If you are new to meditation you might be surprised that daily meditation has many benefits ranging from improving focus, sleep and helping with anxiety. So, in short, yes meditation can help with anxiety. But how does it do this? To answer this question, we first need to quickly define what meditation is. Meditation is simply when you spend time to focus your awareness. This could be focusing on your breathing, focusing on different parts of the body, even focusing on your thoughts without any judgement. The key is that you are focused on this moment.
Anxiety on the other hand is a feeling of fear or apprehension about what's to come. Its when the mind focuses on potential, real or imagined, future threat and then becomes overwhelmed with fear. But here is the thing, the future doesn't exist so neither does the threat. We live only in this moment. But our mind likes to live in the imagined past or future. With meditation, we learn to train our mind to focus on this moment now. By redirecting our focus, we can regain control and replace fear with calm.
Multiple Studies Suggest Regular Meditation can significantly decrease Anxiety.
There have been several studies that have looked at the impacts of meditation. On such published-on Science Direct pointed to a significant decrease in Anxiety between people who did regular meditation and those who didn't. Another interesting finding is that people who had elevated levels of anxiety had lower levels of meditation. This makes sense intuitively. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. When you feel the emotions of fear, anxiety, or stress, you tend to focus on things that will bring you more of the same!
This meditation can help reduce anxiety
To do this meditation you can either be lying down or sitting in a comfortable chair. You don't need to sit cross-legged. All you need to do is be in the moment. If you can turn off any distractions, and lights. Place your left hand on your belly, and your right hand on your chest. Close your eyes and focus on breathing. The goal for the inhale is to make your left hand raise before your right hand, so breath deep into the belly. Hold for 3 seconds and then exhale. On the exhale you want to see the right-hand fall before the left hand. Picture yourself filling the lungs from the bottom to the top and emptying the lungs from the top to the bottom. Once you have finished the exhale, hold for 2 second and repeat. Don't worry if you notice your thoughts, just smile and go back to the breath. You may notice that your breath starts to slow down which is normal. It just means that you are entering a state of calm.
Once you feel calm you are going to focus on your body. Start by putting your attention on your toes. Gradually move up the body until you get to the crown of your head. You might feel tingling, warmth, cool breeze or nothing at all. Again, remember if the mind wonders don't worry, just go back to the last body part you remember and continue. Once you get to the crown of the head reverse and go back down until your attention is on your toes. The important part is to focus on each of the body parts. After you make it back to the toes go back to the breath and continue the inhale and exhale.
You'll want to do this for as long as you need until you feel calm.
All it takes is 30 days of meditation to have a new you.
The best way to realize the benefits of meditation is to practice everyday. While this meditation can and will help you reduce your anxiety, it works best if you do it everyday regardless how you feel. Why not try this for 30 days and see how you feel. Before you start write down on a piece of paper how you are feeling, and how you want to feel at the end of 30 days. Set aside 15 minutes each day. This could be right when you get up or right before you go to bed at night. Make sure the area is quiet, and dark and practice the exercise. After the 30 days are complete write down how you feel and compare the notes to the start of the challenge. You will be amazed at what 15 minutes a day can do.
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