MINDFULNESS MEDITATION and BI POLAR HELP PLEASE

[Shivers88]

Hi guys,

so so for the last 5-6 days I've been feeling myself become stressed, irritable, moody, snappy, but before that had feelings of deep relaxation and calmness.

I I was mediating (mindfulness) 3 times a day.. And felt such deep calmness and so relaxed, then I started thinking, well I feel amazing, I'll paint and so up my daughters room ( moved into newly built home, been a long time coming) and did it. During it, I find myself becoming a little overworked, so j had to take a step back a breathe, then start agin... It's like I'm tying to make the most of feeling great before the wave hits again maybe? Such as anxiety, stress build up, as I'm very sensitive too.

Has anyone found wen they've really meditated that it's worked wonders, for anxiety as deep relaxation and calmness, patience too?

I just want to know if it's the mediation, or now I'm thinking it maybe something like a hypo mania/ mania? (My anxiety is making me think the worst)

when stopped doing mindfulness meditation does it make a lot of difference to you?? I found when I stopped j became more angry, more stressed over little things, more shouts and snappy and sometimes verbally abusive towards family members.

Does hypomania/mania make you feel relaxed and calm? Does it make you patient? Or am I just letting my anxiety get the best of me.. The thing is when I stop after realising in becoming a bit tense or overworked I can calm myself down with breathing and meditation and feel ok again.

im a great worrier, even though my clinical psychologist saids I don't have Bi Polar, or anything like that.. I still yet believe or worry over these things... My psychologist said I have great fears of my mental health and to say the very least, I do.

Please ser help and share :,(

[JessF]

Hello Shivers, we had another member on here a while ago who had an anxiety diagnosis but was convinced she had schizophrenia, no matter how many health professionals told her she didn't. Anxiety is all about false fear. If your psychologist has told you that you don't have bipolar it's incredibly unlikely that you do. None of us here are doctors or professionals either so we won't be able to diagnose you.

I think you've hit the nail on the head when you have said you're a great worrier, that's what anxiety is all about. Meditation and mindfulness is a good thing to do to help relax. It sounds like you've discovered this yourself, and you've also discovered what happens when you don't do it. It's all about finding the right routine and mix of things to stay well. Exercise is good too.

[Markpete]

Hello, I am new here.I would say, as in your case it can be very helpful, i would caution you to not do too much especially without a very very experenced teacher or friend. Everyone responds very differently to meditation, its not like a pill that's designed to have one specific result.
What you have experienced is one possible result of meditation, especially when you first do it and if you are "ready" for it. It won't be like that every time. If you find that after meditating you actually feel "worse" or have unpleasant feelings/emotions you should only do a simple breath meditation.
It is based on a technique called Vipassana Meditation from the Theravada Buddhist tradition.
Some of the things involved are:
- making the mind quieter i.e. concentration, maintaining a continuous awareness of the breath for example (not easy!).
- when the mind is quieter you are able to observe thoughts and feelings without reacting to them (again, not easy!).
- a calmness or pleasant feelings can arise when you do this.
You say "I found when I stopped i became more angry, more stressed over little things, more shouts and snappy and sometimes verbally abusive towards family members."
This is because your habit reactions to sensations (words,thoughts,sights,feelings) have gone back to full automatic mode. Your meditation was allowing you to not react so immediately to sensations/stimuli. Its like inserting a space between the sensation and your reaction, where you can choose to react or let it go on its way.
A negative/unpleasant sensation that arises in your mind/body has only so much "energy", if it is allowed to exist in consciousness without being pushed away or reacted to (and thus reinforced), it will "burn out", its energy will be extinguished at some point.

When you have a pleasant feeling enjoy it, but don't try to hang on to it, it will change and pass away, when you have an unpleasant feeling, experience it calmly (i know, easily said!) it also will change and pass away.

I hope I don't sound negative about meditation, i first meditated around 1976, and was lucky to find a genuine Vipassana teacher, it is the most extraordinary and beneficial thing i have ever done in my life.

Was going to say a lot more but exceeded the limit, hope its understandable.

[Shivers88]

Thank you so much! And now my meditation has stopped for two weeks! Hasn't been good! Help me! Is there any guided mediation apps I can download please?? I find my attention span is becoming a worry too 😞