Meditation Techniques For Anxiety

Anxiety is affecting a lot of people- in fact most if not everyone tends to go through various periods of stress and anxiety from their everyday lives. Anxiety is basically a stress response that everyone gets to experience from time to time as a reaction to situations that are perceived to be dangerous or threatening. According to the National Institute of Mental health, there are about 40 million Americans from ages 18 and above who are affected with certain kinds of anxiety disorders every year. Now, contemporary research considers meditation as a useful tool in subduing the restless mind. Anxiety and racing thoughts create stress and excess stress leads to physical as well as mental breakdowns. Nonetheless, through the use of numerous meditation techniques for anxiety, stress is reduced; thus, helping the person acquire a calmer state of mind. Indeed, anyone can attain peace when he or she meditates. Besides, the peaceful effects of meditation techniques for anxiety carry on even after the practice is over.

Guided Meditation

One of the most common meditation techniques for anxiety is guided meditation. This is a program that is especially popular for beginners and those who are experiencing overwhelming levels of anxiety. Guided meditation programs are commonly available for download from certain websites or for purchase on DVDs and CDs. These meditation techniques for anxiety usually focus on breathing exercises and relaxation techniques. It helps in slowing down one’s heart rate when he or she feels panicky, gradually letting the person take his or her mind off of whatever that is causing the anxious feelings.

Yoga

Although many people do not consider yoga as a form of meditation, the Mayo Clinic regards this particular approach as a type of meditation technique for anxiety that can create a feeling of inner peace. Yoga is another meditative approach that is known to effectively reduce anxious feelings as it emphasizes mind and body connection. Here, when a person concentrates on a certain movement or posture, his or her anxiety level may possibly drop because there is this effort to remove the anxiety-causing stimulus from one’s mental focus. In fact, an article released in Yoga Journal reveals that through asana practice (a technique that focuses on various yogic postures as well as breathing techniques), the nervous energy that produces anxiety can be eliminated.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness, on the other hand, is a meditation technique for anxiety that involves directing the mind on whatever thought that passes through without any judgment or reaction. This particular form of meditation generally involves becoming mindful, which means being aware of where one is at the moment and focusing on one’s breath. The primary focus, which a lot of people find difficult at the beginning, is on taking a non-judgmental attitude. This meditation technique for anxiety is found to be effective in helping patients cultivate since people with anxiety disorders tend to be extremely critical of themselves and usually have trouble letting go of their control. As emphasized in another article, people suffering from anxiety disorders commonly tense up and hyperventilate; thereby, making mindfulness meditation simple appropriate for them.