Anxiety is a feeling of unease, nervousness, worry, or impending doom. It’s a natural response of the body to stress. It is a normal human emotion that many of us experience at one time or another. However, anxiety can become a chronic condition, interfering with our daily lives.
There are many treatment options available for anxiety, such as therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes. One promising way of treatment that is gaining popularity is meditation. Meditation is a practice that can be used to calm the mind and body.
Try this meditation for anxiety relief and to calm your inner chatter.
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Will Meditation Help With Anxiety?
Surveys show anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in the United States. It affects 40 million adults aged 18 and older. That’s nearly one-fifth of the population.
A growing body of research suggests that meditation may be an effective treatment for anxiety. In one study, mindfulness meditation was found to be as effective as medication in reducing the symptoms of anxiety.
Research published in 1999 says mindfulness meditation can be a long-term substitute for conventional treatments for anxiety and panic attacks. A 3-year follow-up data were collected and analyzed to study the long-term effects of meditation.
Another study published in 2006 shows that transcendental meditation helped reduce anxiety symptoms.
So, if you are struggling with anxiety, don’t lose hope because it can surely get better. But you may be wondering, will meditation help with anxiety? The answer is a resounding yes!
As we go further in this blog post, we will explore 2 ways in which meditation can help with anxiety. These include short-term and long-term effects that meditating regularly can have on anxiety. We will also explore what meditation is good for anxiety.
How Can Meditation Help With Anxiety?
Meditation can help with anxiety in many ways. Apart from the short-term effects, there are also long-term benefits of meditation.
Many would think deep breathing and meditation can only relax and calm you for a few moments. But that’s not the case, as we have already seen how effective meditation can be in many research and studies.
Instant Effects Of Meditation On Anxiety
This depends on the type of meditation you are doing. Mindfulness meditation and mindfulness exercises can provide instant relief from anxiety. That’s because mindfulness meditation teaches us to direct our attention to the present.
There are also various mindfulness exercises that can help you ground yourself. Deep breathing and progressive relaxation can also help calm physical symptoms of anxiety.
How Meditation Reduces Anxiety Symptoms In Long-Term
Meditation supports overall mental and emotional well-being. You also learn to manage emotions and thoughts better when you practice meditation. Practicing meditation strengthens you from within. The strength we gain also helps with symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks.
Long-term severe anxiety can manifest itself through physical symptoms. These symptoms can show up as body aches and frequent headaches. When you meditate for a longer time, you will also notice a reduction in these physical symptoms.
The frequency of panic attacks and severity of panic attacks will also reduce over time. You might also notice yourself not hyperventilating as much as before.
What Meditation Is Good For Anxiety?
There are actually many types of meditation that are good for anxiety. It’s up to you to decide which meditation will be more suitable for you. The effectiveness of meditation will also depend on how you feel during meditation. The meditation will be more effective when you feel comfortable and at ease.
- Walking meditation:
If you are looking for that instant relief from a situation where you are feeling on the verge of panic. Going for a meditative walk gets you out of the environment that caused you to feel anxious. You can focus on your breathing and your steps, and how your body is feeling as you walk. Or you can also focus on your surrounding, plants and flowers, the sky, and trees. Walking meditation can be a very soothing solution for anxiety.
- Breathing from alternate nostril:
This is actually a breathing exercise usually practiced in Yoga. When you get bored of deep breathing or deep breathing doesn’t work for you. You can try alternate nostril breathing. Alternate nostril breathing is done in a very specific way. You pretend from one nostril by blocking the other nostril with your thumb. Then block the side of the nostril you just breathed in with and exhale from the other. Continue to alternate between both nostrils for breathing in and breathing out. This breathing technique will not only relax you but also keep you focused on your breath.
- Transcendental meditation:
Transcendental meditation is one unique way to meditate. It is proven to be very effective for anxiety. In this meditation, all you have to do is, sit down on the floor and meditate for 20 minutes. Focusing on one Mantra, Mantra here means a sentence that you will repeat in your head over and over again. You don’t need to recite the affirmation or mantra out loud. You can repeat “Om” in your head or any other affirmation, such as “I am getting better” or “I am calmer”.
- Mindfulness meditation:
If you are wondering, there are so many advanced meditation techniques. Then will mindfulness help my anxiety? If it does, will it be effective enough? Each meditation technique has its merits. Mindfulness can definitely help you with anxiety. Mindfulness is not as complicated as other advanced meditation techniques. It is still effective. It’s especially great when you are not used to meditating and are beginning to meditate. Practicing mindfulness in your daily life can help you prepare for advanced meditations.
- Guided meditations for anxiety:
If you don’t want to try any other form of meditation and if you don’t know how to meditate. It’s best to go for guided meditation specially made for anxiety. Guided meditation programs made by meditation experts can be very effective. There are many apps available with weekly and monthly meditation programs. These programs are specially designed for dealing with stress and anxiety. If you wish to try some advanced guided meditation, you can find them on the Enhanced meditation app for free. There are also a plethora of many different meditations to support you in the Enhanced app.
Conclusion
Meditation is a very empowering tool for treating and recovering from anxiety. There are studies and research to affirm the effectiveness of meditation. However, you need to do your own study by trying and implementing the practice of meditation in your life. That is the only best way to know if meditation will help you with your anxiety.
