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Do You Meditate?

Posted , 6 users are following.

JMJ
JMJ

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping to hearing from people who meditate as a way of managing the stress in their lives associate with Meniere's Disease.  I would love to know the type of meditation you practice, how you learned to mediate, how long you meditate each day and how it has affected your life and your experience with Meniere's Disease.

I've been thinking about how often stress comes up as a major contributor to the onset and perpetuation of Meniere's symptoms.  For me, having an episode is a huge stressor.  But even when I'm feeling well, I find that the upredictability of it all is an ongoing, underlying stressor.  It's always "there".  I'm always monitoring...I'm always scanning for signs of a relapse.

I look forward to hearing from the meditators in the forum!

Thanks very much!

J- 

 

0 likes, 32 replies

32 Replies

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  • jacki999
    jacki999 JMJ

    Posted

    I tried this for over a month - sadly didn't help me at all. Felt less stressed, but didn't stop the attacks

    • JMJ
      JMJ jacki999

      Posted

      Thank you for sharing your experience, Jacki.   I appreciate it.

      J-

  • naomi68931
    naomi68931 JMJ

    Posted

    Hello,

    I find that meditation is indeed helpful for reducing stress, and therefore helpful in keeping MD at bay as much as possible.  I try to take the time to meditate on a regular basis each day (though I do not always keep to that).  When I'm feeling stressed, I make sure to meditate as it tends to calm things down.  Even 15-20 minutes seems to help.  Good luck with this...I hope your symptos are eased.

    Naomi

    • JMJ
      JMJ naomi68931

      Posted

      Hi Naomi! What type of meditation do you practice, and how did you learn?

      Thanks so very much for contributing!

      Take good care,

      J-

  • mistibluey
    mistibluey JMJ

    Posted

    Hi J

    Researchers are looking into electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve as a possible treatment for tinnitus, and to help reduce inflammation and support the immune system.  Home electrocution not being the most relaxing of hobbies (!), I wondered if there were any natural ways to stimulate the vagus nerve and found some stuff out there, including this breathing technique.

     

    The simple technique is to breath in slowly through your nose, making sure it’s deep breathing into your abdomen  and not shallow breathing that makes the chest rise. You breathe in to a count of 4 or 5 and out to a count of about 8 to 10 ish, making sure the out breath is longer than the in breath. Breathe out through your mouth.The longer the out breath the more relaxing it is, as long as the pattern is comfortable. If it seems natural you can purse your lips and make a sort of slow gentle blowing out the birthday candles sound. But it all needs to be slow, deep and gentle.

     

    Google.... vagus nerve stimulation deep breathing.....  to get more info about all this.

     

    I find this very relaxing too; I have never been able to meditate much as I can’t visualise anything, but even I can breathe and count!

     

    It becomes very meditative after a while as you just concentrate on the in and out breath. Most people don’t need to count after a while, but I find it helps me to not drift off mentally. If you start to think about other things just gently bring your attention back to the breath pattern. You can do it with your eyes open or closed.

     

    This did not help my friend’s tinnitus in any way ( nothing ever seems to) but she found this breathing technique very relaxing, and the last couple of times she felt some vertigo starting she went into her routine quietly and it stopped. I have no idea if it would have this effect for anyone else. She feels that stress is a big part of why the MD started, but it probably is different for different people.

     

    She does this on waking and before sleep, and several times through the day -  more if she is feeling particularly stressed.  It really has helped her. I hope it’s of some help to you and other members of the forum.

    Best wishes as ever.  M

     

    • JMJ
      JMJ mistibluey

      Posted

      Hi Misti!

      Thanks so much for your post!  I appreciate it.  I just read some of the articles on deep breathing and vagal stimulation....how interesting!  And yes!  I too, could manage to breathe and count!! LOL! During the meditation retreat I mentioned on my other thread, the first 3 days consist of simply watching the breath, from 4:30am to 9:30pm!. That's probably more stress relief than I need! LOL!!  But I would certainly be willing to give shorter deep breathing sessions a try.  I'm so glad that your friend has found them helpful.  How wonderful that she was able to use her breathing to stem the tide of a vertigo attack!

      I wonder why so many posts are being moderated?  

      Thanks again!  Take good care,

      J-

       

    • JMJ
      JMJ mistibluey

      Posted

      Hi Misti,

      I gave your suggestion a try last evening and this morning.   I didn't realize just how noisy my mind was, until I seriously tried to quiet it down!  I think it was a matter of seconds before my mind was completely immersed in some story or another...and I had to continually bring my attention back to the breathing.  This is definitely going to require practice!  

      Take good care!

      J-

  • JMJ
    JMJ

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    I apologize to those who tried to respond to my thread, and had their posts deleted. I appreciate the effort. I have no idea why the moderators zapped them, although I know that references to specific websites are usually not allowed.  However, if you have website or specific information you'd like to share with me, please email me using this site's messaging system.  Just click on the envelope icon near my name, and you'll be able to write a private, unmoderated message.

    Thanks again!

    J-

  • Inthrutheoutdor
    Inthrutheoutdor JMJ

    Posted

    Hi JMJ,

    I have seen some help with meditation. The reach approach on youtube meditations I highly recommend. I walk daily in a nearby park and will lay under a tree and start one of their meditations. I find that gazing up at trees and sky helps calibrate me a little. We are always looking horizonally and it seems that vantage point does something. Along with the mediation its a battery recharge. First few times feels a little strange. When I first started that was even getting some bbpv but thankfully not anymore. Think its helped me seperate the emotions from symptoms. Ive had some inner ear issues for 3 years now and when highly stressed Ive had menieres like attacks. Been ok for a few months now just have days where equolibrium is off. Just gonna keep trying...

    Jeff

    • JMJ
      JMJ Inthrutheoutdor

      Posted

      Dear Jeff,

      Thank you so much for your sharing your experience with meditation.  I love what you have to say about changing the vantage point in order to help you recalibrate – that's true in so many ways.  Although I wonder if gazing upward would stir up my vestibular system....I guess the only way to know is to try! 

      Thank you for introducing me to youtube as a potential source for guidance in meditation.  I don't know why it's never on my radar...I just never think to look there.  

      For me, what you said about separating emotions from symptoms is really important.  I think they do get entwined, and then they seem to energize each other and it results in megastress!  

      Thanks again for your post. I'm going to check out the resources you've mentioned.  

      I hope you continue to feel well.  Take good care,

      J-

  • Inthrutheoutdor
    Inthrutheoutdor JMJ

    Posted

    Hi J,

    No problem. I hope it helps. Its funny to think how dancers and figure skaters can spin so much and flip and not get disoriented. It must mean the vestibular can be trained to overcome stress and that disorientation spinning and flipping causes. Using that logic it gives me hope that the misfirings we experiance can be minimized or trained to compensate some other way for and be nothing more than a minor thing like a stomach ache or something. Good luck to you and all.

    Jeff

  • mistibluey
    mistibluey JMJ

    Posted

    Hi J

    How's it going - any joy with the relaxation  /  meditation?

    I found a site that does audio downloads of different kinds; I can't say I am recommending them as such as I only just started looking myself, but they are free to listen to or download, so nothing to lose.

    Do a search for relaxation downloads dartmouth college.

    Hope you are ok and that the allergies have settled down.

    • JMJ
      JMJ mistibluey

      Posted

      Hi Misti,

      I'm finding that the only way I can really do meditation at this point, is by doing it in "moments."   I try to monitor the sensations in my body, and when I feel that tight-chested, stressful feeling, I've been giving myself perminssion to just stop and take a few moments to allow my mind to go blank, and to simply watch my breathing.  It's really just a short pause, but it helps to interrupt the cycle.  I also have a bio-feedback, breathing app on my FitBit, that provides a nice 2 minute slow, deep breathing session.  I've been trying to remember to do that as well.  Ideally, I would like to become a meditator, doing 20 minutes twice a day, but I just can't seem to get there, yet!

      I enjoyed sampling the dartmouth downloads.  Thanks so much for the key words.  I particularly liked "Just The Breath".  It was just right!

      Lelt me know how you're doing!

      Take good care,

      J-

    • mistibluey
      mistibluey JMJ

      Posted

      I have to admit that I am really bad at meditation and stress relief in general,  but it has been a stressful year.

      It's funny but when you said "just the breath" I thought of the Eddie Vedder song Just Breath and I listened to it on youtube; I had forgotten how much I liked that song and the lyrics are lovely. His gravelly voice had a really calming effect on me!

      A lot of meditation techniques depend on visualisations and I'm just no good at that. Words on the other hand.......

       

    • mistibluey
      mistibluey

      Posted

      Just breathe , not breath. I'm distracted by the general election exit polls that are coming in. Interesting times here.

    • JMJ
      JMJ mistibluey

      Posted

      Dear Misti,

      "Just Breathe" is one of my all time favorite songs, and on my most-played playlist!...Talk about wistful! Were you listening to Live at Austin City Limits version?  That song puts me right in touch with my deep sense of (late-midlife/early-latelife) regrets....and more times than not, it makes me cry. Not that tears are a bad thing, but it definitely takes me there.  I think Vedder penned amazing lyrics and melody with that one...and no one else could sing it the way he does. (Willie Nelso gave it a go, but his voice just can't deliver the message in the same way!  Not even close!)

      I was reading about your elections just this morning.  Wow.  Not the expected outcome.  Interesting that May had to meet with the Queen to get permission to form a new government — I learned something new!   This is a very complicated time politically, for both our countries.  Sigh.

      But on we go......

      Take good care,

      J

    • JMJ
      JMJ mistibluey

      Posted

      Dear Misti,

      Well, my original post has been restored.  All of my others (and yours) are gone.  In my next one, I was much more on-topic!  I agreed with you that visualization is quite challenging.  (I'm also a "word person".) It's tough to find the perfect meditation/relaxation tape.  I find the voice of the guide to be so important, too.   I have a few go-to hypnosis tapes on my playlist that I use when I just can't get to sleep.  I've been using them for years.  It's not that I ever get to a hypnotized state, it's simply that the induction is so long and drawn out and relaxing, that it usually leads me into sleep.  But I have yet to find anything that I really want to pull out and listen to during the day.  

      I also mentioned in one of the scrubbed posts that in terms of stress relief and help with my overall Meniere's program,  I think I  get more bang for my buck from exercise.  As much as I hate hauling this aching old body into motion, once I give it a 15 to 30 minute session of mold to moderate exercise I'm amazed at how much less stressed I feel, and how much more calm and hopeful I am.  I'm not an active person by nature, so it's always a discipline for me, but it always yields tangible results.   The problem for me is that inertia sets in very quickly!  So, if I miss a few days, I make every excuse not to get back into it again.  And then it takes  me a while to get up the courage to get active again.  Prior to the onset of Meniere's, I was a religious exerciser and in good shape.  Since that first two years of disability and gradual recovery, it's been a very stop and start sort of thing with me.   I've never quite gotten back into the groove.  But I keep trying. 

      Still, I find that  taking those "moments" throughout the day to just stop and breathe and allow my mind to rest, are helping.  Perhaps someday it will evolve into a full time meditation practice, but for now, I think this is about as far as I can go with it. 

      I hope you are well.  I'm trying to be calm and to not to turn inside out about these recent events.  But, it's a challenge.  

      Take good care,

      Watching my words.....

      J-

       

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