Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
Wondering if anyone has any experience with mindfulness meditation?
A counselor at my school's counseling center runs a mindfulness stress reduction group every semester and today was the first session of this semester. I signed up and went to it, but I'm unsure about it. The group was small. There were two other girls and the counselor, but I guess usually there will be four other girls plus the counselor. I don't know any of the other girls or the counselor.
I went to the group because the counselor who I see suggested that it would be beneficial for me. She said that it would help me to learn techniques to be more relaxed. The problem that I found today though was that it was an anxiety provoking experience. The counselor explained that the point of mindfulness is to be totally in the present. To focus on and accept the environment, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. that are in the "right now". She explained that it may not always be a relaxed and stress-free feeling that arises. She also explained that it is completely voluntary as to whether or not we want to participate and share our thoughts, feelings, or reactions to the exercises that we do. I feel like it would be more beneficial to share these things, but I did not feel comfortable doing so. It is hard for me to be open about my personal thoughts and feelings with other people. Sitting in a room in a therapy-like setting with random people was uncomfortable for me. I felt more stressed in the session than I did before. It just made me feel nervous, uncomfortable, and full of anxiety.
I spoke privately with the counselor after the session about how the group made me feel. I explained some of my anxiety problems to her and I explained how I felt anxious and uncomfortable in the group. I told her I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue going to meetings. She explained to me that it is normal to feel uncomfortable in these situations. She also explained that the exercises may not always result in positive, relaxed, stress-free feelings and that other other feelings that come up are okay. She told me that maybe sitting with the anxiety in the group and dealing with it would be beneficial. She told me to consider coming back to the next meeting for this reason. I'm just unsure about it. I don't know that putting myself in a situation that brings about anxiety is going to be helpful. I feel like I may end up learning some useful techniques from the group, but it just makes me uncomfortable to actually go to the meetings. I'm going to talk to the counselor who I see regularly about this next time I see her, but the next group meeting is before that so I just looking to get some thoughts about this situation from some other people.
Does anyone have any experience with or thoughts about mindfulness meditation? Do you think that in the end it will be beneficial to keep going to the meetings if I can get past the nervousness and anxiety that I feel like it causes?
A counselor at my school's counseling center runs a mindfulness stress reduction group every semester and today was the first session of this semester. I signed up and went to it, but I'm unsure about it. The group was small. There were two other girls and the counselor, but I guess usually there will be four other girls plus the counselor. I don't know any of the other girls or the counselor.
I went to the group because the counselor who I see suggested that it would be beneficial for me. She said that it would help me to learn techniques to be more relaxed. The problem that I found today though was that it was an anxiety provoking experience. The counselor explained that the point of mindfulness is to be totally in the present. To focus on and accept the environment, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. that are in the "right now". She explained that it may not always be a relaxed and stress-free feeling that arises. She also explained that it is completely voluntary as to whether or not we want to participate and share our thoughts, feelings, or reactions to the exercises that we do. I feel like it would be more beneficial to share these things, but I did not feel comfortable doing so. It is hard for me to be open about my personal thoughts and feelings with other people. Sitting in a room in a therapy-like setting with random people was uncomfortable for me. I felt more stressed in the session than I did before. It just made me feel nervous, uncomfortable, and full of anxiety.
I spoke privately with the counselor after the session about how the group made me feel. I explained some of my anxiety problems to her and I explained how I felt anxious and uncomfortable in the group. I told her I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue going to meetings. She explained to me that it is normal to feel uncomfortable in these situations. She also explained that the exercises may not always result in positive, relaxed, stress-free feelings and that other other feelings that come up are okay. She told me that maybe sitting with the anxiety in the group and dealing with it would be beneficial. She told me to consider coming back to the next meeting for this reason. I'm just unsure about it. I don't know that putting myself in a situation that brings about anxiety is going to be helpful. I feel like I may end up learning some useful techniques from the group, but it just makes me uncomfortable to actually go to the meetings. I'm going to talk to the counselor who I see regularly about this next time I see her, but the next group meeting is before that so I just looking to get some thoughts about this situation from some other people.
Does anyone have any experience with or thoughts about mindfulness meditation? Do you think that in the end it will be beneficial to keep going to the meetings if I can get past the nervousness and anxiety that I feel like it causes?
It sounds like the counselor running the group is respectful of each person, boundaries and so on. You don't have to share and if you prefer to just be in the class and not meditate during the whole time I bet she'd be okay with that as well.
It may be a valuable tool.
I heard that when we feel depressed, it often involves examining the past. When we are anxious, it usually involves fears about the future. So when we can be fully present, the theory goes, we realize that in that moment we are almost always okay.
Let us know how it goes.