Now before you dismiss the M-word, (meditation) as some esoteric, ancient practice that’s not worth trying… I can say from experience that 100% meditation does help tame anxiety & reduce stress. Read on my anxious friend, and discover for yourself why I whole heartedly recommend this practice.
It’s not surprising that there has been an explosion in people suffering from anxiety in the past couple of years.
Mental Health UK* states;
“In the UK, a little over 1 in 10 of us will be living with an anxiety disorder at any one time – that’s over 8 million people. But everyone’s experience of anxiety disorders is different. Not everyone who has an anxiety disorder will experience the same symptoms.”
Meditation and mindfulness (m&m) can help you relieve the symptoms of anxiety. Mindfulness can help you to stop worrying by brining your focus into the present moment. The more you practice m&m, the greater the benefits are to your mind, body & soul.
The NHS website# quotes Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, says that mindfulness means knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment. When we become more aware of the present moment, we begin to experience afresh things that we have been taking for granted.
“Mindfulness also allows us to become more aware of the stream of thoughts and feelings that we experience,” says Professor Williams, “and to see how we can become entangled in that stream in ways that are not helpful.”
“This lets us stand back from our thoughts and start to see their patterns. Gradually, we can train ourselves to notice when our thoughts are taking over and realise that thoughts are simply ‘mental events’ that do not have to control us.”
“Most of us have issues that we find hard to let go and mindfulness can help us deal with them more productively. We can ask: ‘Is trying to solve this by brooding about it helpful, or am I just getting caught up in my thoughts?’
“Awareness of this kind also helps us notice signs of stress or anxiety earlier and helps us deal with them better.”
While you can’t remove all the stress from daily life, there are ways to help you feel more at ease and able to cope with the pressures of work and home.
So, how does meditating help relieve those symptoms when the stressors can’t be meditated away?
Well, meditation eases anxiety related symptoms by allowing you to focus on being present. Most anxiety tends to be centred on ruminating about the past or catastrophising the future. When you’re stressed and anxious you can’t think clearly and focus on the negative.
Meditation encourages you to engage fully with the present moment. Your attention then switches from regrets and fears to positive thoughts so your contentment and gratitude grows. Stress hormones decrease and serotonin, the happiness hormone, levels rise. Gray matter enlarges, while the amygdala, which processes the fight/flight reaction, shrinks. How cool’s that?
Also, scanning your body during meditation reminds you to unclench your jaw, lower your shoulders from around your ears and to just breathe! Chronic anxiety takes a toll on your physical health through inflammation and other symptoms; meditation connects you to your body in a deep, relaxing way so you can start to see and feel the joy in your life.
Here’s a basic meditation guide to reduce your anxiety & stress levels;
Meditation can be adapted to suit your individual needs. Take classes or sit at home for free on you own, at a time that suits you. First thing in the morning, and before you go to sleep are most beneficial.
If you’re new to the practice, here are some tips to get you started;
- Start off gradually, 10 – 20 minutes a day. The benefits of meditation can often be seen within a week or two, maybe sooner depending on the individual. Set aside sometime each day for this wonderful, calming practice.
- State your intention for the meditation, eg I want to feel calmer. Meditation is not necessarily religious. You can develop greater peace of mind with your own set of beliefs and spiritual practice.
- Separate facts from your thoughts and feelings. Self-reflection helps you to distinguish between actual events and your inner thoughts and emotions. A thought isn’t a fact. As you train yourself to think objectively, you can achieve greater control over your reactions.
- Develop insights to better understand yourself and others. You may discover the root causes of your anxieties and how best to deal with them. Maybe you’ll want to replace negative expectations with a sense of curiosity. Perhaps you’ll pay more attention to the kindness you receive from others instead of differences and disagreements.
While meditation is powerful, your GP may recommend treatments including cognitive therapy and medication if your anxiety persists. You can still practice meditation and self-care to aid your recovery. But it’s important to let your doctor know what you’re doing to help yourself.
Meditation is even more effective when combined with a healthy lifestyle. (There’s no judgement here, believe me…I got through chemo eating ALL the cake I could !)
Here are some suggested areas of your life that you may want to consider, or not… Are you getting enough rest and relaxation? Can you limit alcohol and caffeine? Are you eating a balanced diet? Do you exercise enough?
Please don’t let anxiety interfere with your life, help is available. You can achieve greater peace of mind through meditation, and mindfulness practices such as walking in nature.
Always see your doctor if you need additional support.
Thanks for reading this. I hope it’s inspired you to try something new to help relieve anxiety today.
Look after yourself. Here’s to your wellbeing & happiness. (And eating lots of cake!)
Tracey x
Sources;
*https://mentalhealth-uk.org/…/anxiety…/what-is-anxiety/
**https://www.nhs.uk/…/self…/tips-and-support/mindfulness/
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