Meditation and mindfulness and how it might help you - ERSA

Original post by Versus Arthritis

It’s important to be kind to your mind and your body, to help strike a balance especially during self-isolation and shielding.

Studies have shown that meditation can be used to help provide coping strategies, reduce anxiety and enable you to learn more about how your mind works.

When you’re in pain, getting ‘comfortable’ to relax your mind may feel challenging. Here’s some advice and tips to give you a positive toolkit of meditation and mindfulness techniques.

We’re all different and finding what feels right and works for you is important. It might be that you choose yoga as your preferred meditative exercise or you find that practicing breathing exercises every morning helps.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a meditative technique that involves reconnecting to our bodies and focusing on our thoughts in a non-judgemental way. It can be something you do for a few minutes (or longer), in a place that’s comfortable for you.

Some people find the practice helpful as it can relax the mind and with regular practice it can change thinking patterns to encourage physical and emotional wellbeing.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend mindfulness as a preventative practice for people with recurring experience of anxiety and depression.

“We often don’t realise that our minds are constantly chattering, which can be stressful. What will I make for tea? How am I going to manage in 10 years’ time? You have to bring yourself back to the here and now – push negative thoughts away. Stress intensifies pain, but being mindful means, I am less stressed, so the pain is more manageable.”

Christine

What are the benefits of meditation and mindfulness?

Studies have documented a variety of benefits from practising regular meditation and mindfulness. By taking the time to look after ourselves, we can take a pause, recognise how we feel, understand how our minds work and experiment with activities to help boost our wellbeing.

These can vary from yoga, tai chi or using a guided meditation app such as Headspace or Calm.

Read more from the NHS about the benefits of mindfulness.

“I use a combination of methods to help manage my pain. I use mindfulness, stretching exercises, walking, arthritis gloves, a TENS machine, analgesic gels as well as painkillers. I try to go walking and cycling as much as possible and having a mainly positive attitude has helped me get through.”

Ken

Read Ken’s story – living with arthritis on lockdown.

Tuning into your thoughts and being aware how you feel can be beneficial to you and to others living with arthritis.

“Being able to link up with other young people has completely changed the way I feel about my condition. I used to feel very alone. I hope that this (Arthritis Tracker) app helps other young people to become part of a community who are here to support each other.”

Hope

Our Arthritis Tracker app for young people is helping those affected to track their symptoms such as pain, fatigue and emotional wellbeing. Read more about the app.

Find what works for you

There are many different techniques you can try if you’re new to mindfulness and meditation.

Try this short mindful breathing exercise video on YouTube from NHS’s Every Mind Matters and learn more about the 5 steps for mental wellbeing.
Take the time to mindfully appreciate nature and notice how this can improve your mood.
Alternatively, try Be Mindful,an online course for reducing stress, anxiety and depression.

For Sharon, noticing the small joys in everyday and keeping a gratitude diary has helped her.

“The biggest change for me is I feel more positive as I’m making these changes. The size is irrelevant, it’s the changes that matter. These little changes have already added up to a bigger change in how I’m feeling about my life as a whole. I’ll continue to commit to these changes, even if I miss some weeks. It just feels like a proactive way of managing my life with arthritis now and in the future.”

Sharon

How to get started

Here are our tips to help you get started with meditation and mindfulness:

Find a place to practice which is comfortable for you. This can be inside your home, in the garden or during a break in your working day. For your meditation, you can choose whether to be seated, standing or walking.
Choose a regular time that works for you, whether that’s first thing in the morning or before you go to sleep.
Set aside an amount of time that feels right.
Experiment and find what you enjoy. If 10-minute sessions listening to relaxing music gives you the boost you need or if you prefer a weekly yoga session, that’s all ok.
If you meditate and your mind gets distracted, that’s ok too. If this happens, simply let the thoughts come and go. Be kind to yourself and find what works for you.

If you need further support

Public Health England have produced a guide which includes advice on how to look after your mental health and wellbeing.
Check out the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) resources on managing your physical and mental health and wellbeing.
You can reach out to expert organisations like Mind and Anxiety UK for emotional support.

Versus Arthritis are here to hep you

If you’re feeling isolated from family and friends during these uncertain times, we’re here for you.

If you would like to talk to someone, you can call our free helpline on 0800 5200 520 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm)
Chat to COVA, our COVID-19 Virtual Assistant, using the purple icon in the bottom right corner of this page.
Join our online community
Stay in touch and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

For more information on Mental Health Awareness Week: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week