If you've ever tried to push away anxiety or depression when they show up, you probably already know: Fighting these complex, difficult emotions usually doesn't work. In fact, our resistance often makes the experience even more challenging.

In today's practice, Ed Halliwell offers a guided visualization based on a foundational mindful question: What if you don't try to push this experience away, but instead watch it as it plays out?

Ed Halliwell is a mindfulness teacher and writer, based in Sussex and London, UK. He is author of three books: Into The Heart of Mindfulness, How To Live Well By Paying Attention and (as co-author) The Mindful Manifesto and teaches courses and retreats to public groups, in organizations and to individuals, face-to-face and online via Skype. He is also an advisor to The Mindfulness Initiative, which is supporting the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group to develop mindfulness-based policies for the UK.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Ed Halliwell here.

Go Deeper

Anxiety, panic, and depression can sometimes feel like a vortex we're sucked into that's impossible to get out of. It's important to understand that mindfulness and meditation aren't cure-alls or instant fixes, and that they're most effective when used in concert with other healing modalities. There are practices that can help us be with thoughts and feelings in a compassionate, non-judgmental way—and this open-hearted approach can often loosen the grip of difficult moments. If you'd like to explore more about how mindful practices can help improve mental well-being, check out these resources on Mindful.org:

• Practicing Self-Compassion Can Boost Your Mental Health

• Using Mindfulness for Mental Health

• Is Mindfulness a Treatment for Depression?

• 4 Ways to Curb a Panic Attack with Mindfulness

• How Mindfulness Protects Against Postpartum Depression

• ​​Unwinding Your Anxiety Habit Loop

For more practice, here are 5 Guided Meditations for Panic and Anxiety that you can try.

And more from Mindful here:

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