Meditation - am I doing it right!?!

This was a question that dominated my mind on a daily basis for years..literally!  

Meditation - we all know it's good for us and the health benefits are quite clear. However, there's so many different types/modalities out there!! Which one is right, and more importantly, which one can help us!

For around 3 years I was constantly on the search for the 'right type' of meditation for me.  Which 'type' would aid me in improving my health? Which 'type' could lessen my symptoms? I tried so many things - Mindfulness, Hypnotherapy tracks, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mind Calm..the list goes on! I had varying success, but what I really struggled with was the visual side of things - 'Imagine yourself sunbathing on your favourite beach feeling perfectly healthy...'  More often than not, I failed at achieving this states, primarily because my body was usually screaming with symptoms and ill feelings.  This in turn, often ramped up my anxiety levels because I couldn't achieve the desired relaxed state. I just got more and more anxious about my symptoms and frustrated that I couldn't change them.  So in actual fact, I often left a meditative session more anxious than when I started...and then I got anxious about being anxious. VICIOUS CYCLE!! I'm sure many of you have felt the same - a very head driven buzzy wiredness. Sound familiar?

I eventually stumbled across a form of meditation that was just right.  No visualisation, no breathing in feelings of health and sunny beaches..just being where you are and letting yourself know that that is ok.  When I first discovered it, this was a massive realisation for me, and everything started calming down a lot, in particular my mind! It soon dawned on me that all this time I had been trying to do meditation perfectly, and it was those perfection patterns that were actually hindering my progress with meditation.  As one with a bit of an Achiever personality, I felt I 'had to get it right.' Ironically, it was this 'having to get it right,' that hindered my progress health wise and in meditation.  
It was this learning 'to be' and accepting where I was at in that moment when I noticed shifts happening.  It's interesting isn't it, how we spend so much time in our heads and so little time in our bodies.  No wonder we get so stressed, and oftentimes lose control of our health.          

This type of 'Beingness' is one of just being present in the moment..separated from our thoughts, stress, and anxiety.  It sounds Spiritual almost, but it's really not.  It's just the process of being here, right now. A process of focusing on our breath, our arms, our legs, our muscles.  I usually do this 2/3 times a day, around 10 minutes each time and find it wonderfully powerful and rejuvenating.  On the other hand, Catastrophising thoughts, mental tennis, stress, are all pretty exhausting, and are certainly things we could do with less of, especially if you are on a recovery path.    

I came across a wonderful Meditation Teacher, Linda Hall, who has herself recovered from a Chronic Illness, M.E./CFS, after suffering from the condition for 8 years and making a full recovery. Her style is extremely soothing and therapeutic, and speaks to people at any level, no matter how healthy or ill you are.  

Here is a few of her short meditations (about 10 mins in length) Worth a go : 

Linda also has her own website, where she sells Meditation downloads that are specific for M.E.  I even did one of her telephone tutorial courses and it was great! All that and more are offered on her site : http://www.audiomeditation.co.uk/

Adam

x

My Approach to Emotions and M.E./CFS

This is an issue very close to my heart, given I'm planning on working in this field once fully qualified.  I know that this may seem like a bit of a controversial topic...how can emotions affect my CFS? This isn't all mental..I'm in physical pain, I'm tired, I have brain fog all the time..what the hell does emotions have to do with all this??

Firstly, I absolutely agree that M.E/CFS is a physical illness, I have blood tests to prove it! However, I feel that focusing on purely the physical side really limits our scope in relation to recovery.  Think about it..if this condition was purely physical, all we'd need to do was rest and our body would be able to fully recover itself.  Also, if it was purely physical, GET (Graded Exercise Therapy) on its own would cure everyone.  However, this rarely seems to be the case.  Don't get me wrong, rest and graded exercise (at the right stage of recovery!) can be really supportive in overall recovery, but on their own, don't generally get us well.  

I'm an advocate of a more integrative approach to health.  Having listened to, read about, and seen so many recovery stories, I've noticed one common thread that runs through virtually all of them - they integrated their approach to getting fully well, harnessing not just the physical side, but also the mental side.  

It's absolutely normal to experience strong emotions when we are ill.  We can lose much of our independence, our friends, our jobs....in effect, much of our livelihood.  The constant worrying about this, and most prominently our symptoms, can exhaust us and really vamp up our nervous system (anyone familiar with that Tired but Wired feeling?)  

Tired but Wired

Often the most painful thing can be resisting these emotions and thoughts, because resisting them can often be more scary than just accepting them and honouring them.  In addition to this, the resistance of these emotions can also be a drain on our already limited energy sources, which in effect can compound us to more symptoms, more panic, and more exhaustion.  

I'm not going to go into too much depth about what has helped me on my healing journey on the emotional side, as that is beyond the scope of this post and something I could talk about for weeks...literally!! What I will do is talk you through a few things that have helped free up some energy for me by working with my emotions and thoughts.  By the way, this isn't mainstream, it's considered 'alternative' by Western Medicine, but for every 95 out of a hundred recoveries, their approach has been alternative.  

1)  STOP RESISTING SYMPTOMS - by resisting symptoms we're using a hell of a lot of energy. Often more energy than going for a walk.  Think about a time you've been lying in bed for days and are feeling no better than when you first got under the covers.  Chances are that you're running loads of anxiety patterns about when you'll get better, whether you'll be able to see your friend tomorrow, why you aren't improving etc.  This is really stressful on your system, and is what someone I know refers to as 'horizontal stress!' 

I must say I needed help with this - by going to see a specialised M.E./CFS Psychology Practitioner.  They helped me identify what patterns I was running about my symptoms, and gave me tools to change them.  Much calmed down since then!  Click here for the clinic I visited. 

2.1) DEEP BREATHING TECHNIQUES - this may sound really simple, but it's really quite effective.  It won't make your symptoms go away, but it will really help you tune in more accurately to your body's messages. Accept these messages as useful feedback and try and heed them, you're body won't give you false information, it doesn't have an ego!

If I've learnt anything from going through this process, it's the importance of listening to the body and following what the body wants rather than what the mind wants! Deep breathing massively helps with this.  Click here for a useful breathing handout. 

NOTE : Deep breathing may also cause emotions to arise.  That's ok, just allow them to just be there, they're not trying to hurt you. Avoid resisting them, as this will drain your energy.

2.2) YOGA & MEDITATION - we get our benefit from Yoga through gentle stretching of the muscles, but mostly importantly, the deep-breathing we attain whilst doing it. The same applies for meditation.  This is vitally important, as deep-breathing oxygenises our cells, helps detox the body, and nourishes the soul (for any Spiritual readers out there!)

3) REACHING OUT AND RECEIVING SUPPORT - this can be anything from talking about your feelings with a friend or family member.  What I found more effective was seeking the help of a therapist (ideally one who specialises in treating M.E/CFS sufferers.)  Yes, I've seen a therapist, and there's nothing wrong with that!! I needed help where I was at, and that help gave me new perspectives on things, along with helping me process some undigested childhood traumas, which once processed, took me another step forward on my recovery process.  

I avoided taking the CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) route.  I instead chose to trust my intuition, and find someone who specialised in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Hypnotherapy, and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique.) This really helped me identify and work with some of my deeper underlying patterns which were keeping me in this constant fear, fight-or-flight mode.  Emotional Freedom Technique was particularly powerful, especially with pain, and is now commonly used with Fibromyalgia patients.  These modalities have inspired and helped me so much, that I'm now actively qualifying in all of them.  You generally feel energised after a session, and it's something you can do on yourself whenever you need! I would recommend EFT to anyone with M.E./CFS (and trust me, I've tried a lot of other stuff!) but I'd encourage you to explore how you feel about this intuitively.  Trust your gut instinct!

4) COACHING - being our own best coach, supporting ourselves whenever we need to. This is so important, especially when we're experiencing sadness, anxiety, or any related emotions.  It keeps us motivated on our path to health and wellness, and has a wonderfully grounding quality to it.  Ask yourself, "How would I treat a 3 year old child?" Hopefully with love and care! Maybe it's time we treated ourselves like this..we're usually so hard on ourselves! You're going through a really tough time right now, it's time to cut yourself some slack!

5) GET INSPIRED! - a great way to lighten your emotional load is by reading inspiring stories by those who have faced adversity and come through the other side.  There are now A LOT of published CFS recovery stories out there! I used these to fuel my belief in recovery, as well as to gain valuable info on how to recover.  There are loads of cancer recovery stories out there too, which follow similar patterns.  Reading these made me feel a hell of a lot better about my situation at that particular time! One I would recommend is written by a now friend of mine, Alex Howard, which can be purchased on Amazon here. A hugely inspiring and deeply personal account of his 7 year journey from M.E. to full recovery.  

I really hope anyone reading this finds it helpful and not too contentious!! It's just a description of the things I've used on the cognitive side which have hugely supported my physical wellbeing.  Simply put, I wouldn't have got to this point without using these tools :-)


Adam
x

@cantfailwithkale

Magnesium - the miracle mineral.

Magnesium is probably the most over-looked mineral of all, and perhaps the most important.  It's incredible that 80% of Americans are deficient in this (I couldn't get British figures unfortunately, but I suspect they are similar...)  Given how vital Magnesium is to our everyday function, the fact that around 80% of the population are deficient in it is indicative of the health crisis we are currently facing today in Western society.  After being constantly exposed to dangerous pesticides in our vegetables, anti-biotics which our meat is pumped full of to avoid infection, and the chronic stress we experience in our lives, this is perhaps no wonder... It also offers a partial explanation as to why we're becoming immune to anti-biotics.

Early signs of magnesium deficiency include loss of appetite, headache, nausea, fatigue, and weakness. An ongoing magnesium deficiency can lead to more serious symptoms, including:

Numbness and tingling	Muscle contractions and cramps	Seizures
Personality changes	Abnormal heart rhythms	Coronary spasms

In her book, The Magnesium Miracle, (a very easy-to-read book for the lay man) Dr. Dean lists 100 factors that will help you decide whether or not you might be deficient.

I had to have blood tests taken about a year ago at the clinic where I'm being treated for health reasons.  I was stunned to find how deficient in Magnesium I was....no wonder I had no energy! (At this point walking to the end of my road could be a struggle at times.)  In hindsight however, looking over the years I had abused my body with a very poor diet and high levels of stress (along with a potential genetic predisposition) this was perhaps no surprise.

Conditions linked to Magnesium deficiency include (but are not limited to) to following: 

Pain:
Headaches
Muscles Spasms/Cramps
Fibromyalgia
M.E./CFS

Mental Health & Sleep:
Anxiety
Depression
Autism and ADD
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
Insomnia
Tics

Other Conditions:
Psoriasis, Acne, & Eczema
Asthma
Blood Pressure
Diabetes
Osteoporosis

Below I'm going to list a series of reasons why magnesium is so crucial for good health.

Magnesium:

• Creating energy in your body by activating adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
• Is an important factor in muscle relaxation and heart health
• Allows nerves to send messages in the brain and nervous system
• Aids and regulates the body’s use of calcium and other minerals
• Assists in bone and teeth formation
• Regulates the metabolism of nutrients such as protein, nucleic acids, fats and carbohydrates
• Regulates cholesterol production and helps modulate insulin sensitivity
• Assists in energy production, DNA transcription and protein synthesis
• Maintains the structural health of cell membranes throughout the body

You can see here just how important this mineral is for our bodies, and how critical it is to our on-going health.  I didn't even know what magnesium was until 18 months ago..if I'd only have known what it was and it's importance sooner, I may have taken earlier action!

Magnesium is available in a wide variety of foods.  The following contain a high source of Magnesium :

Fish like mackerel, wild salmon, halibut, and tuna will add more magnesium to your menu

Avocado
Bananas
Chard (a green leafy vegetable - goes great in smoothies)
Nuts & Seeds - particularly pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, and almonds
Dark Chocolate

You can also get Magnesium by supplementation - this is the one I use : 

What else can I try...? 

Epsom Salts Baths are a bit old fashioned, but it's an easy way of getting a Magnesium boost.  It will aid muscle relaxation and a general sense of calm. Try here if interested : http://bit.ly/1xX0AAv

Thanks for Reading, 


Adam

10 Simple Tips to Become A Master of Meditation Overnight

Following my first post, some of the great feedback I received was along the lines of, "I can't meditate because I can't stop thoughts buzzing through my head."  Sound like you? 

I completely understand where you're coming from, as initially I struggled with this practice too, but once you make the decision to actively engage with it, and practice regularly with gentle discipline, you will find it both rewarding and enjoyable.  

I like to compare it to body training at the gym...the more you work a muscle, the more it strengthens.  The same goes for neurons in the brain, as we are taught in Hebbian Theory, "Neurons that fire together wire together."  So, in effect, the more you practice meditation, the stronger the neuron connections become, the better you'll get and the easier it becomes.  

Here are my top 10 tips to ensure you develop consistent practice, and stay on track to creating a healthy body and a healthy mind!  

1. Meditate first thing in the morning or last thing at night (if possible!) - this is when you brain is most receptive to change, as it is in the alpha, dreamlike state
2. Aim to find a place at home or work suitable - somewhere quiet where you are unlikely to find distractions is perfect.  This will allow you to relax and focus much more easily
3. Make it a priority - this means putting it in the diary and committing to it in the same way you would to any other kind of meeting. Whether it is 10 minutes or considerably longer, nothing is more important than the health of your mind.  When people don't make this their priority, they often miss out and then become de-motivated
4. You don't need to 'still your mind' - above all, meditation gives your body the chance to relax and recover.  It is not useful, therefore, to resist having thoughts when meditating.  To resist thoughts is to resist relaxation, so just go with the flow!
5. To help yourself feel at ease - initially visualise a place you've been to in the past that evokes a relaxation response, perhaps a sunny beach
6. If you miss a day or two, don't be hard on yourself - this will surely undermine your efforts and motivation. Therefore, I suggest if you fall from grace one day, make the choice to get back into your routine the very next day without wallowing in failure and self-deprecation
7. Always spent a couple of minutes at the end of each meditation to reflect on its benefits - Notice how you feel, physically, mentally and emotionally. The more you establish the connection between training the mind and feeling better, clearer, or calmer, the easier it becomes to sit down and practice 
8. You only need to meditate 10-15 minutes per day - that's all it takes!
9. Have realistic expectations - Training or taming the mind is a skill to develop over a lifetime. There are some immediate benefits to be found, but some take longer than others. Just take it one day at a time
10. Have a scrap book and note any changes you feel - be it calmer, more confident, or healthier, these will be constant reminders of what you have achieved

Thanks, and remember...

Adam

p.s. Still struggling? There's a series of audios you can download from http://www.eocinstitute.org/. This is based on Dr. Heinrich Wilhelm Dove's discovery that when you introduce tones with certain frequencies into each ear, you could actually entrain the electrical patterns within the brain to resonate in very specific patterns, called brainwave states. These tones induce beta, and alpha wave states in your brain, which enables quicker meditative states.