Meditation

As some of the others have said, I find focusing on a single activity much more useful.

Personally I really dislike guided meditations, they tend to leave me feeling overwhelmed and with the urge to throw something at the voice, or if it's on my phone, throw the voice source. 

I have had more success with number and breath based things (I use 4-2-6 breathing patterns and that is good for me, both the counting and the deep breathing). Anything involving counting works pretty well for me.

Hi - thank you - I’ve tried a lot of guided meditations - some of them are terrible and sometimes just amusing - so I can understand your reaction! People say ‘try meditation’ but there are so many options that it’s actually quite confusing and a very mixed bag (in my experience anyway!). 
M unfortunately focussing on breathing is a problem for me due to a health condition/trauma related to breathing - so that rules out a lot of the options. Counting though - I hadn’t thought of that. Interesting. I’m really glad it’s been helpful for you - all help is good that’s for sure! As I get older I find the anxiety I’ve always struggled with is getting worse if anything - and if I’m to survive I need to reduce it because it makes life almost unbearable at times. Both myself and my son are 100% tired of the idea that autism is a ‘superpower’ - we are too worn out and exhausted to think of it as that anymore! We have no support (other than from my husband who is so great) and everyday feels like a struggle a lot of the time - but I’ve found Buddhism to be a very hopeful thing in my life. I’ve been watching loads of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village videos on YouTube and they are so gentle and helpful. I feel I can really connect with them and they make sense to me in a way our own mainstream U.K. culture and society doesn’t. I feel so alienated by what’s around me in the U.K. - the capitalism, the aggression, the pressure put on everyone. 
Thank you for your help :) 

I think a lot of rubbish is spoken about meditation, there's always people around telling you you're doing it wrong, don't listen to them.

First find a comfortable position to sit or kneel in, I used to use a kneeling stool, it helped me to keep my back straight so I could breathe properly.

Some people find chanting easier than silent meditation, personally I'm a silent rather than a chanter.

I found that I was able to be with my "observer self" when intrusive thoughts came in which they did and do, but I was able to watch them and ask questions of them, they eventually lost their power. 

I think being in a safe place is important too, for some that will be a room set aside for meditation, or an outside place, sometimes a church or something. If you don't feel safe then you're not going to relax. You also need the cooperation of the people you share a house with, that they dont' come barging in or disturb you.

Personally I couldn't imagine meditating with an app, to me thats just odd!

Many guided meditations are done badly, I've been to a few that have been truely terrible, seemingly done by people who have no feel for it, who lack the patience and the skills to deal with someone who's experience is less that positive. It's rare that someone has a negative experience but it does happen.

Meditation dosen't have to be still, walking meditations are quite common and many find them easier, you can either walk to a particular place, round a maze, a stone circle or around your garden, it dosen't matter, what matters is you entering a state where your mind is relaxed, even if you have intrusive thoughts. Just look at them, try not to engage with them, and get caught up in them, just try and look at what they're tryiing to do and why they're tryiing to distract you.

I think a lot of rubbish is spoken about meditation, there's always people around telling you you're doing it wrong, don't listen to them.

First find a comfortable position to sit or kneel in, I used to use a kneeling stool, it helped me to keep my back straight so I could breathe properly.

Some people find chanting easier than silent meditation, personally I'm a silent rather than a chanter.

I found that I was able to be with my "observer self" when intrusive thoughts came in which they did and do, but I was able to watch them and ask questions of them, they eventually lost their power. 

I think being in a safe place is important too, for some that will be a room set aside for meditation, or an outside place, sometimes a church or something. If you don't feel safe then you're not going to relax. You also need the cooperation of the people you share a house with, that they dont' come barging in or disturb you.

Personally I couldn't imagine meditating with an app, to me thats just odd!

Many guided meditations are done badly, I've been to a few that have been truely terrible, seemingly done by people who have no feel for it, who lack the patience and the skills to deal with someone who's experience is less that positive. It's rare that someone has a negative experience but it does happen.

Meditation dosen't have to be still, walking meditations are quite common and many find them easier, you can either walk to a particular place, round a maze, a stone circle or around your garden, it dosen't matter, what matters is you entering a state where your mind is relaxed, even if you have intrusive thoughts. Just look at them, try not to engage with them, and get caught up in them, just try and look at what they're tryiing to do and why they're tryiing to distract you.

Thank you TheCatWoman - I appreciate your helpful comments very much. I love walking in nature, sometimes it feels soothing and meditative, and sometimes my thoughts disrupt the peace of that a lot. This is why I’ve looked at the more traditional forms of meditation of various kinds. From all the helpful comments I’ve had on here the conclusion I’m coming to is that I need to keep an open mind about meditation and the different ways/practices, and also to keep going and find my way. I definitely feel it’s worth persisting with, and hopefully eventually it will fall into place for me (at least sometimes!). Thank you for your reply :)