Stories

Andy's Story: "I am now much more in the present"

On the surface I had the perfect life â beautiful wife, two amazing kids, great job, nice house and car. I did have a lot of good times but I also had lows and the more of those I experienced, the more I became depressed by them. I began to think that there was nothing I could do â that there must be something wrong with me. It was always that despair that led to the depression. I had heard that Mindfulnessâ based Cognitive Therapy had helped a number of people deal with the low and was recommended the book The Mindful way through Depression . As I started to read it, it made complete...

Lily's story: How a self-management course changed my life

Lily was living in a homeless hostel with no ambition or goals and she tried to take her own life.

Jonathan's Story

Jonathan, 18, has experienced extreme panic attacks and anxiety which threatened to mar his first year at university. "I have been undergoing the fight with anxiety and panic for as long as I can remember. I have struggled with it throughout my education and personal life and it has been a large factor of my life for so long, that I just learnt to deal and live with it, even though at this point I had no clue that what I was experiencing was anxiety and panic attacks . "In August 2013, I had my worst panic attack that I have ever had and was at this point, that I knew I really had to do...

James' story: "Mindfulness isn't all 'airy-fairy' like I thought it was"

James, 21, is from West Yorkshire. He is studying business and economics and is in his final year of university.

Theo's Story: "I watched my brother's battle with M.E. so I knew what I was in store for"

TheoÂ tells us about having his life put on hold and why conversations with friends aren't easy anymore. It was just before my 17th Birthday that I started getting ill. I thought it might be some sort of virus but the longer it went on, the longer I thought it might be something more serious. I was formally diagnosed with M.E. around six months later. I had watched my brother's battle with M.E. so I already knew what I was in store for. The consultant who diagnosed me said at the time âdon't worry, it's not like you're going to dieâ which I supposed was true but knowing that I would be...

"Mindfulness has given me my life back"

Jack, 47, works in sales at an IT Software company, while he is also a keen sailor. He lives with his wife and three children in North London.

Scott Stossel: 'I think many anxious people can benefit from mindfulness'

Scott Stossel is the editor of online magazine, The Atlantic and author of bestselling book My Age of Anxiety.

'Making mindfulness part of our everyday is the key to its success'

The story of Shepperd's Hill Nursery, who practice mindfulness with their children.

Kelly's story: Overcoming depression

I have suffered from depression and anxiety since I was a teenager. As a teenager I had no idea that I had depression. I kept my feelings of deep sadness, loneliness and the feeling of being worthless to myself for many years. I coped with these feelings by cutting my arms and by keeping a diary of my thoughts. By the time I had reached the end of University I had taken an overdose of tablets which was a cry of desperation. I was hospitalised for the night but chose to discharge myself. It was only at this time that my family and friends began to learn of my illness. Still, I chose to try and...