What is Reddit's opinion of MindShift™?

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I think apps like Mindshift and Calm do a very good job at helping people who are in crisis.

There is a fine line between going to the doctor and having applications suffice. If a person is suicidal, or at the risk of hurting themselves, it is almost crucial that they go to a doctor. Yes, apps may help, but having third party intervention (especially suicide watches) are a better option.

For immediate crisis, I would definitely recommend some sort of crisis information dashboard - shortcuts to call suicide prevention hotlines, mental health clinics/hospitals, directions, non-emergency police/ambulatory numbers, etc. Then in the meantime, before help actually arrives, checklists or exercises may help.

No worries dude. The other things I've found helpful with my anxiety (your mileage may vary, obvs) are this app called "MindShift" - I can't remember if it's free or not but it's certainly less than $5 - and these free meditation mp3s from the University of California. I have all this bookmarked, haha.

Tension is a physical symptom of anxiety, so it's pretty normal. If it's bothering you too much (like, actually reducing your life quality), you should consult a therapist. There are also some apps that can help you relax a bit, like Mindshift.

This might not be your thing but there are many really good self-help websites.

• Sparx https://sparx.org.nz/ Helps you through things while playing a role playing game

• Mood gym. https://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome

• Mood juice. http://www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk/

• The lowdown https://thelowdown.co.nz/#/home/

• Mindshift is a good app. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bstro.MindShift&hl=en

Hey, I ask because not everyone is comfortable with terms of endearments like love, honey, darling, sweety. Petal I think is a very Northen UK one, or at least that's where I picked it up.

From what I can read, you are not going to leave her. Make that a decision. For the time being this is where you are. You need to make that decision for yourself once and for all. Because staying in that limbo of trying to decide what to do is also mentally draining.

Now you can come up with plan to approach your decision, break down what needs to be done, and find solutions. And I do believe that everything has a solution. I can't comment too much on that. Because these plans are going to be specific to you.

There is something here, that I am unsure about. But if the "threat" of you leaving has been hanging over her even if on some level she knows you won't. It might actually make things harder for both of you. It is, unfortunately, true that healing isn't linear, there will be setbacks. But if those setbacks "activate" her abandonment issues, her fear of being unloved and having it confirmed, that might make her shame-spiral harder and more difficult to come back from? Something to mull on.

You say that she has a therapist but they don't seem to do her any good. I hate to say this but the wrong therapist can make things worse in the long run. She might actually be better of not going back. But this completely depends on what you mean. Therapy is draining and it is normal to feel exhausted after. She needs to process a lot of negative memories, feelings, etc. But if she feels ashamed or invalidated after, it might be better letting it go and finding something better suited. Also, learn about hypervigilance and emotional flashbacks - the psychosis might be heavy flashbacks?

Everything that follows is tips and resources, that I used over the last couple of years. I wanted to mention briefly, that I did it all by myself. I had no therapy. I also wanted to tell you it took me about 5 years. I am not recommending this route. I think I would have been able to stabilize faster if I had had access to proper trauma therapy. I didn't, and it looks like you're in a situation where you have to also help yourself.

If you decide to stick with her through stuff, I would recommend you do a lot of these things together. Because they are helpful to build resilience for anyone. This list is mainly for her though. I am aware this is a lot. You can totally just start with 1,2,3 and 4.

Or just 4. Depends on how bad the flashback, hypervigilance, and dissociations are.

I just thought I write down everything as well as I can as a resource for later.

1. download a CBT app, I like using MindShift Android Apple Store
2. learn all you can about thought distortion. Whenever I feel bad about something I always ask myself "is that true?", work through this list. It is very important to note that, this can be abused to "self-gaslight" so be mindful, sometimes things just really are objectively bad, unfair, or shitty.
3. Lower your expectations, built patience. Childhood trauma alters the way our brains work, like the actual structure of our brains. You can't fix that with over-compensating, or two weeks of doing everything you think you should be doing to be "normal". Instead set small goals. Only plan the day ahead. I understand the pressure to wake up and fix stuff. But a lot of the expectations we put on us are external things we internalized. Instead of "I should be like this" ask yourself what would make you happy. You can totally spend all day on the sofa and still be a little productive. If you have PayPal you can work for Neevo, Rev, and other micro-jobs.
4. You might need to do some vagus nerve stuff before you can meditate, especially if you're experiencing flashbacks and hypervigilance. I use this to fall asleep. But I use the method in it - breathing and humming whenever I need to calm down. Healing Trauma Sleep Meditation, I also do a breathing technique (5 counts in, wait for 2, 8 counts out). There are a ton more videos on YouTube that show exercises explain the reasoning.
5. Read those books, the c-PTSD sub also has helpful sidelinks. Reading them can be quite triggering / overwhelming. So it's OK to do it slowly. I also recommend the r/cptsdmemes subreddit, because sometimes laughing about your issues, or realizing you're not alone in the slightest, can be quite therapeutic.
6. This is very specific. I made up my own go-to for this, although I am sure it exists within the realm of meditation somewhere. I just don't know what I would call it. I lock my door for this or do it at night where the possibility of anything disturbing me is zilch. Basically, all I do is a standard progressive body relaxation (tons of guided ones out there) and whenever I feel resistance, I interrogate it. I talk to the sense of uneasy and frustration and do my best to convince it that for that exact moment in time the bad things are over, that I am safely locked in my room and I can relax. At first, I just couldn't convince the hypervigilant part of me. I had to start with "OK ten seconds". And then just relaxed for a literal ten seconds. Over time I was able to coax more relaxation. I have noticed that when I am fully relaxed affirmations work better for me, so I usually start with "I think, I am real, I feel." Then I repeat to myself that no one can hurt me now, that the past was awful, but it's over. And it is. Then because I used to do EVERYTHING with specific goals and concepts in my head I try to let go of that. I try to let go of the idea that once I'm "healed" I'll be the superhuman, perfect someone, whatever. For a few brief moments, I let go of all concepts, even the positive ones. Just totally exist in the now. Without any expectations. This is by far what gave me the most progress. Because I would often try to change with a specific "fantasy" person I wanted to be. Letting go of that and focusing on just being happy, but also really sinking it in that the PAST is over, I can't change it, no one can. It's irrelevant. And the future, I can't control that either. All I can control is the RIGHT NOW, the day ahead of me. Any intrusive thoughts during that time I picture myself picking them up on a piece of paper and throwing them away.
7. There are a ton of "inner child" meditations/sources out there, but I would recommend waiting for more stable times, because for me at least this one is the most difficult to do. Parts work assigns each "voice" in your head a personality "the mother, the father, the inner critic, the child" etc. For me, at least when I try to communicate with my inner child and let her know she's safe and loved, my inner critic will literally turn into an inner monster. I now use the CBT/thought distortions interventions against my inner critic and that works. But it might be a good idea to wait until you have that internalized.

There are probably more, 5 years of resources that are hard to condense.

Anyway, all of this of course, is to be taken with a grain of salt. I will say though, they did work for me. I am no longer suicidal. I can usually self-regulate. I drink like a normal person now. I still have a lot to work on, but I am progressing.

Try mindshift, it's an app that tracks your anxiety. Sounds like what you're looking for.

Because you can't survive in this world by avoiding people. It is a fear that must be overcome, and exposure therapy is considered the best thing for that. CBT and mindfulness can help make the exposure therapy more tolerable.

It's not unheard of to start with some CBT before you have to meet with someone though.

Mindshift is an app for this. MoodGym is a website. Mind Over Mood is a book.

I'm going through something similar to this right now, and this is where the Psychiatrist is getting me to start.