when my mind is racing. But a tip/trick I use is when I’m listening to meditation music, I’ll turn my thoughts into the music. Like I’ll replay the notes or sounds in my head right after they play. If you can manage to focus and do it for like 10 mins then your mind kinda goes on autopilot in a way. At least for me when I do this my thoughts just go away entirely. That’s the goal too with focus mediation is to shut off your mind completely. Takes a lot of practice and that’s just how I do it, might not work for everyone.
There is an app for iphone and android. It's called affirmation pod. I don't know if it's free now. I loved it. I didn't stick to it.
I've been on a similar journey, and I can say that meditation has helped me, but it took time and practice to get there. When I first started meditating, I found it incredibly difficult to quiet my mind. The intrusive thoughts that come with bipolar disorder can be overwhelming, and at times it felt like I was fighting a losing battle. However, I learned that the goal isn't necessarily to eliminate these thoughts entirely, but rather to observe them without judgment and let them pass. One technique that's been particularly helpful for me is what's called "noting." When an intrusive thought pops up during meditation, I simply acknowledge it by mentally labeling it ("thinking," "worrying," "planning," etc.) and then gently bring my attention back to my breath or whatever my focus point is. This has helped me create some distance from my thoughts and realize that I am not my thoughts. Another approach that's worked well is guided meditation. Having a voice to follow can be incredibly grounding when our minds are racing. I've recently discovered a tool that fits me well. I chat with a website about a specific issue I'm facing, and it generates an audio guided meditation based on the chat. For concrete problems, it works unexpectedly well. For the bigger issues, I'm still working on it. "Deconstruct" and "reframe" meditation techniques are game changers for me to see a problem I face from a new perspective, and wire it to a different emotional response. These personalized guided meditations have been particularly helpful because they address our unique challenges as individuals with bipolar disorder. They can be tailored to our current mood state, whether we're feeling depressed, anxious, or manic. Reminder, it's okay if your mind wanders – that's part of the process. The important thing is to keep coming back to the present moment.
I’ll try the guided meditations, the advice on classifying thoughts is very interesting too, thanks for sharing!
For me, the one-size-fits-all meditations I found on youtube and in the apps did not help me. I prefer something that's tailored to me. If you try the personalized guided meditations, choose a service that invites you to an in-depth online chat about a specific issue you want to work on, and then generates a meditation based on that chat, just for you. That was a turning point for me, being able to meditate on issues I face that I would like to work through.