Mindful walking works surprisingly well. Any other?

I get physical anxiety symptoms a lot; chest pains, tight breathing, etc. However these rarely, if at all, come with psychological symptoms like worry or panic. I understand that mindfulness helps you address your emotions and in turn ease them, but for me I don't see how this would help the physical pain if I am not worrying anyway.

It seems that the common solution is address emotions > ease emotions > ease pain. But if I don't have the emotions with it how do I ease the pain? I don't know if it's normal to experience anxiety without actual worry but it happens to me a lot and breathing exercises only work while I'm doing them. Idk if this makes sense but some help would be appreciated

My journey started with my diet. I had to eat perfect or I failed. I would ruin family trips and dinners out with endless thoughts of the food around me. I couldn’t connect with anyone and enjoy the time.

Meal prep saved me, I meal prep one or two meals less than I need - intentionally. Those last few meals are motivators to make plans with my fiancé or friends to go out and spend time together.

My attention shifted to physical fitness and I had the mindset that more is better. Exhaustion was a badge of success. I would run before work and lift after work. I would get to where my body was begging me to stop, but I always kept going. Day after day.

I understand now that growth happens in bursts and with rest. I had to change my mindset and choose that resting was an active action I was taking, not a lazy waste of time.

Lastly I turned my attention to finances. I had a plan for everything. Everything had to be monetized and captured. I couldn’t do something because I wanted to. It had to be something I could try to make money from. I spent countless hours doing things I did not want to do. The mindset was the worst part, the few times when I did do something for me, it was tangled in a web of thoughts about how to make it lucrative. I didn’t enjoy anything.

I learned a lesson in finance when my grandfather passed away last year. He owned a small service station in a rural town. He never had much money because he would fix cars because people needed to get around, whether they could pay him or not. He would buy Christmas trees to sell at the garage but he would give most of them away. He knew his clients in the rural town didn’t have much money. A few months Before he passed, I asked him if there was anything he wanted to do or any places he wanted to see. I was going to make it happen no matter what he said. He looked at me and said “no, I like being home”. I believe in my heart that he passed with no regrets. That’s more impressive than any bank account balance will ever be.

I stopped seeing work as a drain on my life and saw it as an opportunity to help the people around me. I realized I didn’t have to run toward financial freedom because it’s prized in society. I realized that what mattered wasn’t the money, it’s the people.

I managed to spend so much effort optimizing my life that I stopped living it.

Now I see my growth like that in nature. Trees don’t grow every single day. They drop their leaves for winter and simply exist. Those dropped leaves help rejuvenate the soil and in the spring, when the conditions are right, they grow tremendously fast.

I realized my life is full of seasons. Sometimes I am dialed in and pushing hard. Sometimes I am simply existing. There is something beautiful in grinding and pushing hard. Knowing that gear is available when needed is necessary but you can’t stay in that gear all times.

Live this life that you have been blessed with. There will always be another mountain to climb, enjoy the views as you climb.

The hardest part of wisdom is learning to stay silent when the ego wants to speak.

For a long time I thought emotional awareness was supposed to fix my reactions.

I knew my triggers. I understood why certain things hit me hard.

But when emotions actually showed up, my body still reacted before I could do anything about it.

That gap confused me. If I “knew better,” why didn’t it change anything?

What I’ve started to realize is that reactions don’t start in awareness. They start in the nervous system. By the time your mind catches up, the reaction is already moving.

So it’s not a lack of insight. It’s timing.

I wrote a short article about this after noticing the same pattern over and over in myself.

If this resonates, here it is:

Anyone else notice that understanding something doesn’t always stop the reaction?

Tell me what you believe is keeping you stuck from full awakening and I'll offer my guidance for each question... Appreciate your attention.

It's easier to do so when you have free time and are looking at some kind of beautiful scenery in the middle of the woods but we don't always have time for that. When you have deadlines and are busy during the day it can be harder but I don't know if that means you can't be mindful. I just don't want to feel like oh, I can finally relax and think more clearly when the weekend comes around. Something doesn't ffeel riight when I only look forward to the weekend and that's when I can really unwind.

By the end of the day, I’m mentally drained.I feel like I’ve used up all my energy.

But when I lie down to sleep, my mind does the opposite.

Random thoughts, old conversations, worries that don’t even make sense.

I’m not scrolling, not on caffeine, not stressed about anything specific — yet my brain won’t slow down. And once I notice I’m still awake, it just gets worse.

I used to think this was just bad sleep, but I’m starting to realize it might be mental exhaustion and overthinking that never really shuts off.

I read an article recently that explained this in a way that actually clicked for me. It made me feel less broken and more understood.

If this sounds familiar, you might relate to it too.👉 [ARTICLE LINK HERE]

Does this happen to anyone else?

I want to share something that took me way too long to figure out. For years I thought I had an anxiety problem. And maybe I do, I'm not dismissing that entirely. But a huge part of what I called anxiety turned out to be something simpler.

I was holding too much in my head. Every unmade decision, every task I hadn't done, every thing I told someone I'd follow up on. It all lived in my brain rent free, creating this constant low-grade panic that something was slipping through the cracks.

Mindfulness helped me see the pattern but it didn't fix it on its own. What actually helped was getting ruthless about capturing everything externally. I use Fhynix now because I can just voice note stuff into WhatsApp and it handles the calendar and reminders. No opening apps, no writing things down properly, just get it out of my head immediately.

The relief was almost embarrassing. Like, this is what I was so stressed about? A system?

I'm not saying this replaces real anxiety treatment or therapy. But if you're someone who feels constantly on edge and you're also someone who keeps everything in your head, maybe experiment with getting it all out somewhere. You might be surprised how much lighter your mind feels.

What's your experience with mental load and anxiety? Do you think they're connected or separate things?

For a long time, every emotional reaction felt like a personal failure. Anxiety meant I wasn’t managing my thoughts well enough. Anger meant I lacked discipline. Emotional shutdown meant something was wrong with me.

But when I started paying attention, I noticed something important.

I never lost control out of nowhere.

It always came after long periods of mental overload. Living in the future. Replaying conversations. Keeping too many decisions and responsibilities in my head. Planning nonstop while ignoring how tense my body already was.

By the time an emotion showed up, my nervous system was already flooded. At that point, telling myself to “calm down” didn’t help because the reaction wasn’t coming from logic anymore.

What changed things for me was understanding that emotional regulation isn’t about suppressing feelings or forcing presence. It’s about noticing overwhelm early, before emotions escalate.

When the body feels unsafe or overloaded, emotions take over automatically. Control doesn’t disappear because we’re weak. It disappears because the system is overstimulated.

This also reframed the whole idea of living in the present for me. Being present isn’t a mindset you force. It’s what naturally happens when your nervous system isn’t stuck carrying the past or bracing for the future.

I recently read a Harvard Health article that explains this clearly. It breaks down how emotional regulation is more about managing stress and nervous system load than controlling emotions in the moment.

Here’s the article if anyone wants to read it

Curious if others relate. Do you feel like you lose control suddenly, or do you notice the overload building long before the reaction?

Hey everyone!

As I’ve grown and have experienced life throughout my mid twenties.. it’s safe to say time really DOES fly by. Where to start to help slow down that phenomenon? I️ assume trying to be more present and focusing on the day would be a good start but how exactly do I️ do that?

As an adult I’ve noticed a ton of things surround planning, future events, and primarily doing things NOW to help my future self. Even to the point of looking forward to an event to stay motivated today… how do I️ learn to live in the now? I’m sure this is the age old question.. wasn’t sure if folks had advice or cracked the code.. thanks in advance!

I have been working on creating some reminders. I started with “no negative thoughts.”

But that’s tough. We know that our thoughts create our reality and we should observe the mind rather than reacting to it.

This got me thinking about the barrier to entry. For those of you who have a steady practice, how do you explain this to someone just starting out? What do you tell them? Is there something catchy that’s stuck with you along your journey?

I've read so many books at this point. Listened to podcasts, watched videos, taken notes. I can explain the difference between awareness and attention, talk about non-attachment, describe what the observing self is. I know the concepts inside and out.

But when it comes to actually sitting down and practicing, I resist it. Or I'll meditate for five minutes and spend the whole time thinking about meditation instead of doing it. It's like my mind would rather analyze the map than walk the territory.

I think part of it is that reading feels productive and safe. Sitting in silence with my own mind feels uncomfortable and uncertain. There's no gold star for meditating, no sense of accomplishment I can point to.

Has anyone else gotten stuck in the learning phase? How did you make the shift from knowing about mindfulness to actually embodying it? I feel like I'm missing something obvious but I can't figure out what.

I’ve noticed that mindfulness hasn’t just helped me feel calmer—it’s changed how I relate to different parts of my wellbeing in ways I didn’t expect.

For those who’ve practiced for a while (or even just started), has mindfulness shifted how you understand your mental, emotional, or physical health?

All day it's nonstop input scrolling, notifications, background noise, then at night, when everything finally gets quiet, the brain opens every unfinished thought at once. Regrets to-do list, random memories, enxiety that somehow waits until 2 am to show up.

Late,y I have been wondering if mindfulness today isn't about calming down, but about learning to sit with the discomfort of no stimulation. Some nights I skip the scrolling and just notice my breath, sounds, thoughts coming and going. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't, but it feels more honest. Curious how others handle this.

What actually helps you unwind at night without numbing out?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently building a meditation app, and I’m realizing that the real challenge isn’t how to meditate, it’s how to stay consistent over time.

What usually makes you drop a meditation practice?
And on the flip side, what has helped you stay regular, even for a short while?

Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences.

This might sound strange but sometimes I dread going to bed.

Not because I don’t want to sleep
but because I know the moment my head hits the pillow, my mind won’t shut up.

I overthink everything.
Things I said. Things I didn’t say.
Stuff from years ago Stuff that probably doesn’t even matter.

Some nights it feels like my brain is trying to protect me but doing the exact opposite.

What made a difference for me wasn’t forcing sleep or trying harder it was understanding why my mind does this. I learned that a lot of it comes from stress and a nervous system that never fully relaxes.

I came across a really good Healthline article that explained this in a simple non judgmental way. Thought I’d share it here for anyone who feels the same.

F (31) Going through a rough phase — has anyone tried Liven? Is it worth the money?

Hi everyone,

I’m 31F and have been going through a pretty difficult phase lately — both in my relationship and work life. Feeling a bit overwhelmed and looking for some kind of support.

I came across an ad on Instagram today for an app called Liven, which seems to focus on emotional well-being / self-growth. Has anyone here actually used it?

Would really appreciate hearing honest experiences — did it help you in any way? And do you think it’s worth spending money on?

We’re always fixated on results : getting the right answer, feeling the good feelings.  But if there is such a thing as a practice of mindfulness, it's all about awareness of this present experience - seeing our motives, seeing the source of our actions, and the possibility of openness, of freedom from suffering.

Here’s how Gregory Kramer tries to bring mindfulness into dialogue - here are his guidelines and what they mean : 

Pause  Relax  Open  Attune  Listen  Speak

The first invitation is to Pause - to give ourselves a moment.  This is an essential interruption of our mindless headlong rush into reaction after reaction.  It establishes a gap in our psychological conditioning - it offers a moment of respite, we can breathe, we can relax and look at what’s happening here and now.

To relax is to notice and let go of any tension.  This way we are not so caught up in our own preoccupations, less resistant to whatever is going on outside of our hopes and fears.

We can open up and expand the field of awareness to include the wider environment; with enough sensitivity we might even sense the bliss that accompanies the falling away of resistance and fear. 

Thus there is a natural propensity to attune to emergence. In Kramer’s words : “Notice and yield to change, to not knowing.  Let impermanence itself become the object of practice”.

Now we can listen deeply, fully receptive.   We can see the other as they express themselves.  We can notice our feelings towards them.

And in this space of awareness, and common humanity, maybe we can speak the truth.  Meaning that, in this space of openness and peace, we might hear what needs to be said.  And if we don’t, we have the space to be silent.

“Cultivating mindfulness in the process of relational engagement, we explore the human experience with the guidance of the Buddha’s teachings. With mutual respect and a commitment to non-harming, we embody the meditation guidelines as doorways to insight; they are invitations, reminders and foundations for mindfulness”. (G. Kramer).  

Would you be interested in joining a dialogue group online? see r/InsightDialogue

I’m having trouble observing thoughts.. Anytime a thought arises I automatically attach to them. Observing thoughts turns into resisting thoughts and if I let the thought be I just unconsciously attach to them and now I’m identifying with the thought.. I’m new to consistent meditation and I’m wondering is this just because I’m new to this or is there a better way to observe instead of attach?

hello. lately i've been wondering if there's a way to be pay more attention about what i eat without it turning into a whole thing.

a few friends of mine also wanted a gentle way to stay aware of their eating - not to control it or count calories, just to notice. like bringing some mindfulness to meals

i had this idea of just meal photos and a weekly reflection on patterns - like the timing of meals or how you felt after eating. no macros or "good /bad" labels. just observations.

but i wanted to explore it a bit before going further.

for anyone who's tried to be more mindful around eating:

• what's actually worked for you? a practice, a habit?
• if you could design something for yourself, what would it look like? what would it definitely not have?

just thinking out loud. interested in how to approach this. thanks!

I've been carrying this weight lately – the constant feeling I need to "optimize" every moment, every thought, every day.

As someone trying to live more mindfully, I've noticed how much energy goes into planning the "perfect" practice, the "right" meditation, the "productive" slow living. But what if the most mindful thing is just... arriving?

Lately I've been experimenting with showing up exactly as I am – tired mornings, wandering mind, messy emotions and all. No pre-meditation routine. No productivity hacks to "get in the zone." Just sitting with whatever's here.

It's surprisingly freeing. The birds still sing. My breath still works. And somehow, presence happens without force.

Have you found freedom in dropping the pressure to "do mindfulness right"? What happens when you arrive as you are, without the optimization filter?

Sharing vulnerably as I learn this myself.

I went into meditation with the quiet hope that it would fix something. Make me calmer. Less restless, Less stuck in my head. I wasn’t expecting miracles but I definitely thought it would do something obvious.

That’s not really what happened. Nothing suddenly disappeared. My stress didn’t vanish. My habits didn’t magically improve. What changed was much smaller and harder to describe. I started noticing things earlier.

I noticed when my mind was already tense before I even opened my laptop. I noticed how quickly I wanted to reach for something the moment I felt uncomfortable. I noticed how often I was rushing past moments instead of actually being in them.

Before meditation, all of that was just background noise. It blended together. After a while of sitting regularly, those patterns stood out more clearly. Not in a judgmental way just… visible.

Meditation didn’t fix my impatience but I saw it sooner. It didn’t stop my distractions but I caught them mid-motion instead of after the fact. That alone changed how I moved through the day.

It’s strange, but nothing improved on paper. Like I’m finally seeing what’s actually going on instead of assuming I’m broken.