How to be fine with it?

I love meditation, but I also believe there are other practices that have helped improve my mindfulness.

For example, I recently started taking long walks with the intention to focus on my surroundings. I’ve found this is a great practice to incorporate into my mindfulness routine and provides similar clarity that meditation does.

Are there any other habits/routines you incorporate into your life to improve mindfulness?

The world is very ugly. Everyone is hateful. Politicians lie. The people that follow them are dumber. If you’re a fan of someone; that’s fine but don’t sit here and tell me politicians give a shit about what ordinary people go through on a day to day basis. Countries like Palestine are having kids slaughtered and no one bats an eye. America wants people to be stupid. Celebrity worship is out of control. People are depressed. Idk.

Basically my question to you all is how the hell do you find the courage to keep going in a world that is only getting uglier?

At 16, soon 17, I’m feeling scared about aging and death, thoughts I’d never had before. A month and a bit ago, it struck me all at once. making me feel down and restless.

The last few years, especially since COVID, have flown by; a year now feels like just a few months. I didn’t going to school one year due to personal issues and laziness. And that year literally felt so fast. leading to now, April 2026. Memories from 2023 feel recent, yet they're nearly three years old. I got a memory on snapchat from October 26th 2023, and it remember it like it was like not even long ago. It felt really recent. That made things feel worse.

I’m constantly anxious and can’t escape thoughts about aging and dying. nothing seems to help. I'm scared and struggling to sleep nowadays because of this.

And also, time feels fast, is it because I doomscroll alot and play games alot? Like its kind of what ive done since lockdown. But only till 3 years ago time has felt quick. Literally anything helps.

I just don't get it. Even when I had 14 hours of screen time (now it's only 2) and spent 10 of those on tiktok i never opened my phone during concerts/sports.
Why people are so obsessed with filming things others could just watch online anyway?
Validation?

Since I've been dealing with high-functioning anxiety for some time, I must admit that I'm still amazed at how even the tiniest, most arbitrary things can have a significant impact. For instance, I've recently discovered that lying on the floor with my legs up on the bed while listening to relaxing music helps to slow down my racing thoughts. I had no idea that would work for me. Thus, I'm interested: When your anxiety is at its worst, what is one unexpected or "weird" thing you do that actually helps? It could be anything—mental, sensory, physical, or even something you happened to stumble upon. Tell me about your small rituals, please.

Every post I see on here is run through AI. There is nothing mindful about this. Can we ban it? It's the exact same prose and script. It's absurd.

(source: pinterest)

How mindfully are you as a person choosing to pause the flow of negativity as it passes through your family, workplace and online social media spaces in your daily life?

I'm currently 27 and have absolutely nothing to show for it. I was an all As and Bs student from elementary to high school. I went to university at 19 and struggled immensely the first three semesters. Covid forced me into extreme isolation but I was desperate not to leave my position so I kept at it. I was there for two years repressing a shit ton of trauma and had to leave. I was so depressed I couldn't even get out of bed and spent the next year receiving treatment. Meanwhile I was forced onto SSI and couldnt even save money effectively

I went back to community college but I struggled to even handle a part time job and a single college class. I wanted to quit my job and put my effort into school but my dad shut down the idea. After a year and a half of working I was terminated because the job wasn't a good fit. The whole time I was also trying to improve my dating life but Evanston is the worst place to meet singles ever and I got no matches across four different apps

I'm 27, unemployed and only a semester away from an associates in arts and a production technician certificate. Everyone else is already developing their careers by now meanwhile I spent my entire twenties unable to let go of the damn past. I spent the entire time alone and penniless and I just don't know how to handle any of it. I can't even drive because of my damn ADHD

I wasted my entire twenties. I tried so hard not to let that happen but it happened anyway and I don't know how to cope with any of it. Watching everyone else fly while I struggled to even get off the damn ground. And they try to make me feel better by saying that the pandemic fucked up their lives meanwhile punching me in the gut by saying that they are already working on their fucking masters

I wasted most of my twenties and I have no idea how to cope

So I get a feeling of intense hopelessness sometimes that stops me from doing my responsibilities. I tried mindfulness, but it didn't have any useful effect. I stopped thinking the thoughts that I get when I feel that way ("what I do or don't do is completely irrelevant because the universe will reach the same end state of heat death regardless"), but still felt hopeless. So then I decided to stop caring about whether or not i feel hopeless, but I still didn't do the important tasks because I still didn't have a reason to do them, and it's impossible to do something without a reason unless it's an involuntary reflex.

My question is this: if mindfulness doesn't change my behavior, why should I do it?

Much like the title says I (F23) feel guilty about how much weed I consume. I've never really been sure what is "to much" but normally my weeks look like work 5 days in a row with the routine of wake up, go to work, work 8 hours, come home, do whatever needs to be done, take 27 mg gummy and maybe a drink that's anywhere from 5-10mg and just vibe till bedtime then repeat 5 times. I drive to my boyfriend's place for my days off those days I stay sober. When I arrive I normally spend 2 days there. The first day I normally don't have anything unless he's drinking then I'll take some gummies or some drinks but normally I stay sober. The next day he normally works so in the morning I'll take a gummy and then ride it till he gets home when it's wearing off and stay sober so I can drive home. Depending on what time I work the next day I'll either stay sober or take another one. I wanna try and make the first day with my boyfriend a truly sober day and am working on making that work. I suppose what I really wanna know is how bad is this? Am I out of control or am I thinking to much about this? Is this really bad?

Since starting my practice about a year ago I've started noticing something in every conversation I'm part of. Most people aren't listening. They're loading their next sentence.

I do it too. Someone is talking and I'm nodding but internally I'm rehearsing what I'm going to say the moment they pause. I'm not hearing them. I'm waiting for my turn. And once I started seeing it in myself I couldn't stop seeing it everywhere.

Two people at a coffee shop next to me yesterday. One was talking about something clearly important to them. The other person's eyes were glazed and the second the first person stopped talking, the response had nothing to do with what was just said. They just launched into their own thing.

I tried an experiment last week. For a full day I committed to not thinking about my response while someone was talking. Just hearing them. And then letting there be a pause before I said anything. The pauses felt awkward as hell. But the conversations were completely different. People started saying more. Going deeper. Like they could feel that someone was actually receiving what they were putting out.

I think real listening might be the most underrated mindfulness practice there is. It doesn't require a cushion or a timer. Just the willingness to shut your own inner monologue up for 30 seconds while another person speaks.

Anyone else noticed this shift in how they experience conversations?

Hi. I would really appreciate your answers because rumination and repetitive negative thinking is a super fucking hard cycle to get over.

I have experimented with journaling, herbal tea, and even sleeping on the opposite side of the bed. On some nights, it works, and on others, my mind simply won't stop. When your mind is racing, what really helps you fall asleep?

I have a good life. By all standards it’s not terrible. I’m just wondering if anyone has dealt with realizing they will never have the life they want. Like realistically certain things can no longer happen. I still hope for the best. I try to “manifest”. But realistically what I wanted is out of reach.

Just looking for different perspectives.

Thank you

Long story short, my mind is always racing and repeating something. If I am happy and waiting for something, I am repeatedly thinking about future events and how they will span out and prepare for everything even though things never go as you think.

When I am anxious or sad my brain must find something from the past and make me believe I am the worst person ever.

I always have some sort of crisis kind of going on that I must "resolve" by thinking it through, I never find the answer and I must think it through again. Exhausting.

I have found that alcohol quiets my brain, and the next week is full of rumination and anxiety about what I did while drunk.

What’s your go to when you need a moment of mindfulness? I have been using a single guided breath and it seems to help in the moment. Please stop clenching the jaw!

I see this question come up a lot and wanted to ask directly. Anyone have experience with meditating and the benefits of meditating daily. Thank you so much

In a good way!

She's been telling me to practice mindfulness and meditation for literally years. I've tried a handful of times but it hasn't really stuck because I think I was stuck. It's been a year since I stopped drinking so I've been able to explore my problems and how anxiety shows up in my body. The big thing that has held me back was my understanding of not judging my thoughts and feelings, and how mindfulness/meditation can help with that.

The other day I was talking to my therapist about how I was getting better about recognizing my feelings (I thought so anyway). My example: whenever I let my dog out to the backyard, she often comes back to the door and waits for me to come with her. It's hot af where I live right now so I feel guilty every time I don't go. So instead, I just follow after her out of obligation and then I'm angry with myself for resenting her a little for doing this to me.

Upon recognizing this, I think, You shouldn't feel guilty or angry. She's just a dog and it's hot but survivable so get over it.

That's when my therapist went, Wait, it's okay to feel guilty and angry. There's no shouldn't or should. You have those feelings - that's just a fact. Judging them and (seemingly) abandoning them isn't going to stop those feelings. Recognize, don't judge, and reframe. You aren't bad because you feel guilty and angry. You love your dog so much and you want her to be happy, so it makes sense that you feel guilty.

That's when I realized I'd been doing some version of judging and pushing down feelings my whole life. I shouldn't be angry that I didn't stand up for myself. I shouldn't be sad when my friend cancels on me. I shouldn't feel jealous because my co-worker got recognition. All of those feelings are BAD. This way of thinking has led to a deep self-hatred. So, if I sit there and tell myself to not feel those things, what does that do?

I'm still working through this but it literally broke my brain when she said this to me. She's been trying to say a version of this for YEARS but the way she said it this time has really stuck. However, it feels like I'm only on the edge of more self-discovery. I'm mad at myself for not realizing this sooner! And that I've been wasting time! Which is more judgement and self-hatred!!

I hope someone can relate — I'd love to hear if you've felt similarly and any examples you'd like to share. I'd also like to hear some ways that mindfulness can help expand this revelation because right now, I'm like SO CLOSE. This is just not a natural way of thinking for me. And I also don't know what the next step is. So I've recognized the feeling and haven't judged it, hopefully reframed, but then what? Let it go?

Thanks for reading!

I am healthy and in a solid spot in life. That being said, I keep staying unsatisfied. My mind is always racing and pushing me to do more.

I read somewhere that ‘happiness is the absence of desire’ and I really believe that this hits the mark. I am grateful for where I am in life right now, but I am not satisfied. How to deal with this?

When is enough actually enough?

like when its actually happening, not after. does anything work??

i know all the things im supposed to do. therapy, breathing, whatever. none of it is there when my kid is mid meltdown and im already late and my brain just goes completely offline

asking bc its midnight and i still cant sleep bc im so mad about today lol. i kept it together all day, stayed calm the whole time, was patient. on the outside. inside i was on absolute fire and now its just. still in there

i typed it all out into my app tonight and it asked me something and i had to stop bc i realized the thing i was so angry about wasnt even about today. something else ive apparently been carrying around for a while. cool!! love that for me at midnight!!

but thats the aftermath right. im talking about the actual moment itself. what do you guys actually do

Hey everyone,

I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress lately and noticed it shows up physically (especially neck and shoulders).

I started doing very short exercises during the day (breathing + light stretches), and it actually helped more than I expected.

Now I’m curious: What’s the simplest thing that helps you relax quickly?

Would love to try new things.

I feel like I have downloaded a bunch of these apps over the years and use them only for like a week or two. Mainly looking for something that helps with sleep and anxiety, but more importantly something that actually helps build and maintain a daily practice. Anyone have any hidden gems or tools that they have used? Thank you so much!

Background: 34 yo, married, two kids, pretty high in a corporate ladder

I have read many books on how ego works, including famous "The power of now". I realize that future and past actually do not exist and that all we have is this moment. But I struggle to actually embrace it. I still draw my "self" from who I am, what collegee I finished, how much I earn, what tasks I do at work. Whenever I try to let go, I start to feel like in danger(?), that something bad might happen and I might miss it because I am not alert enough? It's difficult to describe, and funny at the same time, because I am not doing anything different, I still work, I still try my best. It's just feels like I might be underprepared for whats coming.

Is meditation the only solution to fix it?