zen meditation

Please share your experiences, successes, and failures in using non-drug therapies for RLS/WED (methods of relief that don't involve swallowing or injecting anything), including compression, heat, light, stretches, acupuncture, etc. Also under this heading, medical interventions that don't involve the administration of a medicine to the body (eg. varicose-vein operations, deep-brain stimulation). [This forum contains Topics started prior to 2009 that deal with Non-prescription Medicines, Supplements, & Diet.]
peanut1
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zen meditation

Post by peanut1 »

My RLS was horrible the last few months, nothing worked ie did all the diet stuff no sugar, flour, alcohal caffiene, lots of liver and beets etc. NONE of the medication worked and I was panicking since the doctors didn't seem to know what to do.

I finally broke down and went to counseling to see how I could emotionally deal with the pain and possiblity of losing my job etc as I was only getting 2 hours a night and getting sick a lot etc. The counselor recommended the book "Full Catastrophe Living" I tried the some of the Zen meditation techniques in the first chapter and slept 3.5 hours that night vs. 2. The next night I did the same thing, still felt the pain, but was able to go to sleep--this time 4 hours. Last night- 5 hours!!!!! YAY!!!!

Polar Bear
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Post by Polar Bear »

It's great to hear of what works for someone.
The bliss of 5 hours sleep.
Betty
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ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

Hope it continues to work well for you. I used to use meditation tapes that were created for people in pain, though I didn't have any. Nice to know that people with painful RLS may be able to use something like this.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

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badnights
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Post by badnights »

I think meditation can help any of us, especially when we're not being treated adequately and our world is falling apart. There is always some part of the sleep loss attributable to the psychological horror of it all, and recognizing and dealing with that will help us no matter what state we're in, but especially when things are at their worst.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
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Andreadrea
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Post by Andreadrea »

I used to meditate, but I found now that the RLS symptoms appear when I try to relax. I would love to be able to do mindfullness meditation again!

cornelia

Post by cornelia »

Me too Andreadrea. Nevertheless I have ordered the book: I saw a chapter about walking meditation in it.

Corrie

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

Me three. I miss doing it.

I tried acupuncture several years ago. I couldn't handle it for the same reason - all quiet and calm....and BOOOM - RLS! Talk about painful with those needles stuck in :-(.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

badnights
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Post by badnights »

Being there while walking helps. Of course you have to make yourself do it. It's simply re-focussing your mind on the movement of your legs, or your breathing, over and over as often as necessary, never judging yourself for not attaining some impossible ideal of perfect concentration, just gently re-focussing whenever you notice your concentration has slipped. It's very calming.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
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SquirmingSusan
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Post by SquirmingSusan »

I can do some mindfulness meditation, as long as I don't get too relaxed. There is no better way to get my RLS to overcome the medication I use to control it than to get very, very relaxed. :shock: It's easier for me to practice mindfulness while washing dishes or doing other household chores. And simple breathing meditation seems to work for me as well. But a lot of the guided meditations just get me too relaxed and the RLS goes wild.
Susan

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

I can be mindful while walking, washing dishes, folding laundry, potting my plants...but being absolutely quiet, relaxed and still? That's torture!
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

peanut1
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Post by peanut1 »

It worked for the weekend, but I had a bad night last night after doing the meditation. I did do the walking mindfulness, using a stepper and I thought it was helpful. To night I'm going to get up and do the walking and/or movement meditation. I do think meditation helps overall.

But what REALLY scares me is that you try this and it works for a while and then it doesn't work anymore. I'm truly terrified that one day (and I'm afraid that day might be here) NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING will work!!!!!! I will end up losing everything. How do all of you handle this panic? Also, have you noticed that heat affects the RLS? One option I'm considering is a move to the North for my health.

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

peanut1 wrote:It worked for the weekend, but I had a bad night last night after doing the meditation. I did do the walking mindfulness, using a stepper and I thought it was helpful. To night I'm going to get up and do the walking and/or movement meditation. I do think meditation helps overall.

But what REALLY scares me is that you try this and it works for a while and then it doesn't work anymore. I'm truly terrified that one day (and I'm afraid that day might be here) NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING will work!!!!!! I will end up losing everything. How do all of you handle this panic? Also, have you noticed that heat affects the RLS? One option I'm considering is a move to the North for my health.


It's certainly not an easy disease to treat, is it? I've found "cures" so many times....only to have them fail. So far, everything has failed eventually. The good news is that I've always found the next thing that works.

One thing that helps me to handle it (and I'm not always successful by any means) is a meditation concept - what's working is working not (or not) and the next moment will/can/may be different. As long as I don't start assuming that it will never get better or what I'm doing now will always work, I always have options. Allowing for different outcomes, I guess.

Per the heat, I do believe several of our members who live in hot places have mentioned this - Becat comes to mind.

I did a search on "hot weather" and found several posts related, including a thread about it. Try that and see if those help you in any way.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

badnights
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Post by badnights »

Nothing lasts forever, not even the panic.

Somewhere along the line my battered old mind decided that it was better to hope than not to, so I just keep hoping. It makes life bearable. And oddly enough, good things started to happen when I regained my hope - not before, after.

There are ALWAYS things we can't predict that turn up to help us.

Remember that flare-ups are common, it gets worse randomly and then better again, fluctuating around some base level. So don't misinterpret a fluctuation as a permanent worsening.

Meditation, I am convinced, doesn't help the WED/RLS much directly, but it helps the panic and despair immensely. Takes a long time to really sink in, but one day (a month? 6 months? from now) if you keep meditating, you'll suddenly realize that it's a part of you, and that your outlook has changed and things look better. Hang in there and keep doing it.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
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peanut1
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good update

Post by peanut1 »

I'm happy to report that I finally figured out what was making the RLS so unbearable. The revelation came at the grocery store when looking up some bach flower remedies that a friend of mine (who is a psychic for a living) suggested. I knew they wouldn't work, but figured I would give it a shot anyway. When asking the clerk what the one flower remedy helped with she said: stress and anxiety. I remembered how the meditation relax me over the weekend and started wondering: am I really that stressed? If so, over what? What has changed since this started acting up? It wasn't hard to figure out from there. My brother passed away 3 months ago and this triggered an enormous loss for me that happened when I was a child. Having that clarity relaxed me a bit and I actually got 5 hours that night. Last night, the RLS was acting up something fierce with the bach flower stuff and I did some specific stress reduction techniques that focused on those memories/fears and I could feel the RLS diminish significantly. It was wild!!!!

I used to be able to handle massive amounts of stress and be able to sleep, but I realize that things have changed and my body can no longer handle it due to the RLS. That would make sense being that it is a nervous disorder. We'll see where this goes from here. But I am definately a LOT more hopeful!

badnights
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Post by badnights »

That's wonderful, peanut. What a great bout of self-awareness!
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
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