Practicing Mindfulness With a Troubled Mind

I first uttered the phrase “talk to the mat” as I began clawing my way back after illness, addiction, divorce, housing loss, and ongoing housing insecurity trampled me to my lowest point ever. As a reminder, I’m not a psychologist or doctor, but I do know a thing or two about practicing mindfulness with a troubled mind. 

I’ll be the first to admit, though, I’m not fully healed. Recent scary events have me in a bit of an emotional tailspin, and I’m apparently not the only one who feels this way. If you are struggling to practice mindfulness with a troubled mind of late, here are a few tips from my personal experience that may help. 

Think of Your Practice as Maintenance for Your Nervous System

If you find yourself muttering, “Dang, my nerves are shot,” talking to your mat may be one of the best remedies. Yes, it’s tempting to push harder during stressful times, especially if your anxiety stems in part from lacking adequate financial resources. However, think of it this way: If you drive for DoorDash, what’s going to happen to your car if you keep ignoring scheduled maintenance, like oil changes? 

If you said, “Your car will eventually break down,” ding, ding, ding! You win first prize at the Common Sense County Fair. Guess what? The same rule applies to your body, mind, and yes, your spirit. 

Taking time out to reset is essential when your mind is troubled. When you take on too much at once, your ability to concentrate suffers. When you lose focus, careless mistakes happen that make you beat yourself up and often make your circumstances even harder. Even if distracting yourself with work is your preferred coping strategy when you have a troubled mind, going too hard for too long inevitably results in frustration and burnout. 

Physiologically speaking, excess “yang” energy, or intense physical or mental activity, increases stress hormone levels. Too much cortisol spurs headaches, brain fog, irritability, and sleep issues, all of which impact your ability to think clearly. High cortisol also raises your blood pressure and heart rate, increasing your risk for physical disease, which only adds to your troubles. 

That’s why engaging in daily mindfulness practice, such as yoga, is so crucial, especially when you have a troubled mind. It’s one reason we put out new short videos every Wednesday to use in your practice or share with friends. Yoga and meditation mitigate cortisol levels and may help you stave off burnout, even when life demands a lot of you. 

Yoga Isn’t Exactly “Sleeping on It,” but It’s Close

Have you ever noticed that a good night’s sleep can give you a fresh perspective on your situation? Sometimes, you need to step away and let your unconscious do the work. While sleep may prove difficult when your life grows chaotic, engaging in a mindfulness practice such as yoga allows you to metaphorically “step back” and shift your outlook. 

Some forms of yoga also make sleep more accessible, even when your mind is troubled. Yin and restorative practices are perfect for soothing your nervous system and encouraging restful sleep. 

Yoga nidra is a completely passive meditative experience that encourages a shift in brain waves that many practitioners claim is the equivalent of deep, restful sleep. I often listen to such recordings on sleepless nights and hope to add some to our channel soon (we’re working on the right tech solutions). 

Preserve Your Positive Emotions and Maintain Your Motivation

Emotions are woefully sticky things. Over time, they create neural patterns and can even structurally change your brain. The longer you feel bad inside, the harder it becomes to feel good again. The problem is, few of us know how long the crisis will continue when we find our minds heavily troubled by one. 

Preserving your positive emotionality boosts your motivation levels, giving you the oomph you need to persevere when things trouble your mind. Additionally, your body, mind, and spirit need a bit of happy balance for reasons experts don’t yet fully understand. Giving yourself a little treat to look forward to in the form of a daily yoga flow can help you overcome temporary crises without long-term personality changes that embitter your outlook on life. 

When Ed and I started Only in Sedona Yoga, I was in such a horrible headspace. I had lost everything — isolated from friends and family, relationship over, health failing, bills piling up, savings and retirement accounts drained, and credit cards maxed. I remember asking myself, “What are my assets?” and what I had was God’s country all around me and a yoga mat. That’s what I used to give myself something to look forward to every day, even at my lowest. 

I’m afraid to think of where I might be today had I not. I honestly don’t think I would have made it had I not made this healthy coping mechanism a daily part of my life. What yoga has given me is far more valuable than money. Just the other day, I realized, wow, in the last three years alone, I’ve lost Poe cat, my ex-husband, my father, and a work contract I had relied on for ages. Right on top of the trauma I had gone through before. And I made it through it all sober. 

The recognition honestly stunned me. Thanks, yoga. 

I don’t pretend to know why humans need the right balance of pleasurable and challenging experiences to maintain positive mental health. However, I’m unfortunately acquainted with what can happen to your worldview if the preponderance of your experiences brings you down for too long, and it isn’t pretty. It gives you a nasty outlook, which makes other people avoid you and everything in your life harder. Creating something to look forward to daily, or at least a few times a week, is a must to keep the darkness from pulling you down.

Quick Tips for Practicing Mindfulness With a Troubled Mind 

Some days, you just want to crash out and binge Netflix and ice cream when the world gets too much. Encourage yourself to stick with your practice by treating it and yourself with loving-kindness:

• Keep it short: One trick for motivating yourself when you feel paralyzed by mental troubles is to tell yourself, “I’m only going to do this for five minutes.” Some smart watches have mindfulness apps with timers as short as one minute. You might feel encouraged to go longer, but let yourself stop if you don’t. What matters is committing to building healthier coping habits. 
• Make it cozy: If you don’t have the energy for a vigorous Vinyasa flow, stick to restorative or Yin practices. 
• Or match your mood: Conversely, if you have some anger to work through, a sweaty Vinyasa or power yoga session could fit the bill perfectly. 
• Make it convenient: One nice feature of yoga is that you can practice nearly anytime and anywhere. I’ve already done it on bare rock, no mat necessary. You can also stream YouTube from your phone nearly anywhere, and premium members can download videos for offline viewing. 
• Find your crowd: Sometimes, just being in the presence of other living beings who are kind, not scary, can soothe your troubled mind. If you can find a studio or course near you that suits your vibe, the connection you form with other participants can help you experience a sense of community support. 

Practicing Mindfulness With a Troubled Mind 

Far too many people abandon their mindfulness practices when a troubled mind weighs down their spirits. Yet taking the time to recenter yourself is most crucial at such times. You may not be able to change your external circumstances, but you always have the power to take control of and calm yourself so that you can face adversity head-on, strong in your sense of agency and self. 

Try talking to your mat when you have a troubled mind. If you feel so inspired, let us know what helps you the most in the comments. With love and hope for healing, always. ~ J.